A private funeral service was held at All Saints Church in Bisley on Monday to celebrate the life of the much-loved author Dame Jilly Cooper, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 88.
Dame Jilly, best known for her iconic novels including Riders, Rivals, and The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, was remembered by family and close friends in an intimate ceremony reflecting her warmth, wit, and zest for life.
The acclaimed novelist had previously spoken openly about her views on mortality and her wishes for her own farewell. In a past interview, she mused on her hopes for the afterlife, imagining “arriving in Heaven and my dogs running across the sunlit lawn to welcome me, and family members being there.”
Dame Jilly also shared her wishes for her funeral, telling the Daily Mail: “For my own funeral, I think I’d want to look quite tidy, wearing a bra and a trouser suit, because of my legs. And I’d like a photograph of Leo and the children in the coffin. And champagne, chocolates, and a copy of Pope John Paul II’s record. It is hysterical: pop music going in the background, and him saying, ‘Be still my children, do not be frightened.”
With her trademark humour, she added that it “would be a terrific suck-up present to either God or the Devil when I got there.”
Music and poetry played a central role in her farewell wishes, including Lacrimosa from Verdi’s Requiem, the Good Friday music from Wagner’s Parsifal, and the theme from Brideshead Revisited. She also requested the poems So, We’ll Go No More a-Roving by Lord Byron, When I am dead, my dearest by Christina Rossetti, and Margaritae Sorori by W.E. Henley — the latter of which, she once said, always made her cry.
Following the private ceremony, locals spoke of the deep affection the village felt for the author. One villager told Stroud Times: “Everyone in the village kept the service a secret to avoid the glare of the media, so it was lovely for the family, who I believe enjoyed a party in her garden afterwards.”
