Funerals and Memorials

My Brother’s Christmas-Themed Funeral

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Alan lived with a rare genetic disorder that made him unpredictable, child-like and full of wonder. When he died at age 43, his memorial service was unique as he was.

Disrupting the Funeral: 7 Innovations You Should Know About 

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From cremains pressed into vinyl records to photo-wrapped coffins, our columnist finds 7 suprisingly cool products no one wants to search for.

Mom’s Memory Was My ‘Something Blue’

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How I incorporated my late mother into my wedding celebration. Plus, great tips for memorializing a loved one at your nuptials.    

This Funeral Changed How I Feel About Weddings

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Many clergy will admit they would rather perform a funeral than a wedding. I used to be one of them.

Desperately Seeking the Funeral Director With a Matinee Idol Name

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Four years after my grandmother’s death, I was determined to track down — and thank — the mortuary staffer whose kindness (and name) I will never forget.

Father's Day listicle

Random Acts of Dadness

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From rejecting perfectly good restaurant food to donating to worthy causes, I'm spending the first Father's Day after my dad's death trying to emulate his character.

Remembering Grandma as She Really Was

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Some guidelines for memorializing someone at the end of a long and debilitating illness

It’s Katie Fisher Day!

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Starting a cookie-baking social media memorial holiday would have been a strange move for anyone, but perhaps stranger for me than most.

Gonzalez Modern Loss

In Mourning, with Broadway and Carne Guisada

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How musicals like "In the Heights" helped after losing my abuela.

5 Inspiring Tribute Tattoos

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From words conjured in a dream to ashes mixed into ink, our columnist presents her annual feature on these forever memorials.

Why I Like Funerals More Than Weddings

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"Four Weddings and a Funeral"? I'd rather watch "Four Funerals and a Wedding."

Executive Producing Your Own Goodbye

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My father-in-law was a planner his entire life. The end was no exception.

Fiction: I Am the Widow

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Modern Loss' first foray into fiction is from a new book of short stories from the trenches of young widowhood.

When Your Loved One’s Last Wish Was ‘No Funeral’

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Our columnist offers 7 alternatives for memorializing the dead.

An Ice Cream Truck at the Funeral

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And 6 other meaningful ways to incorporate food — and cocktails — into a memorial.

It’s Your Funeral: 10 Ways to Hack the Planning

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A funeral director guides you through what you can control about the process (hint: a lot more than you think!) and what you can’t.

Stay Classy

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I have a terrible relationship with sister. How do I get through my dad’s memorial service without creating a scene? Our advice columnist weighs in.

Across the Pond, a Lesson in British Mourning

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A North American transplant, I'd spent years trying unsuccessfully to master British restraint. Never did I feel more at home as an expat than at my first British funeral.

6 Cliché-Free Memorial Tattoos

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Forget "R.I.P." Our Mourning, Noon & Night columnist takes on a new brand of tribute tattoos.

Selfies at Funerals: SRSLY?

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What's behind the funeral photos populating the web? Modern Loss explores the brave new world of grieving.