There’ll be a special guard of honour at St Mark’s Church in Worsley on Friday for well-respected cemetery worker Tony Crossley, who sadly passed away in December.
Tony, 54, worked at Agecroft cemetery for the past 28 years and was known as a “gentleman” by everyone he came into contact with.
He was diagnosed with cancer in July 2015 and was cared for at home by his wife Dawn and his three adoring sons.
He passed away on 22 December 2015.
In a unique tribute, local crematorium staff and funeral directors from across the city will form lines along the driveway to St Mark’s Church to honour Tony’s work and life.
SalfordOnline.com spoke to his widow, Dawn, who told us more about Tony’s life.
“He was a loving father who idolised his three boys: Phil, 24, Ben, 22, and Joe, 19, and would do anything for them.
“Tony was the perfect gentleman, and would never speak badly about anyone, which infuriated me sometimes, but that was Tony, he would always see the good in people.
“He worked at Agecroft since 1987 and loved his job; he saw it as providing a service to the people of Salford, strange as it may sound.
“When he was diagnosed with cancer I took the decision to leave my job as a tenancy specialist with Salix Homes and devoted my time to caring for him at home, where he died peacefully surrounded by his family.”
Emma Turnbull, owner at Bridgewater Funeral Service in Boothstown, described him as “an absolute gentleman” and “a genuinely lovely person”, adding that virtually every funeral director in Salford was going to be at Friday’s service.
In tribute to Tony’s lifelong love of Manchester City he’ll be buried in a sky blue and white coffin.
The family have asked for mourners to wear a suit but to wear a sky blue shirt or tie in honour of his beloved team.
Dawn added: “He was popular because of his demeanour and the pride he took in his work.
“I know that he will be sadly missed by many, many people.”
The funeral takes place at St Mark’s Church on Worsley Brown from 12 noon on Friday 8 January.
