LONDON -- A Halloween-themed funeral was held in Luton on Wednesday to celebrate the life of a 56-year-old grandmother.
Lorna Johnson, who died from lung cancer, was a self-proclaimed White Witch (someone who worships nature and the earth) with a love of Halloween and fancy dress.
Her funeral was attended by Beetlejuice, the Tasmanian Devil, and various witches, and the procession was led by Darth Vader.
Lorna's son, Neil – who dressed as the Tasmanian Devil for the funeral – said Halloween was his mother's favourite time of year. "We always had fancy dress parties," he said. "When we were deciding what to do for the funeral, it just seemed the perfect thing."
"Everybody loved her and we want to acknowledge everything that she loved by celebrating her life at her funeral."
The funeral service was led by Co-op Funeralcare director Brett Houghton, who said they personalise funerals as much as possible to make them unique to the individual.
"Lorna's family wanted today to be a celebration of her life and we're confident that her personality will shine through," Houghton said on Wednesday.
Neil said his mother would have loved the funeral. "It's the type of person she was," he said. "She always wanted a party."