Custom Memorial Programs: Honoring A Life Well Lived

A Memorial Program should tell a story. Through words and pictures, it should honor the deceased's life, memory and achievements. 

It is appointed to us all that we have an expiration date. Most of us dream of having a long and very fulfilling life. So, when we draw that last breath and that life is over…

…HOW do we want to be remembered?

As a child and young adult I steered clear of funerals. It was a traumatic experience with a lot of sorrow and sadness. The few funerals I did attend I remember the solemn attitude of the congregation. The quiet and still presence they displayed at the service. But most importantly, I remember the simple and flimsy eight and a half by eleven inch piece of paper, folded in half with a black and white picture of the deceased on the front. There would be a description of the deceased’s life written on the inside or the order of service, or perhaps a few pictures of family members filled the pages. On the back page were “thank you’s” to the funeral home, family supporters, pall bearers or maybe a heartfelt poem or Bible verse included as well. It always seemed to be a cold presentation of a “matter of fact life” and it always looked like it was printed from my elementary school’s mimeograph machine. 

September 2021

I lost my niece to domestic violence, September of 2021. I don’t know why the family came to me to create the obituary. 

I had never done one.

I knew nothing about working with a printer? 

Why would they ask ME to do it?… 

Taking cues from those past childhood obituaries I’d seen, I had one rule I wanted to accomplish regarding what I wanted to create for my niece’s program. 

I was not going to design a lifeless, black and white rendition of a life well spent. 

I was going to make it my JOB to show my niece as the glamorous woman she was, the fun loving woman she was. Thankfully for me, the ideas I had floating around in my head—were welcomed by the family. This obituary—this learning opportunity was the beginning of my love for doing custom obituaries. I find deep fulfillment in doing these because my aim is always rooted in honoring the deceased. I love learning about the individual and telling their story.  

“After thumbing through an obituary, you should get a sense of who the individual was, what kind of person they were or life they led. I take pride in the arrangement of the pictures, graphics and story. After reading through the program, if you can say— “I feel like I know this individual”,... I’ve done my job as a designer”. 

Expectations

It’s not always easy to work with families who have lost loved ones. Tight deadlines, low quality photos, differences of opinions and missing assets don’t help the situation. There’s no greater disappointment than telling a family that a cherished picture can’t make it into the printed obituary.

What about costs? Yes, custom printed obituaries can be expensive. A memory may fade,..but a custom obituary is a tangible legacy of a life spent living. You can hold it in your hand and take its vibrant, colorful story with you. You can give it to a friend. If done well, a loved one will flip through the pages and relive the memories it conjures. Although the price may be an issue, there are alternatives. You can consider the size of the document, or the total number of pages. Shopping around for printers can cut your costs. There is also the option of printing limited quantities, just for the family. I offer the option of having the programs offered as a digital file. Digital files can be distributed online as flipbooks or a pdf. 

What you put on a page varies depending on the family. The word “custom” speaks volumes to what you are allowed to include. There is no requirement for what you must have. This is the time to explore your options. Did your loved one enjoy traveling? Were they an educator or have an unusual hobby? I love using elements from their life–to SHOW their life, that's what makes them, THEM!

To me a Memorial Program should honor the deceased and help the grieving celebrate and remember them long after they're gone. We will all go through the process of death of a loved one. For those times when a black and white photocopied keepsake or a miniature Memorial note isn’t good enough, consider a custom Memorial Program.

Interested in the costs or curious about possible page options? Click here to receive an Obituary Informational Packet