Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives. A. Sachs |
When David Grant passed away, after 10 years of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, his family wanted to plan a Funeral/Memorial Service that reflected his joy of life before he became ill. It was important for them to have people remember David as the person he had been before Alzheimer’s had so drastically changed his personality.
They decided to focus their Service around a Photo “time-line”. Mary, David’s daughter, wrote to all the family and friends who would be attending the funeral and asked them if they had a favorite picture of her father, and if so, would they write a caption on it and bring it to the service.
Because David had been involved in many sports as a younger man—soccer, hiking, canoeing, skiing, and golf; had belonged to a golf, bridge, and investment club; and had done lots of traveling with their mother and other friends, they knew that many people would be able to bring wonderful pictures of David involved in the wide assortment of activities he had enjoyed.
When Karen passed away, her husband, Mark, wanted to create a Memorial Service for her that celebrated her life and the things that she had been passionate about. These things included her children, grandchildren, golf, hiking, and above all else, the beautiful Koi Pond she had lovingly developed in their back yard.
Because Karen had been cremated, Mark could hold the ceremony anywhere he wanted to and the natural choice was to have it at the place that Karen loved the most, her Koi Pond.
When guests arrived, they were escorted to the pond by one of Karen’s grandchildren, ranging in ages from 6 to 15 years of age. These children had grown up helping Grandma feed the Koi in the pond, and knew each fish by name. Even though the event was a somber one, the children’s enthusiasm for the pond and their Grandmother’s love of it was definitely evident.
When Mary died of breast cancer at the age of 31, her younger sister, Jill, was her only living relative. Mary had been busy pursuing her career and had not yet married or had a family of her own. She and her sister, however, lived near to each other, visited often and were best friends.
Although Jill knew she wanted to give Mary the wonderful Funeral Service she deserved, she had no idea of where to begin. Neither Mary nor Jill had been obviously religious. However, losing their parents at a relatively young age had made both of them hang on tightly to traditions. Jill decided that she would like to have a traditional service but would endeavor to really make it celebrate the unique person that her sister had been.
She began by speaking with the Director of the Funeral Home she had picked. Part of the reason for her choice was the beautiful chapel that was on the Funeral Home grounds. She knew that Mary would appreciate its quaint setting, burnished wood pews, and cottage-like charm. The Funeral Director assured here that there were many ways to make Mary’s Funeral Service capture her personality.
