10 Unique Ways to Say Goodbye

1. A Life Appreciation Funeral
A life appreciation service is designed to personalize the more traditional funeral service. One example involved a beloved grandmother whose large weekend meals routinely packed the house with children and grandchildren. In celebration of her passing, a special service was arranged that involved the recreation of such a meal. Family and friends gathered in a banquet room and shared food prepared from grandma’s recipes. As they talked informally, small, personal mementos were given to each person present.

2. A Celebration of Life Funeral
In Ghana, Africa, funerals are often creative, colorful and viewed as a celebration of life. When Sowah Nortey, a lifelong Ghana taxi driver, passed away, his family commissioned the manufacture of a custom-made coffin in the form of a white Mercedes-Benz. The replica car was wooden, with four doors, windshield wipers, rearview and side-view mirrors, an antenna, a Mercedes-Benz emblem on the hood, an exhaust pipe, reflectors and tags. Nortey’s family chose this design because he drove a Mercedes-Benz sedan for most of his career. His family felt this special coffin both symbolized and celebrated his love for his work.

3. A Jazz Funeral
When jazz singer Blue Lu Barker died in 1998, she was given a traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral - a tribute to life, rather than a concession to death. Typically, a jazz funeral is arranged according to the wishes of the deceased, who often has chosen the music and the musicians as part of a funeral preplanning process. Barker’s wake featured jazz legends that honored her by performing in a funeral parade of music and dance that proceeded through the streets of New Orleans.

4. Space Flight
In 1997, it became possible to place cremated remains into outer space. A company called Celestis offers services that will launch a portion of cremated remains into the orbit of the Earth or the moon. For those interested in even greater adventures, remains can be placed on the moon’s surface or shot beyond the solar system and into deep space.

5. Burial at Sea
A slightly more traditional form of distribution involves the scattering of cremated remains at sea. Charter boat service companies will take a family out to sea, where they can hold a brief ceremony and scatter remains over the water. Charter air services are also available to scatter remains from the sky.

6. Sharing Memories
Hoping to share and reflect upon the memories of their deceased mother, one family asked all their loved ones to make a list of the things they remembered most about her. The memories were read aloud at the funeral home as everyone gathered around the departed. At the conclusion of the graveside services, family members released white helium balloons as a symbol of the moving on of her spirit.

7. A Celebration Box
A celebration box, like a time capsule, is a container filled with mementos of the deceased. The box offers a way to include family and friends in a celebration of the life of the deceased, and becomes a special treasure for future generations. Photographs, postcards, letters, poems, thank-you notes, tickets, souvenirs from a holiday, a button from a favorite jacket, jewelry, a copy of a team certificate, a club badge, medals, or a special hat are among the items suggested for inclusion. The celebration box can be filled at home prior to the funeral or placed in an accessible location in the back of the church or chapel, and returned home after the final ceremony.

8. A Memorial Service at Home
Following the death and funeral of her husband Stan, Margaret Chisman held a special memorial service at her home. Once all her guests arrived, she revealed a table covered with personal items that reflected and exemplified her late husband’s life. Later, Margaret played one of Stan’s favorite songs and invited everyone to share a personal memory or anecdote.

9. A Park Memorial
Special tributes help us remember special people. Shortly after the death of former Beatle John Lennon, Strawberry Fields was created as a memorial to him in New York City’s Central Park. Strawberry Fields is located across from Lennon’s former apartment, in a part of the park he often visited with his family. The memorial features plants from around the world and a mosaic of the word “Imagine.” Strawberry Fields aims to inspire peace, in honor of a man who committed his life to the quest.

10. An On-line Memorial
A variety of Internet websites and web servers offer new ways to remember the deceased. Depending on your interests, it is possible to create an entire website devoted to a loved one, or to simply post an obituary.