Patricia Tyzack died in February of 2023, aged 86. She left no instructions about funeral arrangements. According to her son Ben, she only twice mentioned what she might want when the time came. That was a Viking funeral. Given her Scandanavian heritage, perhaps Patricia remembered seeing the film ‘The Vikings’ in the late 50’s or reading Norse legend.
After understanding what a modern and legal Viking send off might consist of, Ben and Joanna searched out the best options and locations for the event. They contacted an expert craftsman from Dorset who made a miniature Viking ship to carry Patricia’s ashes into the next life. The Tyzacks were determined to preserve their mother’s memory by placing her ashes in a beautiful location.
Some years previously, their father had passed away in the United States. He too was cremated, and his ashes left in possession of his second wife. When she died, there was no indication of where their father’s ashes may be or may have been spread. So the act of honoring their mother’s passing and having a place to visit was symbolic of laying to rest more than just their beloved mother.
After a year’s planning, Joanna and family arrived from the US to join Ben, his wife and four close friends for the event. The group travelled to the marshes of Essex, to carry out the ancient viking ritual of burning of the funeral boat. This moment brought together a family that had been dispursed not by any personal enmity, but by simple distance and family commitments divided across continents. Coming together again to celebrate their mother in this act of remembrance became the foundation of renewed family ties that cross oceans and continents.
