Joey Feek Funeral Update: Family Cemetery Burial, Public Memorial Service Planned
Joey Feek died on March 4 after a brave battle with cervical cancer. Within days of her passing, her husband Rory Feek began making funeral arrangements, something that he never thought he would have to do — at least not this soon in his life.
It has been reported that the funeral services for Joey Feek will be private and will be attended by close family and friends only. While these services will likely take place in Indiana where Feek died (and where she’s from), she will be buried in Tennessee, where she lived with Rory and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter.
According to People Magazine, this was one of Joey’s dying wishes: She wanted to be buried at the Feek family’s farm house.
“In November, Rory revealed on his blog This Life I Live that Joey asked for her casket to be a ‘rough-cut wooden box with a cross on it’ made from ‘wood at the farm.’ ‘And find a good spot in the family cemetery in the field behind our house, where we put your mama’s ashes last year,’ Rory said Joey told him. ‘[Leave] room enough beside my headstone for you to join me someday… in God’s time.'”
As you can see from the photo below, the wide open space and beautiful landscape will make the perfect resting place for Rory Feek’s beloved wife.
Although the funeral and burial of Joey Feek will be kept private, a public memorial service for Joey Feek will be held on Sunday, March 13, according to the Indy Star.
“A public memorial service will be held Sunday, March 13, at 2:30 p.m. in the Alexandria-Monroe High School gymnasium. The service will be hosted by Bill and Gloria Gaither, gospel musicians and family friends of Feek’s.”
Although a date for Joey Feek’s funeral has not been made public, her obituary has been released. According to Taste of Country, the obit was a short synopsis of the life that Joey Feek lived over the course of 40 years. It talks about her life as a country star, a wife, a mother, and a daughter. The obituary highlighted many wonderful memories that Joey had throughout her life, none more precious than her life with Rory, his two daughters Heidi and Hopie, and their daughter, Indy.
“The greatest joy in her life came with the at-home birth of her precious daughter Indiana. A few days later, the parents learned their infant had Down syndrome. In the days before her death, Mrs. Feek said her greatest hope for her daughter was that she grew up with no fear and that she was able to fall in love, get married and live independently near her father.
“Weeks later, Mrs. Feek learned of her first cancer diagnosis. She underwent surgery and treatment and was declared cancer free only for the disease to return the following year – and this time, it couldn’t be cured. Mrs. Feek continued to play shows as long as she could and stayed faithful and hopeful God would heal her until the end.”
Joey Feek’s story touched the lives of thousands of people around the world. Her passing was a tragic loss for the country community but also for all of the people that learned about her kind heart, her positivity, and the unconditional love that her husband showed her throughout her life, good days and bad.
Joey Feek fought a brave fight and will soon be laid to rest where she will be at peace.
While many people have wanted to send flowers, the Feek family has requested that donations be sent to Joey and Indiana at P.O. Box 5471 Vancouver, WA 98668.
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
