John
06-18-2010, 07:32 PM
Bird's body was cremated at Distington Crematorium, near Workington.
The private service was conducted by Rev Jim Buchanan, attended by family and close friends only.
Taxi driver Bird gunned down 12 people across a 45-mile area from Whitehaven to Boot in west Cumbria before taking his own life on June 2.
The 52-year-old is believed to have shot his twin brother David first before gunning down the family's solictor and a colleague at the Whitehaven taxi rank.
He also injured 11 other people as he drove around shooting indiscriminately.
Bird's sons, Graeme, 28, and Jamie, 16, released a statement on behalf of relatives after the ceremony.
It said: "Derrick was many things to many people but to us he was just dad.
"To us he was a loving and caring family man, well-known and well-respected in our local community.
"We will never understand what was going through his mind on Wednesday June 2 or why he killed and injured so many people.
"All we can say is that we are utterly devastated by his actions and deeply saddened by the legacy of pain he has left behind.
"Our love, thoughts and sympathies are with the families who are suffering at this time."
As well as his sons, daughter-in-law Victoria - who gave birth just weeks ago - and his ex-partner Linda Mills, 48, were at the service.
But not all members of his family felt able to attend, including Bird's mother who was too distraught.
In a statement, David Bird's family said: "We send our love and support to our Grandma, Auntie, Uncle and Cousins on this difficult day.
"As you can imagine this has been a very hard time for our family and at this present moment we do not feel physically and emotionally strong enough to attend the funeral.
"However, we would like to express our love and support to the rest of the family."
Police have so far focused on whether the rampage was caused by a family feud over money.
Earlier, more than 120 mourners packed a town crematorium for the funeral of the youngest victim of Bird.
Jamie Clark, 23, an estate agent from Carlisle, was driving through Seascale on his way back from a viewing when Bird opened fire on him.
Mr Clark's father Richard told Sky News he backed how the police handled the hunt for Bird and said nothing more could have been done to stop him sooner.
The private service was conducted by Rev Jim Buchanan, attended by family and close friends only.
Taxi driver Bird gunned down 12 people across a 45-mile area from Whitehaven to Boot in west Cumbria before taking his own life on June 2.
The 52-year-old is believed to have shot his twin brother David first before gunning down the family's solictor and a colleague at the Whitehaven taxi rank.
He also injured 11 other people as he drove around shooting indiscriminately.
Bird's sons, Graeme, 28, and Jamie, 16, released a statement on behalf of relatives after the ceremony.
It said: "Derrick was many things to many people but to us he was just dad.
"To us he was a loving and caring family man, well-known and well-respected in our local community.
"We will never understand what was going through his mind on Wednesday June 2 or why he killed and injured so many people.
"All we can say is that we are utterly devastated by his actions and deeply saddened by the legacy of pain he has left behind.
"Our love, thoughts and sympathies are with the families who are suffering at this time."
As well as his sons, daughter-in-law Victoria - who gave birth just weeks ago - and his ex-partner Linda Mills, 48, were at the service.
But not all members of his family felt able to attend, including Bird's mother who was too distraught.
In a statement, David Bird's family said: "We send our love and support to our Grandma, Auntie, Uncle and Cousins on this difficult day.
"As you can imagine this has been a very hard time for our family and at this present moment we do not feel physically and emotionally strong enough to attend the funeral.
"However, we would like to express our love and support to the rest of the family."
Police have so far focused on whether the rampage was caused by a family feud over money.
Earlier, more than 120 mourners packed a town crematorium for the funeral of the youngest victim of Bird.
Jamie Clark, 23, an estate agent from Carlisle, was driving through Seascale on his way back from a viewing when Bird opened fire on him.
Mr Clark's father Richard told Sky News he backed how the police handled the hunt for Bird and said nothing more could have been done to stop him sooner.