Beautifully designed decks are the perfect, cost-effective aftercare gift for families.

For Immediate Release: September 21, 2023

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has introduced, as part of its Remembering A Life consumer education initiative, a deck of cards that helps families and individuals move forward on their grief journey after a loss. Each deck of Remembering A Life Journey Cards contains 52 cards, each featuring a meaningful way to remember a loved one. Journaling, activity, storytelling and reflection prompts invite the user to make each activity even more meaningful. Online bonus content provides additional inspiration, podcast episodes, blog posts, and more.

Activities include holding an item of importance to a loved one and journaling about why the item was important and how it feels to hold it; making a loved one’s favorite meal and inviting friends and family over to enjoy it and share stories; and completing an item on a loved one’s bucket list.

“Remembering A Life Journey Cards help individuals and families explore memories of their loved ones in meaningful ways, providing them with the opportunity to reflect and share stories with others,” said Gail Marquardt, NFDA Vice President, Consumer Engagement. “When funeral professionals include these cards in their aftercare programs, they communicate their understanding of the realities of loss and provide individuals with a meaningful way to move forward on their grief journey.” 

There are a number of ways funeral professionals can use Remembering A Life Journey Cards to help families move forward on their grief journey and reinforce the funeral home’s reputation in the community:

• Give each family served a deck of cards as part of the funeral home’s aftercare program.
• Hold a remembrance event and give each attendee a deck of cards.
• Host a support group (facilitated by a licensed grief therapist) and invite the therapist to use the decks of cards to facilitate discussions.

Remembering A Life Journey Cards were introduced at the 2023 NFDA International Convention & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and were very well received by attendees who expressed appreciation for a low-cost but meaningful way to help families begin their grief journey after the funeral.

Remembering A Life Journey Cards are available online in the NFDA store (nfda.org/store). Each deck is $10 for NFDA members and $15 for nonmembers. Quantity discounts and logo customization are available by calling NFDA at 800-228-6332. Consumers can purchase the cards on the Remembering A Life website (RememberingALife.com/store) for $15 per deck.

About NFDA

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please contact 800-228-6332 or visit www.nfda.org. 

About Remembering A Life

Remembering A Life helps individuals and families remember their loved ones in meaningful ways, helping to keep the memory of loved ones alive and assisting family members and friends in moving forward in their grief. Remembering A Life educates families about the value of a funeral and helps them find an NFDA-member funeral director (RememberingALife.com/FindAFuneralHome) to help them create a meaningful service. The initiative also helps them as they begin the grief journey following the death of a loved one. Resources include the Remembering A Life website (RememberingALife.com), a podcast, book club, blog, conversation cards and thoughtful gifts for grieving family members and friends. Remembering A Life is a consumer education initiative of the National Funeral Directors Association. Follow Remembering A Life on Facebook and Instagram.

# # #

Media Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org