Humanist Minister's Eulogy from Tim's funeral - 28th May 2004

Page 4 of 8

Tim Jacobs, age 34 years young...too young for us to be here this afternoon attending his funeral service.

We genuinely grieve and mourn Tim's passing, and it is right and natural for us to be sad at this time. For the sorrow that we are feeling, is but a reflection of the love, the happiness and the intimacy that we've all shared at one time or another with the man we have just lost. In a way too, we are also grieving for ourselves for we know that our own lives will never ever be the same again without Tim Jacobs.

This is a very sad day for us, especially sad, because the grief for a young man who has died in such tragic circumstances is always, is always the hardest to bear. When someone like Tim, who was actively, enthusiastically and passionately involved with life dies, it's such a shock. Even if we've been forewarned, the death of the young always shocks us and reminds us of our own mortality, because none of us are mortal. We therefore mourn not only the life that was, but also the life that might have been.

We meet here to mourn Tim's death and to celebrate his life. This is a time of sorrow for you who were closest to him - his mum and dad, Anne and Michael, Tim's brother Mark. Tim's departure will awaken wistful memories of happier times - perhaps family holidays together. There may be some sorrow too for the lost opportunities but you do know Tim was loved, well loved, and not only by his close family members.

I feel sure that there is no one here this afternoon who does not feel that somehow their own life has been enriched and enhanced by their having known Tim Jacobs. We will all miss him terribly. Certainly no one who encountered Tim, either at work or socially, failed to warm to him. Tim got on so well with people - he was a well-liked person and so very helpful to others which well suited him and his job at Sainsbury's where he had worked as a sales assistant for eight years.