What is memorialization?

Karen Darby-Ritz, 
Advance Planning Manager, 
Camino del Sol Funeral Chapel
and Cremation Center

Memorialization has many definitions, but according to Merriam-Webster, it is “to do or create something that causes people to remember a person, thing or event.”

As you know, families choose to memorialize their loved ones in many different ways. For example, recently in New York, an infamous party boy was memorialized by turning his viewing room into a replica of Bungalow 8. It was decked out with palm trees, a DJ played music, and everyone wore Snoopy t-shirts. His family and friends honored him the best way they knew how, in true party style. Another example is the recent memorial service for a millionaire car collector. He sat upright in his favorite Ferrari during his visitation.

There are those who enjoy the flair of an extravagant memorial service, and then there are those who don't want to "make a fuss." They don’t want a viewing, a service or a party for friends. Which style is correct?

The answer is simple. There is no right or wrong way for a family to honor their loved one's life, as long as they do some form of memorialization. A memorial can be as simple as a picture on a bronze memorial or as extravagant as a black tie and ball gown styled party with all their friends and family in attendance.

Our job as memorialization experts is to educate the families we serve about the importance of memorialization and to honor the life of their loved one. Their options are limited only by their own imagination.


This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.

Do you believe in what you sell?

Drew Edwards,
General Manager,
Sunset Funeral Homes

At Sunset Funeral Homes, we often times meet with cremation families that want to host a gathering or memorial service without the help of the funeral home. Many times, they go this route in hopes of saving some money. Although their intentions are great, they almost always end up adding a lot of stress to an already stressful situation, and at the same time end up with a sub-par service of remembrance. But, since we provided the cremation services, our name gets tacked onto their memorial celebration anyway. 

How do we overcome situations like this? Simply put, we are the professionals and we have to make sure our families know that. After all, we do this every day. We know the logistics, seating and printed materials like the back of our hand. Can you imagine how good a mechanic would be if every time a vehicle broke down he asked the customer to do the diagnostics?

No matter if we are selling a bronze memorial, an upright granite memorial or a memorial service at a church, we have to remember to continue to educate the families we serve and provide them with options. We have to remember that we are the professionals and we know what they need to begin a journey to healthy healing. Believe in what you sell, and you will find that both you and the families you serve will benefit in the end. 

This article originally appeared in Modern Memorialization, Trigard Memorials' weekly electronic newsletter featuring information for the funeral industry. Sign up for your free subscription at http://www.trigard.com/thursdays.