The Heartwarming Reason These Ice Cream Trucks United

It's always a sad occasion whenever a person passes away. After a loved one's death, family, friends, colleagues, and all who cared for the deceased traditionally gather to mourn the loss and honor their life and accomplishments. And, if the deceased happens to have been an ice cream truck driver in the United Kingdom, that might mean a whole convoy of fellow trucks will attend the funeral procession, commemorating the person's life and work with the distinctive chime of ice cream truck bells.

That's what happened when Hassan Dervish, an ice cream truck driver who served southeast London for more than 40 years, sadly passed away on November 12, according to Boston 25 News. To honor Dervish, who had been dubbed the "king of ice cream," many of his fellow drivers joined the funeral procession to pay tribute to their late colleague. "The first one came and then there was another and then there was another. All of a sudden, there were probably 10 ice cream trucks that followed him all the way to the cemetery. There were so many ice cream trucks for my brother," his sibling, Turkel, explained to the Washington Post, adding, "What can I say? All of his friends, they came to pay their last respects to him."

One Reddit user posted the viral video of the gathering of ice cream trucks, and many other users on the platform remarked about how heartwarming the one-of-a-kind funeral procession was. "My heart is melting ... seriously," posted one person. " It's lovely to see this person getting such a send-off," added another. "I had no idea there was solidarity among ice cream truck drivers! Is there an Ice Cream Truck Driver's union?" asked one Redditor, to which the original poster responded confirming that "apparently it's a tradition, at least in the U.K." 

According to the BBC, this is not the first time fellow ice cream truck drivers have joined together to commemorate the life of one of their colleagues, with a similar procession happening to mark the passing of beloved longtime drivers Pasquale Marucci and John Lennie earlier this year. So, while these ice cream men will certainly be missed by their colleagues, customers, and all who knew and loved them, it is heartwarming to see their fellow drivers celebrating their life in this unique, and sweet, tradition.