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Hundreds say farewell to tragic Gareth
EMOTIONAL FAREWELL ... hundreds of people turned up to pay their last respects to Gareth Phillips, inset.
HUNDREDS of people said an emotional farewell to tragedy victim Gareth Phillips yesterday.
Friends and family gathered at South Shields Crematorium to pay their last respects to the popular father-of-two.
The 29-year-old died in hospital on January 9, after suffering head injuries outside a house in Hebburn earlier this month.
Yesterday, Mr Phillips, known as Fil to friends, was taken on his final journey to South Shields crematorium, where the cortege was met by a huge crowd of people for a ceremony described as a celebration of his life.
Staff at the crematorium said the turnout was the largest they had ever seen, with many having to remain outside the building to pay their respects.
Humanist minister Ray Wood led the ceremony, and asked mourners to cast their tears aside and celebrate the life of Mr Phillips, who leaves behind fiancee Amy, their two daughters, Sydney and Faith, parents Gary and Cath and twin sisters Emily and Grace.
Described as “affectionate” and “enthusiastic”, tales from throughout his life brought moments of laughter among the sadness, while his father, Gary, got a huge round of applause after speaking of his pride at his son’s wish to be an organ donor. One of Mr Phillips’s kidneys and his pancreas went a 50-year-old man, his other kidney saved the life of a six-year-old boy, and his liver saved the life of a 20-year-old mother who had just hours to live.
Mr Phillips Snr said he was “overawed” at the turnout.
He added: “That is what will give me strength in the days ahead. Gareth has not only saved the lives of three people – if they go on to have families, he has saved generations of people.”
Music played at the service included LMFAO’s Sexy And I Know It – a tongue-in-cheek choice referred to as Mr Phillips’s “special song” – and Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven.
Meanwhile, flowers paid tribute to the doting father and brother, and his love of music and mixed martial arts.
Mr Phillips, from Jarrow, was a keen sportsman, and part of the Sea Cadets as a youngster.
He became an apprentice at shipbuilder Swan Hunter after leaving Jarrow’s Springfield School, and went on to work all over the world in the offshore oil industry.
At the time of his death, he worked at Offshore Group Newcastle, which builds platforms for the North Sea.
n Brian Morl, a friend of Mr Phillips, has been charged with manslaughter after the tragedy, which took place outside a house in Thames Avenue, Hebburn, in the early hours of January 8.
Morl, of Thames Avenue, has been bailed to appear at Newcastle Crown Court in March.
Twitter: @ShieldsGazCrime
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Weather for South Shields
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
