Meet DEREK
A little background on me
My name is Derek Duncan, and I am the Dragonfly Celebrant, an independent civil funeral celebrant,
based on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
In my 20s I volunteered in Israel/Palestine. Watching people who are deemed enemies on our news get along with each other on a daily basis as they simply lived out their lives was a key driver to deciding my future career path! I have always had a keen interest in what people believe and why they believe it. This encompasses religious standpoints and those independent of religion.
I spent around 20 years teaching Religious and Moral Education (and Philosophy) at secondary school level. It was a richly rewarding career, but I began to yearn for something a bit different.
Like most of us, I have experienced deep loss in my life. Whenever a grandparent, or Aunt passed away I was the one the family turned to for writing and delivering the eulogy. In 2015 my wife, Louise, passed away at just 42 years of age, a short number of months after having been diagnosed with a highly aggressive and rare form of cancer.
Louise was a Church of Scotland minister, and the funeral was a massive affair. Dealing with different ministers, the local funeral directors and others was, I guess, the beginning of thinking seriously about becoming a celebrant. For her funeral Louise had carefully chosen a story called the Dragonfly Story to help the younger members of the family understand some of the issues around life and death. You can read the story here. It is this story, and the inspiration of Louise, that made me settle on the name “The Dragonfly Celebrant”
based on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
In my 20s I volunteered in Israel/Palestine. Watching people who are deemed enemies on our news get along with each other on a daily basis as they simply lived out their lives was a key driver to deciding my future career path! I have always had a keen interest in what people believe and why they believe it. This encompasses religious standpoints and those independent of religion.
I spent around 20 years teaching Religious and Moral Education (and Philosophy) at secondary school level. It was a richly rewarding career, but I began to yearn for something a bit different.
Like most of us, I have experienced deep loss in my life. Whenever a grandparent, or Aunt passed away I was the one the family turned to for writing and delivering the eulogy. In 2015 my wife, Louise, passed away at just 42 years of age, a short number of months after having been diagnosed with a highly aggressive and rare form of cancer.
Louise was a Church of Scotland minister, and the funeral was a massive affair. Dealing with different ministers, the local funeral directors and others was, I guess, the beginning of thinking seriously about becoming a celebrant. For her funeral Louise had carefully chosen a story called the Dragonfly Story to help the younger members of the family understand some of the issues around life and death. You can read the story here. It is this story, and the inspiration of Louise, that made me settle on the name “The Dragonfly Celebrant”
Funeral Ceremonies With Meaning
As a qualified Civil Funeral Celebrant I am able to offer a high level of quality in the ceremonies I conduct on your behalf. My priority is to create and tailor a ceremony that meets your needs and wishes and which fits with your philosophical, cultural or spiritual values.
I will spend time with you to create a ceremony that with thought and care will provide a fitting tribute and which is able to capture the essence of your loved one; creating a story which brings together the many strands of their life.
An important aspect of the ceremony will be to capture the memories, voices and feelings of your family and friends, some of whom may wish to speak, read a poem or share their own words during the service. Alternatively, I am able to lead all aspects of the ceremony according to your wishes.
"Today’s Celebrant"
Gone are the days of feeling like you need to follow strict guidelines of how a funeral should, or shouldn’t be. The ceremony lies at the core of every funeral, I want to help you to make it a fitting memory.