Remembrance Quotes for Funerals and Memorial Services

When we lose a loved one, we experience an array of emotions. Though it’s common for individuals who’ve recently lost someone to experience the five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—everybody’s experience with bereavement can look different and nonlinear. Because the healing process is unique and complex, summarizing your emotions over a significant loss is challenging. But you may wish to find the right words to convey your sorrow to express what your loved one meant to you at their funeral or memorial service.

The opportunity to say a few words about the deceased is a major aspect of funerals and memorials. Whether you’re expressing your condolences on a card to a friend who has recently lost someone important or hoping to give a speech at a loved one’s funeral, a remembrance quote is a great option to capture how you feel. If you’re unfamiliar with commemorative phrases, read on. Honor You has compiled an assortment of remembrance quotes for funerals and memorial services.

The Importance of Remembrance Quotes for Funeral and Memorial Services

Before diving into our selection of remembrance quotes, let’s touch on the importance of remembrance quotes for funeral and memorial services.

We know that words hold a lot of power, but often finding the right words to say amid mourning fog is no easy feat. That’s where remembrance quotes can help. Remembrance quotes help us feel seen and understood, and they can communicate how we feel better than we’re able to when experiencing a loss. A quote honors the character and memory of the deceased in a way that creates a sense of peace surrounding the loss.

How To Incorporate Remembrance Quotes Into a Funeral or Memorial Service

So, where do remembrance quotes come into play when it comes to funeral or memorial services? There are a few different ways you can incorporate a commemorative quote that speaks to you.

Funeral Program

At most traditional funerals, guests will receive a funeral program. Funeral programs and memorial service pamphlets typically offer pertinent service information. A few examples of common memorial program details include the order of service, people involved in the service, and an obituary.

You can use an honorary quote to create a more unified theme across the service’s memorial keepsakes, such as the programs. Many people choose to incorporate the quote on either the front or the back of the pamphlet, but you may choose to place the quote wherever it suits the program design best.

Eulogy

A eulogy is a speech that honors the deceased. A eulogy highlights the deceased’s personality and milestones they made in their life. If you’re responsible for crafting a eulogy, selecting a quote to start or end your speech with can help provide you with some direction when speaking.

Memorial Keepsakes

It’s also common for guests to receive memorial prayer cards or bookmarks at funerals for their keeping. Memorial keepsake designs typically have a photo of the deceased, their date of birth and passing, and a commemorative phrase.

Placing a remembrance quote or prayer on the front or back of memorial keepsakes helps honor the deceased. Whenever a guest looks at their memorial keepsake, there are a few words on it to bring them comfort.

Remembrance Quotes To Use for Funeral or Memorial Services

Now that we’ve discussed their importance and how to use them, we offer you the following remembrance quotes based on your relation to the deceased.

Commemorative Quotes for the loss of a Child

No parent ever wants to see their child go before they do. The following quotes honor the tragic loss of a child. We credit the quotes without names to unknown artists.

• “There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.”
• “Each new life, no matter how brief, forever changes the world.”
• “How very quietly you tiptoed into our world, silently, only a moment you stayed. But what an imprint your footprints have left upon our hearts.” – Dorothy Ferguson
• “Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” – A.A. Milne
• “Those we have held in our arms for a short while we hold in our hearts forever.” – Khalil Gibran
• “A life need not be long to be meaningful.”

Commemorative Quotes for the Loss of a Parent

It’s hard to lose those who raised you. Discover quotes that commemorate parents.

• “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” – Maya Angelou
• “My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland
• “Mothers hold their children’s hands for a while, but their hearts forever.”

Commemorative Quotes for the Loss of a Spouse

The loss of your lifelong partner can evoke insurmountable grief. Below are some words that may help encapsulate how much they meant to you.

• “You left this world but not my heart.” – Sally Painter
• “Our wedding anniversary is not a reminder that you are gone; it is a reminder that the memories and the love we shared was real and powerful.”
• “Ours was a great love story that we will continue together someday.”

Commemorative Quotes for the Loss of a Friend

If you’ve recently lost a friend, you may consider one of the following remembrance quotes for funerals and memorial services.

• “In life, we loved you dearly; in death, we love you still. In our hearts, you hold a place no one else will ever fill.”
• “I cried endlessly when you died, but I promise I won’t let the tears mar the smiles that you’ve given me when you were alive.”
• “The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be repaired.” – Robert Southey
• “Don’t remember me with sadness, don’t remember me with tears, remember all the laughter we’ve shared throughout the years. Now I am contented that my life it was worthwhile, knowing that I passed along the way I made somebody smile. When you are walking down the street and you’ve got me on your mind, I’m walking in your footsteps only half a step behind. So please don’t be unhappy just because I’m out of sight, remember that I’m with you each morning, noon, and night.”

Choosing a Quote Based on Tone

Selecting the right quote is a challenge itself. One tip for narrowing down your search is to consider what tone you’d like the quote to convey. Some quotes may embody a nostalgic and hopeful feel, while others may have a humorous touch.

Reflecting on your relationship with the deceased and which emotions you’re feeling can help determine which quote feels the most fitting to incorporate into the funeral program, prayer card, or eulogy.