Inspiration

“My uncle was the principal of our local middle school and never missed a sporting event, concert, or play they hosted. At his service, we had the band play his favorite song for us. It was so special to see the impact he had on the community and find a unique way to include his second family in the day.”

“After our grandfather passed away, we realized there was so much about his life we never knew. We asked our guests to bring special photos or objects to share at his service and we created a memory table where we could all connect over time shared and favorite moments.”

“Fishing was always such a big part of our life growing up. When we heard you could project scents during the service, I knew we had to bring the ocean to us. It was so comforting to close my eyes and feel like we were all back on the water and he was there with us.”

“There are lots of little ones in our family and we wanted a more casual service where everybody could feel included. We put together a small craft station for the kids so they could have a space of their own and remember all the fun they had with grandma, instead of feeling out of place at a formal or stuffy setting.”

“One of my favorite memories with my sister  was collecting shells on the beach when we were young. Our funeral director called a hotel on our favorite beach and arranged to have shells shipped to us. On the day of the service, he set up a station with string where everyone could pick a shell and make a small keychain or bracelet. Even on the hard days, seeing the shell always makes me smile.”

“We set up a small outdoor stage with a projector and microphone at our local park. We played home videos and invited all of her family and friends to share their favorite moments on stage. Our ShareLife Celebrant helped plan and guide it. I would have never known something like that was an option.”

“Every Sunday morning, Dad always played golf with his friends. We wanted to keep up the tradition, so we set up a mini golf station and even had the smell of freshly cut grass projected in the room.”

“We had our favorite restaurant cater lunch while we showed a video slideshow with our favorite memories of Mom. We thought putting the photos and videos together would be difficult but we just had to provide the images and it was no trouble at all.”

“My grandmother spent all of her time tending to her garden and took so much pride in every single plant and flower.  They helped us find a wonderful florist who filled the room with beautiful flowers. They even projected floral scents into the room. It felt like we were spending the day in the garden with grandma.”

“We didn’t want a religious ceremony and just needed space to honor him with our close friends and family. The facilities that they provided were perfect and all the guests really enjoyed the celebration.”

“I wasn’t able to fly across the country for the life celebration, but wanted to make sure they knew I was thinking of them. I called the funeral home and they helped me choose the perfect arrangement. They took care of all of the logistics and made sure the flowers were at the right place at the right time.”

“My father was a veteran and they included so many details to honor his service, from a flag ceremony to an honor guard. They even helped us find and file for Veterans benefits we didn’t even know he was qualified for.”

“My aunt was the most creative person I knew. Every holiday we couldn’t spend together, she would send us all care packages with silly decorations. We asked everyone to bring any pictures or items that reminded them of her and we had a scrapbooking station at the reception. We bought a few books, colored, pens and materials and left instructions on the table as people arrived. It was so beautiful and cathartic to page through old photos and momentos together while doing something she loved.”

“We all wanted a memento of Dad’s that we could carry with us always, but we didn’t have any photos of him after he got sick. Mary (our funeral director) told us about Fingerprint Jewelry and said she could help have it made for us. She organized everything and now I feel like he is with me wherever I go.”

“We chose a glass front niche at the memorial park so that we include a few things that he really loved and that tell the story of how amazing he was. We get to go visit and can switch out items. It’s a wonderful way to pay tribute to the man we loved so much.”

“I would have never thought of a chess board monument like this. I am so glad that they recommended it. We didn’t just create a special spot for our family to share memories, but also helped to build a space for all of the visitors to enjoy.”

“Instead of a traditional memorial service, they helped us plan a charity golf tournament to honor him. They ordered specially monogrammed golf balls, made a schedule for all of the guests, and even designed a silent auction. All of the proceeds went to his favorite charity. It was a really special day that none of us will ever forget.”

“My sister always hosted potlucks and loved cooking for the family. Food is how she expressed her love. We wanted to celebrate her life and share a meal in her honor. Our ShareLife Celebrant organized a lunch with all of her favorite restaurants. So many people in the community contributed and we spent the afternoon eating and sharing memories of her.”

“We hosted weekly family dinners on our porch for years and wanted the ceremony to feel like another Saturday night. Our ShareLife Celebrant recommended we do the life celebration at our house and she planned everything for us. She ordered the food, hung up string lights, and set up a beautiful space where we could host a small mass outside.”

“We knew that he didn’t want to be buried, but we loved the idea of having a special place where friends and family could visit him. They told us that our local cemetery had a columbarium where we could store his ashes and visit whenever we’d like. They made all of the arrangements for us and helped us choose the perfect location.”

“Our mom was always happiest by the lake. We knew we wanted to spread her ashes there, but didn’t think we could find a way to host her memorial on the water too. Our ShareLife Celebrant planned everything down to the very last detail. We celebrated my mom’s life with our toes in the sand in her favorite place.”

“He loved to go fishing every Sunday, so they helped us plan a fishing-themed life celebration. They played ocean sounds and even brought in some of his mounted fish to help decorate the room.”

“Dad was a fisherman and loved the water, so we asked how we could incorporate that into the service. Our ShareLife Celebrant found a way to bring his boat into the reception. Everyone wrote letters saying goodbye and tossed them into the boat during a ceremony. It was so nice to all say goodbye together while still having a private moment to ourselves.” 

“We grew up hearing stories about my grandfather’s time in the Marines. We knew we had to honor that part of his life during the service. They gave us a burial flag for the ceremony and helped us project old photos from his time in Korea. My grandmother was so proud and still keeps the flag in her living room.”

“She was obsessed with Hawaii and we wanted her memorial to feel like a celebration. They planned a luau with Hawaiin music and a barbeque. They even found traditional Hawaiin dancers to perform for us.”

“They found a company nearby that rented indoor putt putt greens and set up a table with his favorite cigars. They even had hats made for everyone to wear once they arrived. It was the kind of celebration he would have loved.”

“She always had yellow roses on the dining room table and it was such a strong memory we all had of her home that we wanted to include. They displayed a beautiful yellow rose garden on the screen and even had the smell of roses projected into the room.”

“Our beach-themed life celebration was everything we hoped for. Everyone danced with maracas and they projected an image of the water for us all to enjoy. They even thought to have orange flowers to match the colors of the sunset in the photo.”

“They found a wonderful celebrant to help us honor her. He met with us the day before the celebration and spent hours with us getting to know her. We were all a bit nervous to speak in public, but he helped share all of our memories for us.”

“She loved nature and was always volunteering at the botanical garden near our house. They decorated the room with flowers and even gave seeds to the guests so they could plant something in her honor at their own homes.”

“They asked us all about him so they could plan the most personal life celebration. It was perfect. We brought in some of his favorite fishing gear and they decorated the room with it all. They even projected a home video of the first time he took me fishing.”

“They helped us honor her service in the most special way. She passed right around independence day and everything was red, white and blue, from the flowers to the food. They even organized a small fireworks display.”

“We held the ceremony in the chapel where his mausoleum was. We were nervous that it wouldn’t feel warm enough, but they decorated it perfectly. They made the most beautiful flower arrangements for the celebration and even reached out to his favorite bakery to cater desserts for everyone.”