Car procession and mourners in red at funeral for boy mauled by dog
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Hundreds of people wearing red and carrying red balloons gathered for the funeral of a boy killed by a dog as his mother paid an emotional tribute to him, saying: “See you later dude.”
Jack Lis, 10, died after being mauled by the dog while playing at a friend’s house after school earlier this month.
A service for the schoolboy, from Pentwyn, Penyrheol, in South Wales, was held at St Martin’s Church in nearby Caerphilly on Thursday after a procession of high-end cars, including a silver DeLorean DMC-12 and red Mustang, was led around the town and castle.
Residents of the town lined the pavements leading to the church while the words of Reverend Mark Greenaway-Robbins, who led the service, were played on speakers outside.
Jack’s grandfather, referred to as Bampy Nigel, spoke during the service and said: “I hope he looks down on everything we do with a smile. We want to make him as proud of us as we are of him.”
A tribute from his best friend, which was read out, said: “Jack you went away too soon. I never got to say goodbye but I look forward to the day we meet again.
“Thanks for being an amazing friend, you will always be in my heart.”
In an emotional reading, Jack’s mother Emma Whitfield said: “I spent the last 10 years watching you grow and we got to start seeing you grow into an amazing man.
“My heart aches so bad that we won’t get to see you grow into that incredible man.
“This isn’t goodbye, this is a see you later dude.”
Music tributes included Start Over by Flame, See You Again by Wiz Khalifa, and Family Tree by Ramz.
Instead of flowers the family asked that donations be made to the charity 2 Wish Upon A Star, which supports those affected by the sudden death of a young person.
Jack’s love of rap music, cars and drifting were talked about during the service and a picture of his favourite car, a Toyota Supra, was displayed on his coffin.
