A father collapsed and died as his son’s coffin was being carried into St Bede’s Chapel at Teesside Crematorium, leaving relatives to confront a second loss on the day they had gathered to mourn the first. The man, named locally as Norman “Nosha” White, 61, from Middlesbrough, was attending the funeral of his 41-year-old son, David Beilicki, when he suffered a suspected heart attack moments before the service began. Emergency crews were called to the chapel and Mr White was taken by ambulance to hospital with a close family member at his side, but he could not be saved. The funeral proceeded after paramedics departed, and later the family were told Mr White had died, compounding a bereavement that relatives described as “traumatic” and “unthinkable.”
Relatives said Mr White had not been under treatment for any known cardiac condition, and that the shock of the occasion appeared to overwhelm him as the coffin was brought to the chapel doors. His daughter, Chantelle Beilicki, 42, speaking about the sequence of events around the service, said: “It has been so traumatic. You wouldn’t ever think of anything like this happening, you couldn’t write it.” She added that in the first minutes inside the chapel she realised her father was no longer with the family group, saying: “When we got into the chapel and sat down, I looked around and said ‘where’s my dad?’” Staff and mourners cleared space for responders, and relatives followed instructions while paramedics worked outside the building. A short time later, the family were informed that Mr White had died. “I think he must have died from a broken heart. I think seeing all the family together like that must have been too much,” Ms Beilicki said.
Mr White’s collapse came less than a month after his son’s death was first reported in late July. Mr Beilicki, who had struggled with long-term addiction, was found dead at a relative’s home on 31 July; an investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. For the family, the August service at St Bede’s was intended to provide a structured opportunity to say goodbye. Instead, the procession into the chapel coincided with a medical emergency that forced funeral staff to manage two crises at once: the scheduled ceremony for a son and a life-threatening collapse of a father on the chapel threshold. Chapel personnel initiated the emergency call, supported the responders and continued to assist the mourners as the service resumed. Relatives later thanked the team at Rose Funerals for their handling of the day. Ms Beilicki said: “They were fantastic throughout the traumatic event. Our family could not have got through that day without them. They were patient, caring and went through every emotion with us, all the time they were working to save my dad although they were traumatised too.”
The family has now set a date for a second service. A funeral for Mr White is scheduled for 18 September, less than four weeks after the service at which he collapsed. That timetable reflects both the practical demands of arranging a funeral at short notice and the legal steps that follow any sudden death in public view, including coordination with the coroner and the issuing of the necessary documents to proceed. Friends said travel plans made for the first service would now be repeated where possible, with some relatives unable to return so soon. Community groups in Middlesbrough have discussed additional gatherings in the weeks after the second funeral to allow those who cannot attend on the day to pay their respects locally.
Details provided by the family portray Mr White as a well-known figure in parts of Teesside’s boxing community. Relatives said he trained others in the sport and was regarded as approachable and encouraging. “He was my dad and I idolised him,” Ms Beilicki said, adding that the void left by the two deaths in quick succession had been difficult to explain to younger family members. Of her brother David, she said: “He had a heart as big as the ocean. He is so missed.” She described the atmosphere in the family home in Park End after the August service as one of shock and disbelief, with ordinary routines disrupted by the need to arrange another funeral while answering questions from neighbours and friends who had followed the story through local tributes and social updates.
The incident has prompted discussion in Middlesbrough about how funeral venues and families manage medical emergencies during services. Industry standards require staff to hold basic life-support training, maintain clear lines to emergency services and preserve dignity and privacy while responders work. The staff involved at St Bede’s were praised by mourners and by relatives for their composure, and local officials said they would review any lessons identified by emergency crews, as they do after any significant incident on public property. There is no suggestion of any fault in the management of the service or the medical response; those present described a scene in which personnel on site acted quickly and members of the public gave space for responders.
Clinicians note that severe emotional stress can contribute to acute cardiac events, particularly in older adults, and that bereavement is among the most extreme stressors people experience. In some cases, acute stress can precipitate a condition commonly referred to as “broken heart syndrome,” in which sudden changes in stress hormones lead to a temporary weakening of the heart muscle and symptoms that mimic a heart attack. Only medical examination can determine the mechanism in an individual case, and the formal conclusion in Mr White’s death will rest with medical and legal authorities. Family members, while waiting for the administrative process to conclude, have used the phrase “broken heart” to describe what they believe happened and to explain to children how two deaths occurred in such proximity.
