The Many Ways to Personalize a Loved One’s Farewell

For many families we serve in Springfield, Branson, Bolivar, and the surrounding Missouri communities, planning their loved ones’ farewells can be an overwhelming experience. You want everything to go right: such as honoring your loved one’s final wishes, safe travels of extended families who are attending, and possibly managing your grief. There can be so many pieces that go into planning a loved one’s farewell.

Some families find it easier to start by talking about whom their loved one was, even before discussing final wishes or options that would match their price range. What reminds you of that person? What hobbies did they enjoy? How did that person want to be remembered? Depending on your answers, your responses can help guide decision-making during the arrangement process and provide insight for our care team to personalize their service.

We hear back from families that having a personalized service touches their hearts and will always be in their memories. There are endless stories of how those moments impacted those attending and sparked a conversation of cherished memories of that person. We also understand that a memento of a loved one can be incredibly comforting in the days and months following their death and service. Therefore, we feel it’s an honor to celebrate and honor your loved ones’ life through personalization and mementos. With so many memorial items to choose from at Greenlawn Funeral Home, together, we can find something that represents your loved one perfectly.

Personalization Options for Veterans

A great option is a flag display frame for those with a loved one who served in the military. The display frame encases the folded flag given to you by the branch of service your loved one served in and gives you a unique way to honor your loved one and preserve the flag. Our dedicated staff at Greenlawn is experienced in crafting the most honorable farewell for veterans and works closely with the local military cemeteries.

Personalization Options for Book Lovers

If your loved one had a specific bible verse or poem or enjoyed reading books creating bookmarks to hand out has been well received. We can even use paper embedded with seeds that can be planted later. It serves as a precious reminder during and after their service, and by planning the seeds, you can create new memories and sprout feelings of hope and healing as you watch the seeds grow.

Personalization Options for Musicians

A video tribute is a great way to enhance the service and provide a way for future generations to relate to their life.  Pictures, music, and dialogue can bring the story to life and serve as a remembrance for future generations.

Other Personalization Options

Other ways to keep and share cremated remains are in personalized keepsakes or transforming them into jewelry. For example, you can have a ring featuring a diamond-like stone made from the cremated remains. Another treasured jewelry keepsake would be a locket with two compartments, one for a strand of hair from your deceased loved one and the other for a photo.

When planning for your loved one, our care team members at Greenlawn can help you create a service that honors their memory and pays tribute to their culture, values, hobbies, and accomplishments.

If you choose to make your prearrangements with Greenlawn, you can make those decisions yourself. From top to bottom, you can craft your service and choose the memorialization items that are right for you. Reach out to us any time to learn about preplanning and all the memorial options and personalization aspects we can offer you and your family.