Mum plans to be buried with handbag, Jaws DVD, cat’s ashes and even paracetamol having been inspired by ancient Egypt

A mum who plans to be buried with her handbag, a DVD of Jaws and her cat’s ashes has made a list of specific and unusual requests for her funeral after she was inspired by ancient Egyptian practices.

Rebecca Brody, 48, a wedding photographer, intends to join the afterlife with her most important belongings, including photos of her family, her pet’s ashes and even paracetamol, so she does not go “unprepared”.

Rebecca first began thinking about her own mortality after “nearly dying” when she gave birth, and it was her daughter’s love of ancient history that inspired her to take on some rituals performed in ancient Egypt, such as being buried with a collection of trinkets.

Rebecca, who lives in Brighton with husband Andrew, 48, and their daughter Harriet, 24, told PA Real Life: “I think funerals are really nice when it’s made personal to the person because that’s what your funeral should be, a representation of them.

“When you do something different, people go away thinking, ‘Oh, that funeral was brilliant, I loved it’.

“I love throwing a great party, and it’s my final party.”

Rebecca first considered writing a will after having her daughter in 2000, when she recalled how complications with her labour nearly became fatal.

She said: “It was a very long, complicated labour where many, many things went wrong, but basically I had massive internal haemorrhaging.

“I ended up having an operation after giving birth and was given seven pints of blood – hence the reason why I only have one child.”

After recovering, Rebecca started to think about her own mortality and decided to write a will.

Over the years, she has updated her wishes and added some unusual requests.

She said: “I think a funeral, especially if someone’s very old, it should be a joyous thing.

“I feel it should be a representation of who they are as a person and I just wanted to make sure mine would be more personal to me and who I am.

“Aside from the practical stuff, I have a playlist already on my Spotify of songs to play at my wake. There’s a bit of heavy metal, a bit of Kylie and some songs from The Muppets.

“I want people to hear them and say, ‘Oh my god, that’s so Becky’.

“It’s a bit like a Desert Island Disc of my favourite songs. Music is such a huge part of my life so it should be a huge part of my funeral.

“The food served has got to be cream tea. I’ve also got to have sausage rolls and lots of cake.”

A big art fan, Rebecca collects prints and ceramics which she plans to have handed out to attendees at her send-off.

She hopes family members will each be given a piece of her art collection based on which ceramic “suits them” the most.

Rebecca added: “I’ve been a weird, nerdy person since about the age of 14 and I used to go around the charity shops and collect ceramics, antiques and stuff like that.

“I’ve got back into it again since Covid, and Octopus Legacy, who I used to make my will, have been really supportive and encouraging with making things personal.

“I always wanted to be buried but everyone gets cremated now so I was having a discussion about it with my family and my daughter said, ‘You should be buried because you’ve always wanted to be’.

“She loves classic ancient history and has done since she was very tiny. She loved ancient Egyptians when she was little and she said, ‘No, you have to be buried like an Egyptian’.”

Octopus Legacy (formerly Guardian Angel) helps people plan for death’s realities like wills and funerals, but also encourages them to leave behind sentimental mementoes like voice messages, recipes and videos.

While Rebecca does not plan to be mummified or entombed inside a pyramid, she does intend to be buried with things she wants to take with her into the afterlife.

She said: “You don’t want to go to the afterlife unprepared so I want my handbag with me full of things like paracetamol and tissues.

“I’ll have a DVD copy of my favourite movie, Jaws. Jewellery-wise, I’d like to take some bits with me. I have a signet ring that I’ve had since (I was) a teenager with my initials on it from before I was married.

“I’d like to make a little embroidery of my life at some point and that might be nice to include along with some pictures of my family. Basically, just all the things that are important to me and make up my life.”

Rebecca does not plan to be buried alone – she will also have her cat Peggy’s ashes buried alongside her.

Ultimately, Rebecca hopes her unusual requests will bring some laughter to loved ones after she has died and that having a will will make things easier for the people organising her final send-off.

She said: “There are people who will say that they don’t (need) a will even though they’ve got children and they’ve got property, and they’ll say something like, ‘But it doesn’t matter, I’ll be dead’.

“It’s not really a very nice attitude to have – yes, you’ll be dead but then the people you leave behind are the ones that then have to get to making the decision.

“There’s that extra stress of not only losing the loved one but having to make these decisions about what they would want. It’s peace of mind for me to know that there’s things sorted that my husband or my daughter don’t have to worry about.”