The coffin of a cattle farmer was transported to his funeral on the back of a tractor so that he could’see his cows’ one more time before his departure to the next world.
George Brookes, 85, of Uttoxeter, died on July 31.
Former East Staffordshire councillor David Brookes said his father would frequently request to be brought to the farm after he retired ‘simply so he could view the cows.’
In a poignant homage, his family took him to see them one more time at his funeral.
‘If you ever needed George, he could usually be found in a pub,’ David explained. He’d always show up five minutes before it was supposed to close and would still be sitting in the same spot hours later.
‘More than anything, he adored his cows.
George Brookes’ coffin was hauled to his funeral on the back of a tractor so he could’see his cows’ one last time after he died on July 31, aged 85.
‘He would frequently want to be driven to the farm after he retired simply so he could view the cows, which is why for his burial he wanted to see his cows one final time.’
When David’s grandfather returned livestock to the farm from the market on a Wednesday, his father George would leave school early to accompany him.
David, who still works on the farm, said his father was a “very well known and greatly loved man,” and that his funeral drew roughly 300 people.
‘He was a character and enthusiastic about his lifestyle and the farm he lived and worked on,’ he continued.
‘He was immensely proud of us children and grandchildren, constantly stating not one of them had a lazy bone in their body, which he always taught them to be like,’ said one of the children.
George was born on January 31, 1937, at Chapel Farm in Beamhurst.
David, the youngest of three brothers, recalled his father playing beneath a bridge with his brother Gerald, constructing farmyards out of blue stones and scraps of wood to form cowsheds.
David Brookes, a former East Staffordshire councillor, said his father would frequently request to be brought to the farm after he retired ‘simply so he could see the cows.’
George and his family moved to Lower Loxley Farm in 1949.
When David’s grandfather returned livestock to the farm from the market on a Wednesday, his father George would leave school early to accompany him.
George met Kath at a junior agricultural event at Uttoxeter Town Hall, and they married on October 23, 1958, at Hilderstone Church.
They have four children, thirteen grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.
Aside from caring for his family, George enjoyed watching his beloved Stoke City Football Club play.