Lynn Tomlin MICF

My brave strong Mother passed away last month and my sister and I were adamant that we wanted her service to be dedicated to her and a celebration of her life and as such although she believed in God, we wanted someone who would be able to get across the joy and happiness Mum brought to the world. The funeral director put us in touch with Lynn as a celebrant, and within 4 hours she had made contact with me. At a very difficult time for us, her caring and gentle way instantly put us at ease. She made it clear from the start that she would be at hand 24/7 for us and we could contact her any time day or night. When we met her at a time, place and date suitable to us, she instantly formed a bond with Diane and I that we shall never forget. She spent over 2 hours sitting,chatting and even laughing with us as we regaled stories of our Mum. The tribute and service was wholly led by Us and at no time did Lynn try in any way to deviate from our wishes. I felt that Lynn had personally known Mum and had been a friend to her.
On the day of the service I was amazed to see that she was even wearing a yellow blouse. (we had asked all guests to wear something yellow, Mum's favourite colour and a symbol of the sunshine she brought into the lives of those she met)
On the order of service Lynn had typed she even reproduced photos of daffodils (this had been only a passing comment re Mum's favourite flower)
During the service Lynn was wonderful and a tower of strength.
I received numerous comments from attendees about her service and how they had never experienced such a truly genuine and heartfelt funeral, which was uplifting,touching and honest. This is a true credit to Lynn and her caring empathy.
At the end, she presented Diane and I with 2 beautiful yellow roses that had been on display by the lecturn. A truly wonderful personal touch.
To further prove her caring nature, I had commented to her that my brother who lives in Canada and who could not attend the funeral, had asked if the service could be recorded. I obviously told him that I thought this was against protocol, but Lynn, being the person she was,later presented me with a full audio recording that she had discreetly made on her mobile phone. Not only that, but she had managed to scan a lovely photo of Mum in Canada onto the CD.
I cannot thank Lynn enough for making that day so very special, and she is such a credit to celebrants. It is so much more than just a "job" to Lynn. I consider her a friend now and just as I am blessed to have had such an amazing Mother, I feel blessed to have met Lynn and shared my memories and love of Mum with her.
Thank you

Lorraine Muldoon

As with all matters in life - we all deal with things very differently and in our own way.
My husband Brian was taken from me very unexpectedly. He had not been ill and his loss came as a terrible shock to me and all our immediate family. I am certain - looking back - that we just went through the motions for the first couple of weeks and relied on being informed from various parties as to what we should be considering and putting in place.
As with Shay above, the funeral director put us in touch with Lynn. Brian was not and never had been - a religious man. He was a strong believer in what will be will be and just got on with each day as it presented itself. His strongest belief was in the strength and unity of family. He loved all of our family very much but like most men perhaps - never told them himself. We just spoke about them all between ourselves within our own four walls.
He was also a very unassuming man, who shied away from attention
but was always there to lend an ear or advise when advice was sought. So when it came to arranging his funeral - I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
It was important to me that I used the opportunity to let the family know just how much he thought of them and how proud he was of all their achievements. It was also important to me that the service was private. I did not want to upset anyone and fully understood that people wanted to give me their support, but although Brian would have been flattered - he would also have been very embarrassed.
Lynn came round to our home and sat with me for what seemed like hours. She waited for me to say things as I was able to and listened. I explained to her that for the last few days I had been scribbling memories and things down that came in to my head as and when. The result was a good few pages of things that I wanted the family to know about him and his thoughts on them. I did not know whether I was 'allowed' to do this but Lynn just read it to herself and said that she would be 'honoured' to read it out. Without my realising it - she had also picked up on little things that I had mentioned in conversation over serveral cups of coffee.
On another occasion she came and met our immediate family to answer any questions that they might have. They felt very comfortable with Lynn and we all knew that Brian would have liked her. Another very important factor.
The result was a truely 'personal' service which everyone said was wonderful. No one there had attended a service like that before and they all asked about the 'celibrant' who conducted it. Her attention to detail was second to none. She was able to address each individual as she spoke about them and came across as someone who had really got to know about the type of man Brian was before choosing her words when speaking of him.
And whats more - it did not stop there. I encountered an enormous problem in the following week. Lynn - who had been a total stanger only weeks before - took charge of a situation which I would not have dealt with as it required. It was the straw that broke the camels back. Suddenly - I felt like I had a truely wonderful friend and wondered who on earth had sent her?.
I found I was able to laugh about things with Lynn without feeling guilty as well as really enjoy her company. I certainly intend to keep in touch with her.

I can not recommend Lynn highly enough. A truely wonderful person who takes her job very personally. That makes such a very big difference.

Thank you Lynn - from all of us.

Dear Lynn,

Thanks for everything you did after the death of my mother. I imagined the death of a parent to be so cold and final, but the way you handled everything changed that. You managed to take away a lot of the shock and numbness after realising what had happened. When you visited us to take notes on my mother’s life, you radiated care and feeling for our lost, making us reflect on the happier times and taking away the sad moment. The script you built from the notes you took was a perfect match of my mother’s life and character with very fine detail highlighted; a beautiful tribute. On the day in question, you executed your script with such power that it made me feel as though my mother was starting a new journey into the future and beyond; a journey into infinity. I could leave, knowing her journey of freedom had begun and she is free of her life.

Finally, the way you care with so much passion about the feelings of people who have lost someone so close. I pay tribute to you Lynn.

Kind regards.

Eddy.

Bryan Notley
Dear Lynn
Thank you so much for the love and care that you should Simon and Stephen,my sons during the death of my ex. husband Bryan. You showed them such love and understanding and made them and their father seem so special. I can never thank you enough.Simon said that the service was wonderful and you were wonderful too. From the bottom of my heart I thank you.
Much love Jane

Hello Lynn

Thank you so very much for all you did to make yesterday so special for us.  You were kind, professional, discreet, caring and helpful - all we could have wished for at such a difficult time.  Thank you for all the help with the music, going the extra mile to make sure that Mum's wishes could be accommodated, too.  We are all very, very grateful, and would recommend you without hesitation.  Keep up your excellent work.  Kind regards, Yvonne and family

Just a short note to attempt to convey my thanks to Lynn for such a wonderful service today.  I was amazed at how much it seemed as if she knew our special friend Pat and she pre-empted every thought, feeling and emotion.  Truly special.  Many thanks.

Dear Lynn,

Just wanted to leave a personal thankyou to you.  When I lost mum I thought the world had ended.  You made the funeral so perfect and it was as if you knew mum in life.  The tribute was everything I could have ever hoped for and more.  I was dreading the funeral and didn't know how I would get through it but it turned out to be the most lovely funeral I have ever been to.  I know mum would have been as moved as we were and she would have been so proud.  I would recommend you to everyone!

Thankyou from the bottom of my heart.

Tina