'Forever our James' - Funeral details for much-loved Blackpool man James ‘JJ’ Taylor revealed by family
“Forever our James.”
The funeral of much-loved Blackpool man James ‘JJ’ Taylor will take place at Carleton Crematorium on Wednesday 7 October at 12.30pm, his family has announced.
James, popularly known as Jim or JJ, died suddenly aged 32, prompting an outpouring of tributes from those who knew him. A familiar figure at Grange Park Pharmacy on Dinmore Avenue, James had worked at the pharmacy since February 2013, where he was a complex care manager.
His sudden death led to a wave of floral tributes being left outside the pharmacy, with the number of flowers increasing during Friday after those left at the end of the previous day were brought inside when the premises closed and laid out again at the start of business.
Funeral arrangements
The family has announced that refreshments will be available at their parents’ home from 11.30am. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to contact the family privately for the address.
Former St Mary’s RC Academy pupil James will also be taken to Grange Park Pharmacy, where people will have the opportunity to pay their respects and say a final goodbye to what his family describes as his “second home”.
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The funeral service will then take place at Carleton Crematorium at 12.30pm on Wednesday 7 October. Following the service, everyone is welcome at the Cricket Club for James’s wake, where family and friends can come together, share memories and stories, and celebrate his life.
The family has said there is no dress code for James’s funeral, with mourners invited to wear whatever feels right and whatever they feel James would have wanted, whether traditional black, black with pops of colour, or bright and colourful clothing.
The family has encouraged people to wear something that reminds them of James or represents him to them. The funeral announcement concluded with the words: “Forever 32. Forever loved. Forever our James.”