A grieving family made a touching request at the funeral of a man who was found dead after going missing on a stag do in Portugal.
Loved ones turned out for an emotional service yesterday to mark the life of Greg Monks, from Cambuslang, near Glasgow, whovanished just hours after arriving with friends at the party resort of Albufeira in the Algarve. The 38-year-old had been missing for a week beforePortuguese authorities discovered his body at the bottom of a ravine on June 4. Police believe Greg became lost while trying to find his way back to his hotel, and tragically fell to his death.
After flying over for the week-long search, his mum, cousin and girlfriend Nicole, were forced to return home as they waited for his body to be flown back, reports the Daily Record. Yesterday, family and friends gathered at Daldowie Crematorium's West Chapel near Glasgow to say their goodbyes.
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The service was also live-streamed online for those unable to attend in person. Instead of bringing flowers, mourners were asked by the family to donate to children's charity Cash for Kids.
A number of attendees spoke after the service, and Sharon Cooke said: "A truly beautiful service, you did Greg proud. All the love in the world to you all."
Kelly Ann added: "The service was absolutely beautiful. His friends and family did him very proud. Rest in peace now Greg."
A balloon release took place on Monday at Fullarton Park in Glasgow, where attendees brought a blue balloon with a personal message to Greg. Greg's sister, Jillian Monks, said losing her brother had been "torture" for the family – but said they were grateful for some sense of closure.
She said: "It has been the toughest time of our lives. We still can't believe what has happened. But we're glad we now have some sense of closure. I don't know if any of us could have coped with even another day searching for my brother.
"We couldn't eat, we couldn't sleep. It was absolute torture. To know Greg has been found is a slight relief. We can now bring him home and give him the send-off he deserves."
Greg died after becoming separated from his friends - and Jillian has now urged groups of friends heading abroad to look after one another and stay together.
She said: "In places like Albufeira, everyone needs to stick together and look after each other. His pals are absolutely devastated at what happened.
“Before everyone left the hotel that night, Greg made sure they all had a business card and a map from the hotel to help them find their way home.”
