Editor’s Notes: These cut-outs about Alan Jacobsen‘s funeral were found in Fay Blackburn photo album. She had noted in the bottom right corner “I was his personal carer for 10 years. Fay.” We do not know who the author of the Rainbow Bridge article was.

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Dear lovely community,

It was my privilege and joy to hold the Funeral and Memorial service for my dear friend, Alan Jacobsen, last Thursday. It was my first funeral as an Interfaith minister, and what a wonderful opportunity it was to do this here. What an honour to do it for Alan!

The days between his death and the funeral were full of so many things to be organised and to be done. It wouldn’t have been possible without your help.

I would like to thank you so much for all your support! All the service departments here at the Park, for providing equipment, time, and expertise; The Universal Hall, the ushers, and Ian McIvor; Mark Anderson for the slide show; Will and Jonathan for the Green Burial ground group; Posthouse Printing for last-minute printing of cards; Craig and Peter for building the coffin; all the people who helped with the funeral service; all those who held me in my role; people who held vigil and contributed in so many ways in organising and supporting, please forgive me if I have forgotten anyone. This is community at its best!

And here are some extracts from people who knew Alan and sent letters from afar:

From Peter Lloyd:

For me, Alan was a friend, a mentor, and someone who understood and supported me in many different phases of my life. We shared a love of India; I would love to hear his tales of India.

If I think of a quality about Alan, it is his care: his care for us his friends, his care for the Foundation, he could get anguished about things like the state of the finances and of course, latterly, his care for the Nepalese people with whom he felt such a kinship from his wartime experiences. He had a rare ability to hear what was really going on and then wisely point this out.

I also appreciate his bravery; his initial trips to Nepal were a courageous act given his physical challenges. The way he set up the Nepal Trust despite initial early challenges was a lesson in faith, wisdom, and right action. On a deeper level, the work of the Nepal Trust felt like a reversal of the British Empire taking from India and Nepal and giving back. Here was Alan, a Rajputana Rifles Major experiencing the Raj in its dying days, and 50 years later setting up a Trust to give back to the poorest of the poor in his former stomping grounds. It felt very fitting.

Thomas Warrior wrote:

It is with great sadness that I hear about Alan Jacobsen passing away. I am in Nepal right now and I learned the sad news when I bumped into Jim in Kathmandu yesterday.

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Alan was very fond of Kopan Monastery and my teacher Khenrinpoche Lama Lhundrup, who is Shambala’s main guide and abbot of Kopan Monastery. He visited Kopan and met with Lama Lhundrup on a few occasions when I travelled with him to Nepal in the early days of the Nepal Trust. He kept talking to me about his beautiful experience at Kopan, and he would ask me how Lama and the monastery are doing every time I met him in the community.

I am very sad that I cannot be in Findhorn for his funeral to pay homage to this great man. Alan was an important inspirational person in my life and indeed in the lives of many people in the Findhorn community. Although we only had occasional contact in the last years, we shared a beautiful kinship with each other, which we rekindled every time we met.

I believe that it is Alan’s great selfless vision and love for the Nepali people that has created the foundations for the success of the charity. I have very fond memories of working together with Alan, Elizabeth, and Peter, and it has been a privilege to help establish the Trust in the early days.

I will offer a private prayer ceremony for Alan here at the Shambhala Village Resort, where I am staying with some friends. And I will ask Lama Lhundrup at Kopan Monastery to offer a special puja for his smooth and successful transition.