THE DEVASTATED mother of a woman who died of a rare illness has hit out at a professional mourner who filled up a Tupperware box with buffet food at the wake.

On August 4 this year Catherine Whitehead died at the age of 42, having lived with the rare condition Addison's Disease.

Three weeks later friends, family and colleagues of the Warfield resident attended her funeral at the Holy Redeemer Church in Slough.

A woman unknown to Catherine's mother arrived on a bicycle and began chatting to guests.

"She got my son Kevin to give her a lift from the church to the Irish Centre," explained mother Margaret Whitehead.

"There were a lot of people at the funeral from Catherine's work so I just assumed she was a colleague.

"When I spoke to her though she told me she used to work with her as a waitress. My daughter never worked as a waitress."

The woman, who is known to regularly attended funerals of strangers, then proceeded to make herself at home.

"She was eating from the buffet like there was no tomorrow," Mrs Whitehead continued.

"At the end of the wake she took out a Tupperware box, filled it up with food and cycled off with it in the basket on her bicycle."

According to Father Noah Connolly of the Holy Redeemer Church the woman feels a duty to attend services.

He said: "Every funeral we have she comes and if there is a reception afterwards she makes her way to it without invitation.

"She is a Catholic woman and she is convinced she needs to go to as many masses as possible.

"She has been coming and going since I have been here for the past 14 years. I can't exactly say you can't come here."

For the bereaved Mrs Whitehead however, the woman's attendance is still unacceptable.

"There's mass every morning, she doesn't need to go to funerals," she said.

"She's only going when there's a cheap lunch.

"She intrudes on people when they are upset and sad."