From Petersfield Herald

More than 150 people packed into St Mary’s Church, Frensham, to say their final farewells to Dockenfield villagers Pamela and Ian Mansell, and Pamela’s sister Marlene Wright who were tragically killed in the Caribbean in May.

The funeral service was conducted by Reverend Jane Smith, the vicar of Dockenfield and Frensham parish, and attended by many people from both Dockenfield and the Rotary Club, of which Ian was a long-serving member – as well as people from Marlene’s native Bramshott and other friends.

Tributes were provided by Pam and Ian’s neighbour Roger Trout, Ian’s best man Roger Crouch, and Adrian Atkinson, another close friend and fellow Rotarian.

Between each eulogy the congregation listened to Do You Wanna Dance and Twisting the Night Away, and at the end of the service I Could Have Danced All Night.

The floral arrangements contained many flowers from Ian and Pamela’s own garden and the atmosphere was reportedly very upbeat – knowing that was what Pam and Ian would have wanted – with many expressing relief that their bodies were home and people could move on.

Afterwards a number of people went on to a short service at Aldershot Crematorium, followed by a wake in St Mary’s Hall and finally, a good number of close friends raised a glass in their memory at The Bluebell, their local pub.

Ian, 72, Pamela, 74, and Marlene, 69, died after their Kia Rio hire car was hit head-on by a Honda Accord while on holiday in the Cayman Islands on May 2 this year.

The 22-year-old Jamaican driver of the Honda was also killed in the crash, which local police described as the “worst ever” on Cayman’s roads.

The bodies of the UK nationals were repatriated in June and an inquest into their deaths was opened at Basingstoke Law Courts on July 4 and a full hearing adjourned until Monday, September 11.

• Popular 60s tribute band Out Of The Shadows will host a fun evening of music and dancing at The Princess Royal pub, Runfold on Friday, August 18 in Ian, Pamela and Marlene’s memory.

The trio all loved to dance and were reportedly the band’s “number one” fans. Music will begin at 8pm but people are encouraged to arrive earlier and enjoy the good food, ales and ambience of The Princess Royal.

The event is free to attend and no booking is required.

For more on this story go to: http://www.petersfieldherald.com/article.cfm?id=122462&headline=Cayman%20couple%20laid%20to%20rest&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2017

IMAGE: From Farnham Herald – Pamela and Ian Mansell

See also iNews Cayman story published May 4 2017 “Farnham holiday-makers killed in ‘worst ever’ crash on Caribbean island [Cayman]” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/wordpress/farnham-holiday-makers-killed-in-worst-ever-crash-on-caribbean-island/