'Funeral crasher' reveals why she's attended more than 200 ceremonies
A woman who’s a self-professed ‘funeral crasher’ admits to attending burials for over 200 strangers.
While most tend to be spooked by cemeteries, 55-year-old Jeane Trend-Hill, from Islington, London, finds great comfort in visiting graveyards.
The actor, part-time photographer and artist, has travelled across the globe attending funerals and has spent time sketching and photographing London’s Victorian cemeteries.
However, her odd passion started after she accidentally crashed a funeral while walking into a church service a decade ago.
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She said: “I walked into this pretty church and realised a service was on.
“I was raised as a Catholic and told that it’s then bad to then leave, so I stayed and sat at the back.
“It was a complete stranger, but I was moved.
“Shortly after a cemetery worker reached out and asked if I’d attend a funeral for a veteran.”
She added: “Now I’ve attended nearly 200 funerals for people I don't actually know - although I have lost count of the exact amount.”
Jeane, who also has PhD in mortuary science and became a cemetery historian, admits that she’s always been fascinated by death.
The funeral crasher said that because she lost both parents before the age of 20, she’s always felt ‘at home’ in cemeteries and even compared them to ‘outdoor art galleries’.
I mean, they're not exactly The Guggenheim.
Jeane also spends her time tidying up and photographing tombstones. She has even restored the plaque for British architect Arthur Beresford Pite and unveiled it in a Victorian mourning dress.
Jeane has made quite the name for herself as cemetery workers now inform her when the deceased are having burials and their loved ones can’t attend.
“No one should ever be cremated or buried alone,” she said.
“If I’m asked and I can go I will.”
However, even strangers have started to slip into Jeane's DMs, inviting her to send-offs.
Her family even joked that she should start her own 'rent a mourner' business.
"It's a name they gave me and it's a bit fun," she said. “Death has never worried me.
“I hope I can make death feel less scary for people. It’s my way of giving something back.”
Charisa Bossinakis