Memorialization

People have many ways of paying tribute to their loved ones. With cremation the choices are numerous.

The following are just some of the ideas you might want to consider. You can also visit our Funeral Services section, or speak with a Cook funeral director for more ideas. 

Plaques can be placed on columbarium niches as well as many other places. Where possible, some choose to attach a plaque to a tree branch or trunk within a family burial lot. Others are placed on special monuments or walls recognizing specific groups such as veterans. 

Urn garden memorials
Cemeteries with urn gardens will often provide special walls or sculptures that can be engraved with the name of a loved one. Gardens with in-ground lots also have designated spaces for memorial markers.

Scattering memorials
Plaques, walls or artwork are also used in scattering gardens to memorialize those whose remains have been scattered there.

Remembrance books
Some cemeteries also enter names into a public memory or remembrance book, located on the cemetery grounds (usually in a chapel or special mausoleum). These entries are often done with elegant calligraphy.

KeepSake Videos
These special videos set family photographs to music, creating tangible memorials that can be shown at funeral services and also kept as individual reminders.

Headstones or bronze plaques
These options can do more than mark a cemetery plot in which cremains have been buried. They can also be inscribed with verses, dedications or meaningful quotes.

Monuments
Monuments can be as elaborate as the dedication of a building or public space, or as simple as a bronze plaque on a park bench.

Living memorials
Things like scholarships or donations to charity are an excellent way to honor a loved one while also contributing to a good cause.

Memorial trees
Some choose to plant a tree in memory of their loved one. In addition to the environmental benefits, this option is also unique in that trees are considered to be symbols of growth and longevity. Cook reforested more than 14,500 acres since its inception in 1976.