Municipalities across Zeeland have reported a sharp increase in solitary funerals, with 56 cases recorded in 2025—more than double the long-term average of 25 to 30 per year, according to official records.
The rise in unattended services has led volunteers from the Eenzame Uitvaarten Zeeland foundation to step in, reciting original poetry to ensure that deceased residents without active social ties receive a dignified farewell.
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Poet Hanneke Middelburg performed her first memorial recital on Monday, July 27, 2026, for a man who died alone in Middelburg on July 19.
Although the deceased had a son, he was unable to attend the ceremony.
“There was not a single seat occupied. It was just the three of us: the funeral director, the driver, and me,” said Middelburg.
The stark emptiness of the service highlighted growing social isolation in the region. The highest numbers of municipal-led burials occur in Terneuzen, Vlissingen, and Goes.
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“I had to take a moment to recover from it,” said Middelburg. “I was alone with the funeral director and the driver.
There was only a single rose on the coffin. That image really grabbed me by the throat.”
Despite the emotional toll of her first assignment, Middelburg confirmed her commitment to continue crafting and reciting poems for upcoming unattended services across the province.
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“It feels good to be able to give someone a dignified farewell,” she said. “I still feel that this was a beautiful final service for this gentleman.”
