Many people are mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II last week, not just in England and the countries and territories of the Commonwealth, but throughout the world. When a public figure dies, all of us can feel the loss. Every community has a place to mourn and remember together – your funeral home. Here are a few was you can support your community by planning a local tribute to Queen Elizabeth: 

• Place a condolence book in the lobby of your funeral home that the public can sign. You might also place flowers, a candle and/or a photo of the Queen beside the book. After a period of time, the book can be sent to the British embassy in Washington D.C to be passed along to the Royal Family.
  • You could also create prayer cards with a photo and/or quote from the Queen on one side and a prayer on the reverse. 
• NFDA’s Remember Together planning guide (click here to download), which was originally created to funeral homes plan COVID-19 memorial events, has many ideas that could be adapted into a meaningful community tribute to Queen Elizabeth. Ideas include a candlelight vigil, luminary display, tree planting, day of volunteering (her Majesty was known to support many charities), and more. Perhaps you could host a viewing of the Queen’s funeral ceremony in your chapel and serve refreshments, such as tea and scones. The sky – and your creativity – are the limit. 
• On Tuesday, September 13, the Remembering A Life Blog, www.rememberingalife.com/blog, will feature a post on grieving the death of a public figure. This may be an ideal post to share on social media. 
• Share a tribute post on social media. Here's what NFDA shared the day Queen Elizabeth died. 

These are just a few ideas to help you get started. The sky – and your creativity – are the only limit.