Hundreds of mourners gathered in Glasgow this morning to say their final goodbyes to Janey Godley. Crowds lined the street as the late comic’s loved ones arrived at St Mary’s Cathedral, Great Western Road, on Saturday, November 30.
Fans turned out wearing bright clothes to honour the comedian, who requested that people should wear colours, and not traditional black funeral attire. Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Still Game’s Gavin Mitchell, River City’s Tom Urie and comic Susie McCabe were amongst those in attendance to pay tribute to Janey, who tragically passed away at the Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow on November 2 following a battle with ovarian cancer.
Janey’s daughter Ashley Storrie, who is also a comedian, gave a moving eulogy in which she spoke beautifully about her mum’s incredible life. Keeping spirits high in true Janey fashion, Ashley joked with the priest as she addressed mourners. She said: “I know how to work a mic, the priest thinks he knows better than me!
“Hiya, my ma asked that I headline her funeral, ’cause she was like that, so here I am. I can’t do any of her jokes ’cause ‘house of God’ and that.
“My mum is very grateful to all of you who came out yesterday to Edinburgh and lined the Royal Mile and lifted your voices in song and the people who have come today to remember her in the best way possible. My mam was very much the daughter of Glasgow, she loved her city dearly, it was her favourite place in the whole wide world.
“The emblem of Glasgow is the tree that never grew and the bell that bever rang and the bird that never flew and the fish that never swam, and I think she took that as a challenge – it felt like the world was telling her to be quiet be small don’t get big so she did the opposite.”
After telling stories of her memories of Janey, Ashley concluded: “She was a comedian, that was her thing first and foremost, she tried acting, she hated it, she was a terrible singer, she couldny knit, she tried, there’s pictures of Liam Neeson with a hideous scarf to prove it.
“But what she was, was a comedian so for one last time as I sit back down can you please put your hands together for my ma, Janey Godley.” Those that had gathered within the cathedral then gave Janey one final standing ovation, as an emotional Ashley was comforted by loved ones in the front row.
During the service the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral, spoke about his meetings with Janey before she died. He said she had told him she wanted to forgive everyone in her life for their wrongdoings, however Donald Trump was not one of them.
Opening up about his conversations with Janey, he said: “She said: ‘I’ve been making lists’, I said ‘Oh right? Is that lists of people to be invited to the funeral?’ she said: ‘No not that’, someone came into the hospice room and we were distracted.
“I know some of you might be surprised to find yourself in church today, the first time Janey came into this church with me she had been chatting to me outside the door, and she wanted to have a look around, but as we got closer and closer to the door, she was kind of holding back she said: ‘I can’t come in’. I said ‘Why not?’ she said: ‘It will fall down’.
“She tried again: ‘I’ve been making lists’, I said: ‘what lists of people you want to see or things you want to do whilst in the hospice?’ ‘No don’t be stupid, I’ve been making lists of people to forgive’.”
The priest added: “Janey, knowing that she was dying, was making lists of people to forgive and that is what real religion and real humanity is made out of. Janey had a great deal to forgive, bad things had been done to her, I asked her how she was going to do that.
“She said she was going to forgive everyone, including everyone who was going to be at the funeral because her love was bigger than anything that anyone could have done to her and by the way that’s a lot of love.”
“I said ‘Really Janey? Everyone? Can you really forgive everyone? She said ‘yes everyone’, I said ‘what about American politics? Have you changed your mind on that?’ Friends, Janey Godley died having forgiven everyone but she still believed to her dying day that Trump is a country mile away from anyone who should come near to power.”
The priest’s comments had the crowds in fits of laughter as they remembered Janey’s viral ‘Trump is a c***’ protest. It was one of her exploits to put her on the map.
The fitting service concluded with a recording of Janey’s voice saying: “Frank! Get the door!” Her coffin was carried out of the church by six women, with a tearful Ashley walking directly behind.
Ms Sturgeon paused for a moment as she passed the hearse, laying a hand on the vehicle in a touching moment as she remembered her friend. As the hearse was driven out of the church, fans and passersby applauded Janey on her final journey.
Yesterday, the star was accompanied by a 100-strong female choir and best pal Shirley Doig as she made a “final tour” of Edinburgh. Hundreds gathered to pay tribute, with many dressed in bright bobble hats as was requested by the family, and some throwing roses on the hearse as it passed by.
There were two rounds of applause as Janey’s coffin travelled down The Royal Mile towards St Giles Cathedral and paused for reflection, before the all-female 100-piece Sound House Choir and friends sang.
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