A family in Middlesbrough has been left reeling after a tragedy so cruel it feels almost impossible to comprehend.
Norman “Nosha” White, 61, collapsed and died of a suspected heart attack just moments before the funeral of his 41-year-old son, David Beilicki, could begin.
The mourners had gathered at St Bede’s Chapel at Teesside Crematorium, ready to say goodbye to David, who died on July 31.
His coffin was being carried into the chapel when Norman suddenly collapsed at the entrance. Paramedics rushed to the scene and worked desperately to save him, while stunned relatives and friends sat in silence inside.
An ambulance carried him to hospital with a family member at his side, but soon after, word came back: Norman could not be saved.
What was meant to be a moment of farewell for one beloved family member turned, without warning, into a second devastating loss. “It has been so traumatic,” said David’s sister, Chantelle Beilicki, 42. “You wouldn’t ever think of anything like this happening, you couldn’t write it.”
Chantelle described the moment she realized her father wasn’t with the family inside the chapel. “When we got into the chapel and sat down, I looked around and said, ‘Where’s my dad?’” she recalled. Within minutes, they were told he had collapsed outside. For her, there is no doubt what caused his death. “I think he must have died from a broken heart. I think seeing all the family together like that must have been too much.”
Funeral staff and paramedics moved quickly to create space for responders, but the mourners were left in stunned disbelief. Despite their efforts, the funeral had to continue. “They were fantastic throughout the traumatic event,” Chantelle said of the staff at Rose Funerals. “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.”
Norman had not been treated for any known heart problems, but doctors say sudden, overwhelming grief can trigger what’s sometimes called “broken heart syndrome.” For the family, though, the medical explanation hardly matters.
What matters is that within weeks they have lost both father and son, leaving them raw with grief and scrambling to prepare a second funeral before they’ve even had time to process the first.
David’s funeral had already been a difficult day. He had struggled with long-term addiction but was remembered as a man full of love, humour, and devotion to his children, including nine-year-old Jaxon. “He had a heart as big as the ocean,” Chantelle said. “He is so missed.”
Norman’s funeral is now scheduled for September 18, less than four weeks after his collapse. Friends and family are expected to gather again at the same chapel, though some who traveled for David’s service may not be able to return so soon.
In Middlesbrough’s boxing community, where Norman was a respected trainer, tributes have been pouring in, describing him as encouraging, approachable, and always ready to help others.
Neighbours near the family home in Park End have rallied around with meals, transport, and childcare, knowing that arranging two funerals in such quick succession places an unbearable strain. “My kids are devastated,” Chantelle said quietly. “The whole place just isn’t the same without him.”
The family say they want to focus not on the shock of what happened in the chapel, but on remembering the two lives lost.
For Chantelle, it is a way of finding dignity in the face of unimaginable sorrow. “He was my dad and I idolised him,” she said of Norman. Of David, she added: “He is so missed. He had a heart as big as the ocean.”
As September 18 approaches, the family is preparing to gather once more at St Bede’s, to lay to rest the father who collapsed in grief at his son’s funeral. What should have been a moment of closure for one life has instead become a double loss that will echo for years to come.
Featured image credit: Rose Funerals/Facebook
