Double tragedy for family as devoted father dies during son's funeral

A devoted father collapsed and died as he watched his son's coffin being carried into a funeral chapel. 

Norman White, 61, collapsed at the memorial service for David Beilicki, 41, who himself died on the 10th anniversary of the funeral of his stillborn twin sons. 

Norman's daughter said that the extraordinary tragedy has left the family in a state of 'pure shock'.

Norman, known to friends as Nosha, collapsed as David was being carried into St Bede's Chapel at Teesside Crematorium in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, on August 21. 

David had struggled with a long term drug addiction and was found dead on July 31 on a family member's sofa - 10 years to the day since the memorial service for his twin sons, Karson and Deacon.

Chantelle Beilicki, David's sister, said he had been winning his battle against addiction and an investigation into the cause of his death is ongoing. 

She described her brother's death on the anniversary of his sons' memorial and her father's death at his funeral as something you would expect to see in a film plot. 

The 42-year-old mother-of-four, said: 'It's been so traumatic, you wouldn't ever think of anything like this happening, you couldn't write it. 

'When we got into the chapel and sat down, I looked around and said 'where's my father?''

It was then that someone told Chantelle that Norman had collapsed and she went outside to see what was going on. 

The chapel was emptied whilst an ambulance was called and Norman was taken to hospital. 

His sister went with him in the ambulance and the rest of the family carried on with the funeral before getting the devastating call that father-of-seven Norman had died. 

Their deaths have left a huge hole in the lives of their families and Chantelle said she is struggling to deal with the shock. 

She said that Norman didn't have any heart problems prior to his tragic death.

'I think he must have died from a broken heart. I think seeing all the family together like that must have been too much,' Chantelle said.

For more than a week after David's funeral, Chantelle said she was in a state of pure shock, unable to take in what had happened. 

She said that despite his drug problems, David, who was also father to his adult son, Ethan, and Jaxon, 9, was hugely loved by everyone. 

'He had a heart as big as the ocean. He is so missed.' 

Chantelle, who lived with David and her own family in Park End, Middlesbrough, said Norman was keen on boxing and had been training other people. 

She described him as an intensely private man who was still very well-known and popular. 

'My kids are devastated. The whole place just isn't the same without him.

'He was my father and I idolised him,' she said.

Chantelle said she wanted to praise the staff at Rose Funerals, saying: 'They were fantastic throughout the traumatic event. 

'Our family could not have got through that day without them. They were patient, caring and went through every emotion with us, all the time they were working to save my father although they were traumatised too.'