Published: Thursday, 15th May, 2008 17:00
Dad stands by his son for one last time
By Richard Crowe
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Tribute to Grant: Martin Benford leads the funeral cortege for his son Grant as 300 people say goodbye to the sports fan.
Pic by: Jon Mikol
FRIENDS and family packed into a chapel to pay tribute to a popular teenager killed in a motorcycle accident.
There were so many mourners at Grant Benford’s funeral on Friday last week that some had to stand outside Easthampstead Park Crematorium and listen to the service via loudspeakers.
The 17-year-old roofer and former Easthampstead Park School pupil was killed while practising at a motocross track in Buckinghamshire last month.
Dad Martin lead the funeral cortege, walking in front of the hearse carrying Grant’s coffin, and the 300 mourners watched in silence as it drew up to the chapel entrance to the sounds of Stand By Me by Ben E King.
The coffin was then lifted into the chapel by friends and family with Scott Hunter, boyfriend of sister Katie, walking in front with Grant’s football and rugby shirts and first ever pair of football boots.
In a moving tribute, full of personal memories and amusing anecdotes, Mr Benford said: “He was my best friend. We shared so much time together in the time we had while he was growing up.
“He was the one who kept me upright.
“I will always remember the great times we had together. As a child he had so much love to give.
“I used to ask him when he was going to bring a girl back to the house but he used to say he had all the time in the world for that.”
The Manchester United fan idolised football star David Beckham and a personalised no 23 LA Galaxy shirt from the former England captain was placed inside his coffin.
The message on it read: “Grant – rest in peace my friend. 23. X.”
Tributes were interspersed with some of Grant’s favourite music such as the R Kelly tracks If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time and the World's Greatest, Stay With Me by DJ Ironic and The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
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