Stephen Hawking planned an act of kindness before his death that manifested over the weekend in the United Kingdom.
The noted professor, whose funeral was held on Saturday, March 31, planned a lunch for Easter for homeless people in Cambridge.
A touching note that was signed by the Hawking family was left on tables and informed the 50 guests that the three-course holiday meal was a gift from Stephen.
The charity FoodCycle said that Hawking’s daughter Lucy got in touch to offer the family’s support for the lunch last week.
Volunteer Alex Collis shared a picture from the lunch with others coming from the charity.
“We were humbled by this lovely gift—it was such a treat. Thank you to all the volunteers at @FoodCycleCamb, you are amazing!” said the official FoodCycle Twitter account.
Just a short distance away, Hawking’s funeral took place at Great St. Mary’s church on the campus of the University of Cambridge, where Hawking worked as a professor.
The bell rang out 76 times, once for each year of the professor’s life, as the funeral procession arrived at the church, reported the BBC.
Hawking’s children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim, as well as other family members followed behind the hearse that carried Hawking’s coffin.
Hundreds of family members, friends, and colleagues attended the private service.
“Stephen shared his work and his zest for the fundamental questions it addressed with wide audiences. He inspired people with the excitement and importance of pure scientific enquiry and was admired and revered for his devotion, as a scholar, to the pursuit of knowledge,” said Professor Fay Dowker in his eulogy.
“This high regard was demonstrated wherever in the world he gave a public lecture: the auditorium was always packed, the atmosphere electric, and the applause thunderous.”
Hundreds of others gathered outside the church despite the cold temperature and the rain, including doctoral student Daisy Dixon.
“It’s exciting that someone like that lived in my lifetime,” the philosophy scholar said. “It’s a very sad day but it’s lovely to see everyone here today to pay our respects.”
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