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 sombre one, the children’s enthusiasm for the pond and their Grandmother’s love of it was definitely evident.
Guest were given a memory card that contained some of Karen’s personal history and a copy of Henry Van Dyke's "Paradigm of Death". The words of this poem reflected the family's belief that Karen had simply moved on to other beautiful places. On the front of the card was a picture that Glen, her eldest son, had taken of her sitting by the pond on a warm Spring day last year.
Eulogies were given by her daughter, Louise, and her best friend Judy. Both women stood on the Japanese bridge that spanned the pond while giving their speeches. Because Mark had just fed the Koi, the fish were gently lapping at the pond surface; it was like they had come to listen to the kind words spoken about Karen. Karen had always loved Country Music and Garth Brooks in particular. Mark played Garth’s “The Dance” and “The River” because these were her favourite songs.
After the speeches and the featured songs, Mark made a ceremony of releasing a large new Koi into Karen’s pond. He explained that it was a type of Koi that Karen had always admired and that he and his children, and grandchildren, would spend many happy hours tending the pond and the new fish while remembering the joy Karen had found there. The new Koi swam quietly around the pond and each of the other koi quickly joined in behind it—as if it had always been their friend and caretaker—much like Karen had been.
Mark had set up a lunch buffet and people were asked to help themselves. He was not surprised that while everyone moved away from the pond at some point, they all eventually gravitated back to it with their plates of food. As the fish continued to swim quietly around, the guests watched them and reminisced about their good friend, Karen.