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13th October 2022
04:35pm BST
After the deaths of both her parents, Jeane began to feel at home in cemeteries (SWNS)[/caption]
Jeane lost her father, Joe, 56, when she was just 14 and her mother, Mary, 57, when she was just 20, and began to feel at home in cemeteries and crematoriums.
She would spend hours sketching and photographing London’s sprawling Victorian cemeteries and has visited graves all over the world, travelling to destinations like Paris and Venice.
“The first thing I do when I get somewhere is see where the closest crematory is,” she said.
“I did a PhD in mortuary science and became a cemetery historian.”
Talking about the first one she attended in 2012, she said: “I walked into this pretty church and realised a service was on.
“I was raised as a Catholic and told that it’s then bad to then leave, so I stayed and sat at the back.
“It was a complete stranger, but I was moved. Shortly after a cemetery worker reached out and asked if I’d attend a funeral for a veteran.
“Now I’ve attended nearly 200 funerals for people I don't actually know - although I have lost count of the exact amount.”
[caption id="attachment_363276" align="alignnone" width="800"]
She also spends time caring for graves (SWNS)[/caption]
She's become something of a minor celebrity, and people reach out to Jean on Facebook to ask her to go along to send offs.
“No one should ever be cremated or buried alone,” Jeane said.
“If I’m asked and I can go, I will.”
Jeane is still passionate for caring for graves and has even restored the plaque for British architect Arthur Beresford Pite and unveiled it in Victorian mourning dress.
Her family even joke and call her a 'rent a mourner'
"It's a name they gave me and it's a bit fun," she said.
"Of course I'd never actually make anyone pay for my attendance at a funeral. I’ll wear mourning dress to funerals if people ask me to.
“Death has never worried me. I hope I can make death feel less scary for people.
“It’s my way of giving something back.”
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