Couple cremated in SAME coffin after 40 years of marriage

By Mirror

UK:Kevin and Christine Shearson were inseparable throughout their married life - and also left this world together

A devoted husband and wife who died two hours apart are carried into their funeral in the same coffin.

Kevin and Christine Shearson, both 64, were cremated side by side in the casket. It is thought to be one of the first funerals in Britain with an adult couple sharing a coffin.

Their eldest child Kelly, 38, said it had been the “perfect send-off”.

She added: “It all went really well. The casket was taken to the crematorium in a horse-drawn carriage.

“It was definitely nice to know they were together right until the end. That gave us a sense of comfort.”

Multiple sclerosis had left Kevin with a string of health problems, and last month he was admitted to the intensive care unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Bucks.

Christine, who was Kevin’s carer, kept a vigil at his bedside but she was struck down by a chest infection.

The mum, who was treated in the next room, told family she knew her husband would not survive.

She died on May 18 before retired driving instructor Kevin succumbed to pneumonia.

The pair, who had four children and lived in Hemel Hempstead, Herts, died a week before their 40th wedding anniversary.

Emotions ran high at the funeral in Watford when the 150 mourners saw the casket which had “Mum” and “Dad” carved on the sides.

Tim Morris, of the Institution of Cemetery and Crematorium Management, said he had never heard before of a married couple being cremated in the same coffin.

-Mirror