'BIGGEST FUNERAL OF A GENERATION' AS 800 PAY RESPECTS TO LOCAL DAD

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3 July 2008

 

By David Yuill

SATURDAY SAW one of south London's biggest funerals for a generation when families and friends across Peckham, Bermondsey and Dulwich said their final farewell to Mark Side, who died in a motorbike crash.

The father was tragically killed in a crash in Deptford, just three weeks after celebrating his 30th birthday.

Well over 150 cars followed the horse-drawn hearse, that carried the Peckham-born man from his family home in East Dulwich to the site of the fatal crash on Evelyn Street and on to Lewisham crematorium.

Wave after wave of cars in a huge cortege passed through the congested Saturday morning traffic as members of the public, with many watching in amazement, bowed their heads in respect.

Mourners crammed into the chapel, filling the aisles and bulging out of the side doors, but still over half the congregation were left outside, with an estimated 800 people in total.

Funeral director Barry Albin-Dyer, who led the procession, told the 'News': "The day went off beautifully. My grandfather said to me many years ago, 'The bigger the funeral, the longer that person lasts in the memory of all the people close to them' and this is a great example of that."

"Florally, this is about as big as it gets and the biggest I have ever done. There has been no holding back on the expense, variety and size of the flowers and wreaths. Mark was clearly well-loved and a well thought of young man.
"It was one of the biggest funerals of this generation. The family were fantastic and his enormous volume of friends gave a real example of how the young people today respect the dead.

"Young people have found their way of paying their respects, through the shrine at the scene, to messages on the internet, to attending his funeral by the hundreds. It is a beautiful thing for his family to see the encouragement and support shown by his friends.”

Close friend Tyrone McNamara, who carried Mark's coffin into the chapel, told the 'News': "Everything just went perfect; from the massive turnout, to the flowers, the weather and the priest - just a brilliant send off. It proves just how popular Mark was and how loved and how missed he will be.”

Mark's two-year-old daughter Sadie was not at the funeral, but Tyrone insisted she would not be allowed to forget her dad: "Me and a few boys will always be close to her and Nicola [Mark's partner]. We want Sadie to grow up looking at us and seeing their dad, knowing what sort of person he was."

Among the floral tributes read one startling wreath: 'F**K IT'. But she explained: "That was from a group of friends from Deptford. I was following the cars just behind the hearse and you could see people's heads turning and read their lips as they laughed. That was typical Mark, making people smile up until he was buried."

Former Dulwich Hamlet players Marlon Patterson, Kenny Beaney and Danny Ward were among the congregation, supporting his 27-year-old brother Charley Side. Charley spent four years in two spells at Champion Hill, making well over 100 appearances. Tributes have been pouring in for the popular and prolific goal-scorer at his time of loss on the club's fans’ forum.

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