Midlands funeral firm creates unique memorial for air hostess’ father

A Midlands funeral firm has created a unique wave-shaped memorial for an air hostess whose father’s life was cut short by illness.

Halliwell funeral directors,carved the memorial out of granite, the memorial reflects the character and passions of Lee Bevington who loved the sea and travelling to faraway places.

The headstone includes a picture of a beach fringed by palm trees and an image of Bevington, with his baseball cap turned round, at the centre of the sun radiating out over the water.

Standing on the grave is a miniature statue of a footballer and at the foot the badge of Wolverhampton Wanderers. In his youth, the father-of-two was a striker for Tipton Town FC, until injury cut short his playing career. He retained his love of the game and was a lifelong Wolverhampton Wanderers fan.

The tribute is located at at Tipton Cemetery for his daughter Holly Bevington, who came up with her own design to remember her much-loved dad. It stands 6ft high and because of the intricate artwork cost nearly £7,000 to create. The money was raised by the family and from a collection at his funeral.

The epitaph in gold lettering reads: “To the world just one, but to us all the world and a proppa [sic] Tipton bloke.”

Bevington’s daughter, a British Airways air stewardess, was determined her dad would never be forgotten. Describing him as a “sociable, cheeky chappy” she said: “He really stood out in life and now he stands out in the cemetery too. This is where I know my happy place is with him and I wanted to put his personality into his memorial.

“He loved travel. As a child we were always holidaying abroad. He used to enjoy listening to the sea and the sun always seemed to shine out of him.

“I cried when it was put up. It was better than I ever could have imagined. Now it makes me smile when I visit it. Every time I go there the sun seems to shine down.”