Seven Heartfelt Ways To Honor a Deceased Loved One
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), approximately one in ten people experiences prolonged or complicated grief. They yearn or long for their deceased loved one, and living without them may feel unbearable. If these reactions to a loved one’s death linger for a long time, they can affect a person’s functioning and mental health.
Grieving the death of a beloved is normal, but doing something as a tribute to their memory can help you cope with their passing. Learning how to honor a deceased loved one and taking such steps can help you maintain a connection with them and give you a sense of purpose during such difficult times.
We’ve shared ideas to help you get started, so read on.
1. Celebrate Their Legacy With a Memorial Service
Holding a memorial service is a positive way to celebrate the life and all the wonderful memories of your beloved who has passed away. It allows you and the other people who love and cherish your deceased loved one to grieve together while sharing stories and supporting each other.
A memorial service also helps support closure and healing. It’s a good first step to accepting the loss of a loved one and encouraging the start of healing.
Here are some tips to create a celebratory memorial service:
- Personalize the event to reflect your loved one’s uniqueness, including their passions, relationships, and personality
- Incorporate elements that your loved one would have found meaningful, such as their favorite music, flowers, and food
- Have other loved ones and friends share stories, photos, and videos highlighting your dearly beloved
If you’re in the San Francisco Bay area, you can opt to have the memorial service in one of the metro’s venues dedicated to memorial and funeral services. You can also hold the event in Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park, or in a place of special significance to your dear departed, such as their favorite park or restaurant.
2. Memorialize Their Beautiful Soul With an Elegant Urn
The most recent statistics from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) put the 2023 national median cost of a funeral with services like a viewing and a burial at $8,300. A funeral with cremation, on the other hand, was only $6,280. Given the lower cost of cremation, it’s no wonder the estimated cremation rate for 2024 was 61.9% as opposed to the projected burial rate of 33.2%.
Unless your deceased loved one explicitly instructed you or the family to have them buried, you may want to consider having them cremated instead. Cremation is more cost-effective and offers a higher level of flexibility, especially for the disposition of remains and a person’s memorialization.
After cremation, you can keep your dear departed’s ashes close to you at home or in a columbarium or scatter their ashes in a place meaningful to them. In either case, be sure to choose a memorial urn with:
- A high-quality construction
- Materials designed to last (e.g., brass, aluminum, or ceramic)
- A design that reflects your loved one’s aesthetics and preferences
3. Plant a Tree in Their Memory
Planting a tree is a long-lasting tribute in memory of your deceased loved one. As a living thing, a memorial tree is a tangible symbol of the life your beloved had. It can be a source of comfort for you, other family members, and friends and a beautiful reminder of your dear departed.
A tree planted in tribute to your loved one who has passed away also brings positive environmental impacts. As Earth911 points out, memorial trees benefit the environment by:
- Contributing to air purification
- Supporting and sheltering wildlife, including birds and insects
- Helping offset carbon emissions by absorbing carbon dioxide
You can plant the memorial tree at home or partner with memorial tree planting programs. Friends of the Urban Forest is an example. It’s a nonprofit organization that plants trees throughout San Francisco as memorials or dedications.
4. Pay Tribute to Your Loved One With a Memorial Bench
A memorial bench is another good way to honor a deceased loved one, offering a lasting tribute and a way to remember them in a meaningful location. Not only do they provide emotional comfort to the departed’s family and friends, but they can also enhance community spaces and provide a place where people can rest.
The Gardens of Golden Gate Park and the San Francisco Parks Alliance have programs for commemorative and tribute benches.
5. Make a Donation to a Charity They Supported
Donating to a charity your deceased loved one supported is a meaningful way to continue their legacy. Supporting a cause that they have cared about can provide you with a way to keep their spirit alive while also letting you make a positive impact on other people’s lives. It may even help you find comfort and closure as you grieve your dear departed’s passing.
6. Start a New Tradition in Their Honor
Cherish your beloved’s memories and life by starting a tradition that embodies their personality and values. You can make regular donations to the charity that they used to support on their birthdays or their death anniversary. Another idea is to celebrate their favorite holiday and light a candle for them on this day.
7. Engage in Activities They Loved
Honor your deceased loved one and feel as if they’re still with you by doing things they used to love doing. You can visit a place they cherished, for instance, such as their favorite spot on the beach or a park they frequented. Bring family and friends along, and you can make a day out of it by having a picnic and sharing memories of your dear departed.
Consider These Ideas on How to Honor a Deceased Loved One
From holding a personalized memorial service to safeguarding their ashes in a high-quality urn and engaging in activities they loved, these are some of the top ideas on how to honor a deceased loved one and cope with enduring loss. They can help you, family members and friends in keeping your dear departed’s memory and spirit alive.
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Article by Dax Janel Valencia