Royal Mail convoy for funeral of ‘loved’ Ilkeston postman

A convoy of Royal Mail vans lined the streets of a Derbyshire town in a final farewell to a “loved” postman, brother and husband.

Lee Woolley, a father-to-be from Ilkeston, died on 2 July, about three years after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.

On Thursday, Mr Woolley’s family were joined by a procession of Royal Mail vans at his funeral.

Mr Woolley had worked for the postal firm for 24 years where his colleagues were left “heartbroken” by his passing.

His sister, Sarah Leanne Hearson, 44, said her family was “blown away” by his employer’s gesture.

“I turned up at his house and it was just a line of red. It was overwhelming but it was comforting for our family.

“He was the best big brother and I’ll miss him dearly.”

It was Mr Woolley’s manager Lisa Pynegar, 48, who arranged the procession, ensuring all 26 vans from the Ilkeston depot were made available for his funeral.

“Lee was just such a good guy and the whole of our depot was just heartbroken when he passed.

“Everybody just wanted to come together to pay our respects,” Ms Pynegar said.

Mr Woolley left behind his two sisters, Ms Hearson and Kim Woolley, 30, and his pregnant wife Vanessa Woolley, 40.

Mrs Woolley described her late husband as a “wonderful man” who “loved to socialise”.

The couple were married in 2019 and Mr Woolley was diagnosed with bowel cancer two years later.

Mrs Woolley said she had been undergoing IVF treatment but just two weeks before Christmas, they were told Mr Woolley’s diagnosis was terminal.

“We had a chat and I asked if we should stop the IVF but he wanted to carry on. He saw the pregnancy and the baby as something positive,” Mrs Woolley said.

Mrs Woolley is expecting their child in December.

She said that although she knew her husband’s prognosis did not give them much longer together, she “didn’t expect it to be so soon”.

“It was earth-shattering,” she said. “Lee was a very loving, attentive person.

“He couldn’t do enough for you. I couldn’t have found a more kind, loving husband.”

Mr Woolley enjoyed his job and through it, made many friends, from his colleagues to the people he met on his rounds, his family said.

Outside of work, Mr Woolley was “a bit of a Marvel geek”, had a passion for classic cars and “more than anything”, loved speaking to his friends and family.

Mrs Woolley said more than 200 people attended his funeral on Thursday.

“When I saw all the Royal Mail cars in the street I just felt really emotional.

“It just goes to show what kind of person he was,” she said.