Before Melvin Baker died at the age of 79, he asked that during his funeral, he be carried in the front bucket of a digger. He had driven one most of his life, and wanted to leave this world in one. So his former boss arranged for an operator to pick up the casket with a digger and carry Baker's body from his home, to the funeral, and then to the crematorium:
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Melvin had originally worked for Keith Bell’s father Jim. Keith remained a family friend and after chatting with his family was happy to make the wish come true.
He said: ”Melvin ended up driving the diggers for us and told me he wanted to make his final journey in one.
”When he first brought it up I thought he was joking but kept on going on and on about it.
”After he died, I dreaded bringing it up with his family, but Jean just said ‘we’ve got to do it for him, Keith, he went on about it all the time’.
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funerals are, after all, for the survivors not the person who has passed.
Knowing that that's something that he wanted should be enough to make one glad it was done, regardless or not if they somehow know.