Hundreds of people filled St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Stortford on Saturday for the funeral of Hayley Lynskey.
The mother-of-six and childcare businesswoman who would have met hundreds of families throughout her 20-year career running the Stortford and Stansted Early Birds and Night Owls school clubs, passed away aged 45 earlier this month after losing her battle with cancer.
Friends described it as “a beautiful send-off for an even more beautiful lady”.
Mourners were asked to wear navy or colourful clothing for the 1pm service at the Windhill church and her mum, Carol Parker, said it was filled with those who came to pay their respects. Many more also watched the funeral via a church livestream service.
“The funeral went as well as it possibly could,” she said. “There were hundreds of people in the church all wearing the navy and bright colours that Hayley requested.”
Family members carried her coffin into the church adorned with sunflowers, Hayley’s favourite flower, as Ed Sheeran’s song, Supermarket Flowers, played.
The service was led by parish priest, Rev Father Peter Harris. “He was amazing, such a special man. [He] talked to the children and to Hayley during the homily. Very special,” said Carol, who read the eulogy.
Second eldest son, Euan, 22, gave a reading as did Hayley’s stepfather, Peter Parker and a group of her close friends.
Afterwards, Hayley was buried at St Mary’s Church in Albury in a plot she had chosen herself overlooking her family’s home. Around 200 people then attended the wake at Albury village hall.
Hayley, who won the Indie’s Community Awards’ Person of Courage title in 2022, leaves her childhood sweetheart, Michael, whom she met while at St Mary’s Catholic School in Stortford, and her children – Callum, 25, Euan, 22, Olivia, 20, William, 11, and twins Poppy and Daisy, 8.
Said Carol: “There were about 200 people at the reception all sharing their memories. It was a funeral honouring a very special woman filled with love.”
A friend who had worked with Hayley said: “The church was absolutely rammed with people, they had to get more chairs. The priest was amazing because he spoke to the children, which was really sweet and her son gave a reading which was very emotional.
“It was a really nice service, everyone was dressed in really bright colours and when you saw everyone going in there were greens and blues and pinks – the whole church was bright.
“It was sad, but it was a happy service too as it was a celebration of her life. All her family and friends did so well as it must have been so hard for them.”
