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When my mother-in-law passed away several years ago, my husband and I wanted to plan a home Memorial Service for her that reflected her life and the type of person she was. We wanted the service to be simple, non-traditional, and have an emotional impact for all of us. As many people attending had not seen her in years, we wanted to find special ways of sharing our treasured memories of her. I spent hours searching the internet for unique and thoughtful ideas that could be incorporated into a Service and soon became frustrated by how difficult it was to find this kind of information. I have attended many funerals in the past. My sister when she was only seventeen, my best friend when she was in her twenties, and numerous other family members and acquaintances. At each of these times, the family was experiencing such emotional turmoil that they resorted to funeral services that had few personal touches. We all plan for weeks and months for weddings, the birth of a child, and even birthdays; but death sneaks up on us, sometimes far too quickly. We aren't given the time, nor do we often have the energy to create a service that we can look back on as being a unique and moving tribute to our loved one. I strongly believe that creating a beautiful Memorial Service, one that honors the person we've loved, is one of the keys to our own healing process. It allows us to say farewell in a most personal way and cements cherished memories of that person in our minds. As a physical therapist for the past 26 years, I have been involved in communication projects, public relations and have written educational brochures and literature relating to my professional career. This background experience has provided me with the tools I needed to help create and design what we feel is the most unique material offered on the internet for planning a wonderful and memorable Funeral/Memorial Service.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our site. I am confident you will find our material extremely valuable and may the information we offer bring you many cherished memories as you say goodbye to your loved one.
Teresa Vagg
13588 25th Ave
Surrey, British Columbia
Canada V4P 1Z7
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My mother passed away in April, 2001, after several months of an illness that her doctors could not seem to diagnose. We were shocked and absolutely unprepared for it. My father, who had suffered from Alzheimer's for many years, was extremely disoriented and confused and we spent most of our energy dealing with his needs. Because of this, planning a Memorial Service beyond the simple necessities was impossible. I hardly remember the service. We had only immediate family and a few close friends in attendance. A minister, whom we had never met prior to this time, gave a eulogy. No family members spoke. It was truly an impersonal event. When my father passed away two years later, I was emotionally spent. Organizing his Funeral and Memorial Service was the absolutely last thing that I wanted to do. However, as I began planning, I discovered that honoring my father's memory in a way that truly represented his unique individuality, both before and after his illness, became extremely important to me. And despite the enormity of the task, I found it to be an incredibly moving and rewarding experience. I then realized how much we had missed by not planning a similar service for my Mom; one that truly represented what a unique and wonderful person she was.
We've worked hard to bring together as much information about Memorial Service Planning as we could find onto this one web site, and to make it as comprehensive and easy to use as possible. The experience has been a challenging and rewarding one for me and I hope that this site helps you celebrate the life of your loved one with a beautiful and meaningful Funeral or Memorial Service.
Kathy Silver
1453 Seaway Drive
Parksville, British Columbia
Canada V9P 2E5