The funeral of well-known Margate resident Maurice Morris has taken place today (May 3).
Maurice passed away at his Dane Valley home in March, aged 91.
From the 1950s to 1990s Maurice worked in various roles at Dreamland, including as an usher at the cinema. He was also known to many of the big bands, including The Who and The Yardbirds, which came to Dreamland in the 60s and 70s as he would bring in their equipment.
A regular at the Margate carnival, often on his bike and in a pearly king outfit, and known for delivering local papers in recent years, Maurice was a much loved resident of Dane Valley. In 2017 he was presented a Dane Valley citizen award in a scheme launched by the then-ward councillors including Gary Taylor.
Mick and Shirley Tomlinson have been looking out for Maurice for more than 20 years since he underwent chemo treatment for cancer and then went into remission. Mick had known Maurice since their days at Dreamland in the 60s.
They, along with Kay Eastoe, who also looked after Maurice, organised the funeral and a fundraiser to help pay for the send off.
Maurice was taken to Thanet Crematorium by horse and carriage from Acorn Carriage Hire, following a route that included Dane Valley and Margate seafront. The arrangements were made through Aston Walker funeral directors and the service carried out by funeral celebrant Christopher Dell.
People were lined up in areas including outside Dreamland – which displayed the message Farewell Maurice on the cinema board – to pay their final respects. There was also an accompaniment of motorbikes on part of Maurice’s final journey.
The service ended with a playing of Zorba the Greek while those in attendance clapped.
