By Isle of Wight Observer
The father of a 25-year-old Thorley resident has started a go-fund-me campaign to help raise enough money to bury his daughter’s fiancé who died suddenly on September 13.
Jennifer Birt was with Barry Muir (39) when he unexpectedly had a seizure and died. Attempts by paramedics to revive him were unsuccessful and a heartbroken Jenny is now waiting to find out from the coroner the cause of his unexpected death.
Barry suffered from agoraphobia and stayed indoors most of the time, so didn’t have a wide circle of friends. They moved to the Island last year with Jenny’s father David, hoping that the quieter pace of life and peacefulness of the surroundings would help Barry’s illness.
Jenny is now trying to raise enough funds to give the man she spent almost ten years with the send-off he deserves, she said: “Barry never had very much to his name, but what little he did have he would willingly give to help others. He was such a kind and caring man, he sold most of his possessions a while ago to pay for vet bills when our pet rabbit fell ill so there is nothing to sell to raise any money. I do work, but I’m only on a minimum wage and I don’t claim benefits, so it will be very difficult to find the money to pay for even a basic funeral and wake.”
The government’s Money Advice Service website shows that the average cost of a funeral is around £4,300 before optional items like flowers and catering are taken into account.
Jenny, helped by her father, is hoping to raise £5,000 in total to make sure that Barry gets a decent funeral. She said: “I don’t like having to ask people for help, but I loved Barry so much and want to be able to say goodbye to him properly. Just a few weeks ago we were looking forward to our future together, it doesn’t seem possible that I’m now having to plan his funeral. I’d like to thank anyone who can help, even in a small way. It means so much.”
You can find the fundraising page here
