Funerals occurred frequently in Lost, marking the recurring theme of death. Though other characters died both on and off-screen, this article deals exclusively with the funerals held in their memory.
Before the crash[]
Warren Ford and Mary Ford[]
In 1976, James Ford attended the funeral of his parents, shortly after they were conned by Anthony Cooper and both killed by James' father. After the ceremony, Jacob walked up to James and gave him a pen, which he used to write a letter to the real Mr. Sawyer, a letter that would spark a life of pursuing revenge. ("The Incident, Part 1")
Christian Shephard[]
The death of Christian Shephard and the planning for his funeral was a central plot point for Jack. His reason for being on Flight 815 was to bring his father's body home. He pleaded with an airline ticket agent to allow him to bring his father's coffin on board, even telling her that the clothes he was wearing were the same that he would wear to his father's funeral. ("White Rabbit")
A memorial service was held for Christian Shephard ten months after the crash of Flight 815; his body was not present. See below.
Tito Reyes[]
Tito suffered a heart attack at a press conference announcing Hurley's lottery winnings. At his funeral, the priest was struck by lightning. These events, among others, led Hurley to believe that his lottery numbers were cursed. ("Numbers")
Adam Rutherford[]
Adam Rutherford died in a car accident with Sarah Shephard. At his wake, Boone attended and was a source of comfort for Shannon. He offered her a drink, saying that "there's always booze at wakes." ("Abandoned")
Anthony Cooper[]
Locke and Helen attended a funeral for Anthony Cooper. They were the only two guests in attendance, although they observed two men watching the funeral from a distance. In a deleted scene, Locke told the priest that he did not know his father very well. At the funeral, Locke said,
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I forgive you. —John Locke |
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as he looked at his father's grave. Later, Locke discovered that the funeral was a hoax and that Anthony had feigned his own death to evade a debt he owed as the result of a con. ("Lockdown")
Jae Lee[]
Jae Lee was Sun's English teacher and later her lover. He committed suicide by jumping out of a window, following a violent attack by Jin. At his funeral, Sun asked her father if he would tell Jin about the affair, and he responded that it was not his place. ("The Glass Ballerina")
On the Island[]
Group funeral for crash victims[]
Claire asked Jack about holding a memorial service, and Jack replied that it wasn't really "his thing." Both out of respect and necessity, the bodies of the victims were burned in a dignified manner, with Claire reading as many names and details of their lives as she was able to gather:
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Judith Martha Wexler from Denton, TX, guessed she was going to catch a connecting flight. Um, she wore corrective lenses and she was an organ donor, or at least would have been. Steve and Kristen, I don't know their last name, but they were really in love and were going to be married. At least, wherever they are now, they're not alone." Claire's eulogy paid tribute to an unnamed character whose "video store receipt lists her overdue charges for 'Willy Wonka' and 'The Little Princess.' Looks like he hadn't traveled much. . . at least as far as I can tell from his passport. —Claire Littleton |
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She also mentioned "Wollstein, Harold - Seat 23 C." ("Walkabout")
Donald[]
Donald was the fourth Tail Section survivor to die after the crash, due to an infection in his leg that was broken in the crash. The other Tailies buried him on the fifth day after the crash in a small graveyard where the previous three dead Tailies and the two Others that Eko killed on the first night were also buried. ("The Other 48 Days")
Scott[]
Scott Jackson was found dead on the beach, following a threat from Ethan Rom to kill one person a day until Claire was handed over to him. According to Kate, his neck, arms, and fingers were all broken. Scott was buried and a cross placed at his grave. Hurley eulogized:
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Scott Jackson worked for an internet company in Santa Cruz. He won a sales prize, a two week Australian vacation, all expenses paid. He was a good guy. Sorry I kept calling you Steve, man. Um, amen, I guess. I don't know how to end these. —Hugo Reyes |
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("Homecoming")
Boone[]
Boone Carlyle was the first major character to die on the island, following injuries sustained in the crash of the drug smugglers' plane. The entire camp attended the funeral. Shannon was asked to speak, but was too emotional to do so. Sayid stepped in and delivered a brief eulogy in her place:
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I didn't know Boone very well, and for that I am sorry. On our sixth day here, a woman named Joanna died. She drowned, and Boone was the first one into the water. I didn't know him, but I remember his courage, and I know he will be missed. —Sayid Jarrah |
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Locke stepped in, after being missing throughout Boone's ordeal, and said the following:
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It was my fault. We found a plane, a Beechcraft, in the jungle. It was lodged in the canopy so -- I would have gone up, but I -- my leg was hurt so he -- there was a radio inside and he thought he could -- look, his weight must have made the plane shift and it fell -- and -- it happened because he was trying to help us. He was a hero. —John Locke |
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("The Greater Good")
Shannon[]
Shannon was accidentally shot and killed by Ana Lucia in "The Other 48 Days". Sayid dug her grave, and once again stepped in as eulogizer, this time because he was the person closest to Shannon.
