A funeral service or celebration of life doesn’t have to be the final chapter to honour the passing of your loved one.
For those who want to have a more enduring way of paying tribute, they can choose from a varied list of personal memorializations.
And, Kearney Funeral Services can help with keeping a person’s memory alive beyond their death.
Memorialization is an essential part of the grieving process as some families and individuals choose to preserve and externalize the memories and impact their loved one made during their lifetime.
And today, the options are almost as endless as your imagination, ranging from a small keepsake to a large-scale, online memorialization event.
Whatever the scope, it can be the most personal and meaningful expression.
So, what are some ways you can pay tribute to someone’s memory after their funeral? Here are a few ideas:
Customized urns
Urns are a way of keeping the physical remains of a person who has passed, close to their family. But they can also express a statement through personalization.
By customizing an urn, families can continue to preserve and commemorate their loved one for years to come by selecting the material including marble, metal and even reclaimed wood sourced locally in B.C., as provided by Kearney partner BAM Woodworks on Salt Spring Island.
Your choice of design can also represent the essence of the individual’s personality and existence.
Customers can select from a range of biodegradable materials, such as urns handcrafted from recycled paper, beach sand, and even Himalayan rock salt. That way, families who wish to scatter their loved one’s ashes, or place their remains out in a place of significance to them, can do so with minimal impact to the environment.
Virtual memorialization event
The current COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many events are conducted, including funeral ceremonies that are limited to smaller gatherings.
But if you wish to expand that circle to include everyone who played an integral role in your loved one’s life you can opt for an online memorialization.
That way, friends, co-workers, and others who were important to your loved one can attend in a virtual room where you can all talk about your favourite memories.
Ink and digital fingerprints
At Kearney Funeral Services a currently popular memorialization option is through ink and digital fingerprints of their loved ones.
In fact, 80 per cent of clients have requested that, as well as other commemoration projects such as footprints cast in cement for garden stepping stones, to printing on pendant jewelry.
Keepsake memorial jewelry
One way to keep a loved one close to the heart is through beautiful keepsake jewelry.
Memorial jewelry — such as ones offered by Eternity’s Touch — can store a piece of your loved one (in the form of their cremated remains) into a special pendant, locket, ring, or another piece to wear so you have them with you wherever you go.
Online memorial
Memorialization can also be done through storytelling.
It can be done in words and photos online where access to the information is widespread over various forms of social media.
Kearney Funeral Services can work with you to provide just the right wording to honour their memory.
And visitors to the online obituary section can leave their messages of condolence.
Whatever extended commemoration you choose, Kearney Funeral Services can expertly address your immediate needs through the challenges of grieving in a socially-distanced time.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Kearney remains committed to providing the highest level of care and compassion, as well as ensuring the highest commitment to the health and safety of their clients and their team.
Families can call and book an in-person appointment with a funeral director at one of their locations, or seek assistance from Kearney’s team remotely.
For more information, visit kearneyfs.com.
