A 25-year-old funeral arranger who planned her own service including the coffin and country music has told young people to “do it now” to help their loved ones later.
Chloe-Nicole Corbett, from Ayrshire, became a single mother at the age of 19 to her son, Adam, now aged six, which she said was “tough” at the time as it was “just me on my own”.
After waiting tables and working in fast-food restaurants, Chloe started work as a mobile funeral arranger when she stumbled across an online ad in 2023 – although her parents thought she was “pulling their leg” when she first told them and her partner of two years, who did not wish to be named, found it “interesting”.
The job, which involves visiting different funeral homes to help families make arrangements, can be “really emotional”, Chloe said, but she enjoys “being there” for them and she now wants to retire in the sector.
READ MORE: King Charles’ funeral plans are ‘tearing Royal Family apart’ amid tensions over William and Camilla
After watching some families struggle to plan the funeral services for their loved ones, Chloe decided to jot down the details for her own arrangement so her son “won’t have to worry” – and she hopes others will be encouraged to do the same as it “doesn’t have to be a morbid thing”.
“I’ve got it all written down in a folder in the fifth drawer in the kitchen,” Chloe told PA Real Life. “I would like The Last Supper coffin and I’ve chosen some country songs so I’d like the entrance to be Outskirts Of Heaven by Warren Zeiders and the exit song to be Give Heaven Some Hell by Hardy.
Chloe said her job has helped her to ‘appreciate things more’
(Image: Co-op Funeralcare/PA Real Life)
“I’m also hoping, it might be unrealistic, but I would want my ashes taken to the Grand Canyon and scattered there. You’re never too young to arrange your own funeral and you can always change the plans – it’s just best to be prepared.”
Chloe became a single mother at the age of 19 to her son Adam. “It was tough because it was just me on my own,” she said. “As a mother, you want to provide for your kids so it was tough, especially work-wise trying to find something that would go around Adam.”
To support herself and her young baby, Chloe took jobs as a waiter, a fast-food worker and a gym coach. Wanting to pursue a career which would be more stable for herself and her son, she responded to a job advert on Indeed for a role at Co-op Funeralcare in late 2023.
‘I get everything booked and organised for their funeral’
Chloe took the leap and was hired as a mobile funeral arranger in November that year, which involves travelling to different funeral homes, meeting with families and getting their services organised – which she said was “exciting” but “nerve-racking” at the same time.
“Most people said I was pulling their leg when I told them at first but they later said it sounds really interesting and it would suit me,” she said. The best part of the job is “being there for the families”, Chloe said.
“I go to all the different branches, meet with the families, go through the funeral arrangements and get everything booked and organised for them,” she explained.
After seeing some families struggle to plan the funeral services for their loved ones, Chloe wrote down arrangements for her own funeral after seeing families struggle to plan services for their loved ones. “Some people have not had that talk with their loved ones, they start panicking and they’re worried about whether they’re doing the right thing,” she said. “I wouldn’t want Adam to be in that position.”
Chloe wishes to be cremated in a Co-op Funeralcare Last Supper coffin
(Image: Co-op Funeralcare/PA Real Life)
Chloe has decided she would like to be cremated in a Co-op Funeralcare Last Supper coffin, which is white with gold detailing and has a carving of Jesus at The Last Supper along the side. She has also chosen her flower arrangement, a rose and lily coffin spread in red and white, and she would like country music to be played throughout the service as she is a fan of the genre.
“I have left the reflection song empty because I want Adam to chose that one,” she said. “I would also like the pastor from my church, if he’s still around, to do the service. It was quite natural to plan it and it didn’t take much thinking really.”
She also wants to encourage others to plan their own services sooner rather than later. “It’s a good thing to talk about it, it doesn’t have to be a morbid thing,” she said. “You’re doing it now to help your loved ones later.”
Chloe said her job has helped her to “appreciate things more” and she hopes younger people will be encouraged to pursue a career in funeral care.
“One thing I’ve taken away from the job is to enjoy every moment,” she said. “You get people that come in and things have been so sudden and unexpected. I’d say to definitely get into it and I can guarantee it’s not as bad as people think it is.”
To find out more, visit: coop.co.uk/funeralcare
Read more from the Scottish Daily Express. Click here for Scottish News, click here for Politics and click here to return to the Home Page.