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Shannon and I were strangers. We never would have met if -- We wouldn't even have spoken if -- But we did meet and we did speak. At least -- I loved her. —Sayid Jarrah |
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He stepped away, distraught, and Jack stepped to the edge of the grave saying, "May she rest in peace." He picked up a handful of dirt and dropped it into the grave, and the rest of the attendees followed suit, paying their respects. ("What Kate Did")
Yemi[]
When Eko learned that the very plane that his brother, Yemi, had left Nigeria on had wound up on the island, he and Charlie set out to find it. Once Eko found the plane and his brother's body, he removed a Virgin Mary statue for Charlie and said, "For the one I broke." He also removed Yemi's cross and placed it on his own neck. He stacked rocks over the plane's entry hatch, doused it with fuel, and lit it on fire. Eko recited scripture as the plane burned. Eko and Charlie were the only people to attend Yemi's funeral. ("The 23rd Psalm")
Libby and Ana Lucia[]
Ana Lucia and Libby were both shot and killed by Michael in the Swan hatch. Michael apparently planned to kill Ana Lucia and frame "Henry Gale" for her death, but he shot Libby only because she took him by surprise as she entered the Hatch. Hurley and Kate dug their graves. At the funeral, Jack spoke first about Ana Lucia, saying:
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Ana Lucia Cortez was—before we crashed she was a police officer. I don't think it was easy for her being here. But I think she did the best she could. She was a woman of few words, and I'm going to follow her example. Rest in peace, Ana. —Jack Shephard |
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Hurley spoke next about Libby, saying:
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Libby was—she was—she—Libby was a psychologist, or psychiatrist—one of those. Either way, she probably helped a lot of people. She helped me. She was my friend. It's not fair that this happened to her. It's not. [He turns to Michael] I'm going with you. Goodbye, Libby. —Hugo Reyes |
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The funeral took on a tone of hope as Sun spotted a boat in the distance. ("Three Minutes")
Colleen[]
Colleen's funeral was the first time that the Others were depicted grieving a lost loved one. They wore white gowns and played "I Wonder" over a speaker system. Jack was in attendance as the Others' prisoner, also clad in a white gown. Colleen's body was set afire, and cast out to sea on a raft. ("The Cost of Living")
Eko[]
Eko died as a result of being attacked by the Monster. Locke observed that the other survivors have had to witness "a few too many funerals lately" and made the decision to bury Eko at the place where he died rather than return his body to the beach. Locke returned to the camp to get a shovel to dig his grave. A small service was held, with only Locke, Sayid, Nikki, Paulo, and Desmond attending. Locke delivered a eulogy, saying,
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When the hatch exploded, your prayer stick fell out of a tree right on top of me. So, Sayid and I came out to get it, because it didn't seem right to bury you without it. I'd like to think you died for a reason, Mr. Eko. I just hope that it's not too long before we find out what the heck it might be. Rest in peace, Mr. Eko. Thank you for helping me find my-. —John Locke |
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As Locke struck the ground with Eko's stick, the phrase "Lift up your eyes and look north" carved into the stick caught Locke's attention. ("I Do")
Nikki and Paulo[]
Nikki ran out of the jungle and collapsed in front of Hurley and Sawyer, seemingly dead. Paulo was soon discovered, also seemingly lifeless. The group moved fairly quickly in digging their graves and arranging a funeral. The funeral was modestly attended, and Hurley delivered the eulogy.
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Nikki and Paulo. I guess we didn't really know you very well. And it appears you killed each other for diamonds. But I know there are good parts to you too. You were always nice to me. And you were a member of the camp. And I really loved 'Exposé.' Okay, then, goodbye. —Hugo Reyes |
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Sawyer sprinkled the diamonds over their bodies, and each attendee placed a shovelful of dirt into the grave, leaving Sawyer and Hurley to finish the task. As they concentrated on their task, they did not notice Nikki's eyes open, and she and Paulo were buried alive. ("Exposé")
After the rescue of the Oceanic 6[]
Christian Shephard[]
Ten months after the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 (i.e., in July 2005) a memorial service for Christian Shephard was held. His son Jack gave the eulogy; he regretted the absence of his father's body, and said that he loved him. Among others, Margo Shephard, Kate Austen, Aaron, Hugo Reyes, Sayid Jarrah, and Carole Littleton attended the service. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 1")
John Locke (as "Jeremy Bentham")[]
In 2007, Jack learned of the death of "Jeremy Bentham" by reading a newspaper clipping. He attended a viewing at a funeral home, and was the only mourner. He told the funeral director that he was neither friend nor family to the deceased. He met with Kate — although Kate did not seem to know of the death, she indicated that she would not be interested in attending the funeral.
The name of the funeral agency was Hoffs/Drawlar. This is an anagram for "flash-forward". ("Through the Looking Glass, Part 1")
After his meeting with Kate, Jack returned to the funeral home and broke in. He opened "Bentham"'s casket, but was interrupted by Benjamin Linus. Ben told Jack that the Island wanted "all of you" to return, including "Bentham" — who was revealed as John Locke. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")
Back to the Island[]
Juliet Burke[]
Her body was buried near the Swan by Sawyer and Miles. Sawyer asked for a reading before they left her grave wanting to know what the last thing she thought before she died. Miles said, "it worked". ("LA X, Part 2")
John Locke[]
After being murdered and brought back to the island by Benjamin Linus, John Locke's corpse was carried by Ilana's group to prove that the MIB took John's shape. Before leaving to head to the temple, Ilana, Frank, Ben, and Sun decided to bury John Locke's corpse. In his funeral speech, Ben said he was sorry for murdering him.
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John Locke was a believer; he was a man of faith. He was a much better man than I will ever be. And I'm very sorry I murdered him. —Benjamin Linus |
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According to Frank it was the weirdest funeral he had ever attended. ("The Substitute")
Flash sideways[]
All the main characters[]
In the show's final scene, the characters gathered in a church because, as Kate said to Jack, "this is where you were gonna have your father's funeral." The ceremony turned out to be for nineteen of the show's main characters, all of whom had died and were now ready to move on.
- Sawyer
- Juliet
- Hugo
- Jack
- Kate
- Sayid
- Shannon
- Jin
- Sun
- Charlie
- Claire
- John
- Rose
- Bernard
- Christian
- Desmond
See Also[]