Joerg Teuchert
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Motorcycle mad mom got the “perfect” shipment in a hearse – strapped to the back of a TRIKE.
Diane Thompson, 59, has kept motorcycles her entire life, even storing them in her kitchen and living room over the years.
So when the mother of two unexpectedly passed away in February this year, her 40-year-old son Laurie knew he had to give her a final farewell to his passion.
Laurie, from Basildon, Essex, arranged for a special hearse, strapped to the back of a motor trike, to transport her mother the six miles from her home to the Pitsea Crematorium last Friday (April 16).
Laurie also made an appeal on Facebook ahead of Diane’s funeral, calling on bikers from Basildon to come and say their final farewells to her mother.
And he was “overwhelmed” with emotion when 78 motorcycles arrived as she left her home – and followed her hearse in a procession to the crematorium.
Laurie said: “It was the perfect start for her. It was great – it was exactly how she wanted it to be.
“I had looked at her browsing history and she had even Google searched for ‘motorcycle funerals’ – so I knew I had to do it for her.
“We couldn’t have hoped for a better day. I was blown away by all the support from the riders – it’s a great community.”
Diane suddenly collapsed and died at home on February 20 of this year, shortly after beating breast cancer.
Her family are still waiting for answers on what caused her death – but Laurie said she suspected it was related to Diane having received the AstraZeneca vaccine a few weeks before.
He said: “She was having blood problems anyway, and that was around the time concerns started to be raised about the blood clots.
“She got the AstraZeneca vaccine and a few weeks later she was just gone.”
But now Laurie offers her thanks to the motorcade that accompanied her mom to the crematorium.
He said, “They kept coming, a lot of foreigners and people from bike clubs were doing it out of respect for her.
“It was such an emotional moment that my brother Ricky got to watch Zoom from Australia, I know if Mum was there she would have loved it.
“I have never experienced anything like this and I am very grateful for it.”