The earlier death of Mr Beilicki had already drawn attention in the local community because of its timing and the family’s history. Relatives said he had marked the loss of stillborn twin sons, Karson and Deacon, ten years earlier, and that the 31 July date carried personal meaning. The August funeral arrangements included contributions from family members who had supported him through periods of treatment and relapse. In the weeks before his death, relatives said, he had been focused on rebuilding routines. He was described as a devoted father to his older son and to his nine-year-old, Jaxon. Friends from the area said the memorial was intended as a straightforward, dignified farewell. The sequence of events at the chapel meant that those who gathered to remember him also found themselves sending a father and grandfather to hospital with relatives in attendance. A close family member accompanied Mr White in the ambulance, while the rest of the mourners continued with the service as directed by chapel staff.
Police and ambulance service logs will document the response time and the actions taken, as is standard. In sudden deaths attended by emergency crews, those records inform the coroner’s oversight and, where appropriate, support formal findings about cause and circumstances. In this instance there has been no suggestion of suspicious circumstances, and the focus has remained on supporting the family and preparing for a second funeral while routine procedures take their course. Local leaders have not sought to politicise the incident; community responses have concentrated on practical support, including meal trains, transport offers and small collections to offset the immediate costs of two services arranged within weeks of one another.
Those who attended the first service said the chapel was cleared quickly to give responders space; some sat outside in silence, while others made calls to gather relatives who had not yet arrived. Mourners said the decision to continue Mr Beilicki’s funeral after the ambulance departed was taken after consultation with staff and clergy, in part because of the number of people who had travelled and the practical constraints of the crematorium schedule. People present described the service as subdued and efficient, with those closest to the family supporting each other as they awaited news. When confirmation arrived later that Mr White had died, relatives described the effect as numbing rather than dramatic, with fatigue settling in after weeks of preparation for the first service and the shock of the morning’s events. In the days that followed, friends helped draft notices, liaise with the undertaker and begin the arrangements for the 18 September funeral.
Community tributes have focused on both men. Posters featuring photographs of Mr Beilicki circulated locally as relatives shared memories of his better periods and his role as a father, brother and son. Images of Mr White from earlier years in the boxing gym were posted by friends who had trained with him or asked his advice. Neighbours near Park End said the family had been open about the difficulties they faced and had asked only that people give them space while they arranged the second service. Some have left flowers at familiar spots; others have offered school-run help and lifts for older relatives. The combination of visible mourning and practical assistance has been a feature of the response in the streets around the family home, where people said the scale of the double loss made ordinary gestures feel significant.
Funeral professionals note that arranging two services so close together often forces families to simplify decisions that might otherwise be made over months: choices about music, readings, pallbearers and memorial donations must be revisited quickly, with attention divided between paperwork and the emotional needs of relatives. In this case, people close to the planning said the priority for 18 September would be a straightforward service that reflects Mr White’s preferences and the family’s capacity. With some mourners unable to return at short notice, there is an expectation of smaller follow-up gatherings in community spaces later in the month to accommodate those who wish to pay respects without travel.
Relatives have spoken of the practical pressures alongside grief. Time away from work, the administrative load of notifying agencies and companies, and the costs associated with transport and hospitality for two funerals have added to the strain. Friends have encouraged the family to accept offers of help where possible and to make use of local support services in the period after the second service, when public attention wanes but paperwork and daily responsibilities return. For many families, the most difficult period is not the day of the funeral but the weeks that follow, when routines resume and the absence becomes more apparent.
The family continues to underline that the focus should remain on remembering two lives rather than on speculation. They have asked that people avoid sensational descriptions of the events at the chapel and, instead, respect the privacy of relatives managing arrangements for 18 September. They have also asked that any further public tributes be coordinated through contacts known to them to avoid confusion around dates and times. Ms Beilicki said the support shown by friends and strangers had been appreciated, even as the household struggled to absorb the scale of what had happened. She said her father’s funeral would be conducted with the same emphasis on dignity that the family had intended for her brother. “My kids are devastated. The whole place just isn’t the same without him,” she said of her brother’s death. Of her father, she added: “He was my dad and I idolised him.”
As of this week the fixed points are these: the son’s death was recorded on 31 July; the funeral at which his father collapsed took place last month at St Bede’s Chapel; the father died in hospital shortly after; and a second funeral will be held on 18 September. Investigative and administrative steps remain in progress on the earlier death, and routine formalities will conclude around the second. The family is preparing to gather again at the same chapel within a matter of weeks, supported by the same network of friends and professionals who guided them through the first ceremony. Those close to the household said the priority now is to reach the second service with the arrangements complete and then to take time away from public attention to grieve privately.