“Sometimes you have to give luck a little water”

Since 2013, André Stam has been the treasurer of the Lonely Funeral Foundation. This organization ensures that people who pass away alone without a social network have a poem read at their funeral by one of the poets from the foundation’s ‘Death Squad’. “Amidst all this language, I take care of the necessary numbers,” says André. “I find it rewarding to be able to contribute to a respectful farewell in this way.”

No friends or family

“For me, it was truly an eye-opener that there are respectable people with a job and a house, but completely without family and friends. While I myself am so attached to my family and my social contacts,” says André, who has brought a tasty slice of cake to the somber family room at St. Barbara cemetery in Westerpark, where we are allowed to conduct the interview. “A slice of cake is just part of it here, don’t you think?” he laughs.

The lonely funeral

When someone passes away and there is no one to take care of the funeral, the municipality must step in. If no relatives are found, it becomes a lonely funeral. There are about ten to twenty of these each year. The foundation then arranges for a poet to choose the music and write a poem. After the funeral, there is modest coffee and cake for those who were present: the poet, the funeral director, the coffee lady, the pallbearers, someone from the municipality, and the cemetery. A lonely funeral is truly lonely.

1+1=3

André prepares the budget, the annual accounts, takes care of the financial administration, and sometimes also contributes to the website.www.lonelyfuneral.comHe spends about 50 hours on it per year. “I am revered for my numerical work, even though it is so simple!” chuckles André. “And in turn, I enjoy the miraculous way in which people can shape the invisible into language. Through collaboration, you often experience the synergy in this small group with different talents.”

Why?

“Every year I check if I am still living according to my values. I want to live healthily, give good attention to my relationships, and engage in inspiring, adventurous, and socially meaningful activities. Sometimes you have to water happiness a little. This volunteer work fits in seamlessly with that. And I just really enjoy working with numbers.”(text continues below the photo)

Old man

After the interview, we take a walk to the grave of F. Starik. Starik, the city poet, performer, photographer, and founder of the Poule des Doods, has a modest and stylish grave. The board visits his grave annually on the occasion of the award ceremony for the most beautiful poem of the Lonely Funeral of that year. André is silent for a moment. “There were a lot of people at Starik’s funeral,” he says. “The pallbearers danced two steps forward and one step back, to music he had chosen. He had arranged that well beyond his grave.”Text: Thecla Groot Koerkamp
Photos: Kim Cerrone

Want to become a volunteer?

Do you think it would be fun to start doing volunteer work too?

1. Make an appointmentfor a mediation meeting at one of the consultation hours in the city.
2. Find a suitable job yourselfon the volunteer job board (around 1000 opportunities)