Are you trying to think of what to say for an “in loving memory” banner for someone who died? Let us help.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Quotes for a Memorial or "In Loving Memory" Banner
- Fill-in-the-Blank Sayings for a Memorial or "In Loving Memory" Banner
- Memorial or Funeral Banner Design Ideas
- Where Can You Find Funeral or Memorial Banner Templates Online?
You may want to create a banner to display at a memorial event, such as a candlelight walk or an event to remember a group of people who died. You may also want to place a memorial banner along the route of a walk or run to raise awareness and money for a specific cause. Some people order memorial banners to display at an outdoor funeral event, such as a scattering ceremony.
You usually want to see banners from a distance. This doesn’t give much room for a lengthy message. Learn some short quotes or phrases to consider using to honor the one you lost.
One of these short quotes can also make a wonderful addition to an online memorial page or tribute page. If you're considering creating a memorial page, Cake's online memorials are a great place to start.
Post-loss tip: If creating a meaningful memorial is just one of many challenges you're facing after losing a loved one, our post-loss checklist can help sort it all out.
Quotes for a Memorial or "In Loving Memory" Banner
Before you choose a quote for your banner, think about what purpose it serves.
Do you plan to have a memorial banner made as decoration for a ceremony? If so, you may want to feature the name of the deceased prominently on the banner.
Perhaps you are using a banner to draw attention to a cause, such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) or suicide awareness. In this case, you may want the banner to feature an appropriate quote about those issues.
Finally, you may also use the memorial banner to remind others about a person who died, such as one displayed at a graduation ceremony or sporting event that should have included a young person who recently passed.
Here are some quotes that may work for your specific situation.
1. “Only a moment you stayed, but what an imprint your footprints have left in our hearts.” — Dorothy Ferguson
Did you lose a child through miscarriage or stillbirth? Feature this quote on a memorial banner.
2. “Every man dies. Not every man really lives.” — William Ross Wallace
Did your loved one have a zest for life? Use this quote next to a photo of someone living life to the fullest.
3. “Grief is the price we pay for love.” — Dr. Colin Murray Parkes
Remind yourself and others that grief doesn’t have to have negative connotations. We don’t grieve for the ones who were not important to us.
4. “Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near, still loved, still missed and very dear.” — Unknown
This quote may be a little long for a banner, but its sentiments ring true.
5. “Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.” — George Eliot
Many death quotes are similar to this one in theme. George Eliot was a pseudonym for Mary Anne Evans, a Victorian writer who chose to publish under a masculine name.
6. “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” — Unknown
This often-repeated quote might be appropriate for a memorial event that celebrates the life of a loved one.
7. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” — Psalm 73:26
Was your loved one’s faith an essential part of their lives? Celebrate this by including a quote such as this on the memorial banner. You may also choose a verse from the Bible that had special significance to the deceased.
8. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
There are a lot of gems in the book of Psalms. Use this quote to give comfort to other believers after the death of a loved one.
9. “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” — Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom wrote “Tuesdays With Morrie,” which is about the relationship between a dying college professor and his student.
10. “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.” — Richard Bach
Are you hosting a butterfly release for a loved one? Consider using this quote on a banner.
11. “Like a bird singing in the rain, let grateful memories survive in time of sorrow.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
Are you having an event to share memories about the deceased? Why not use this quote by the author of “Treasure Island?” Consider asking those in attendance to write down funny stories about your loved one so you can review them as time passes.
12. “‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson
This famous saying about love and loss may be the right message you want to display on the memorial banner.
13. “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Here’s another quote that could be used on a banner describing a person who lived with gusto. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist writer who was friends with Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott.
14. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” — A.A. Milne
A.A. Milne was the creator of Winnie the Pooh. There are quite a few Pooh quotes about saying goodbye. This quote could be paired with artwork from Milne’s famous books or a photograph of your loved one.
15. “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Some people shorten this often-quoted sentiment to “always in my heart.”
16. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” — Thomas Campbell
Did many people mourn the loss of your loved one? Take comfort in knowing that your loved one’s memory lives on through them.
Fill-in-the-Blank Sayings for a Memorial or "In Loving Memory" Banner
Looking for more of a generic quote or message to place on a banner? Some of the previous quotes were rather lengthy, and they would be even more so if you included the name of the person who said it.
Here are some shorter sayings or messages similar to “rest in peace” or “in loving memory.”
17. “In our hearts forever.”
This simple, eloquent phrase says so much. It’s short enough to put on a banner that you can read from a distance. It also reminds everyone that holding memories dear can take some of the sting out of death.
18. “A mother holds her child’s hand for just a short time but holds their heart forever.”
You probably have seen this quote embroidered on pillows and on wall hangings. It is a beautiful sentiment that expresses the bond between a mother and her children.
19. “I will hold you in my heart until I can hold you in heaven.”
You might consider using this quote on a banner in memory of the loss of a child.
20. “In memory of our dad.”
The quote you use for the banner doesn’t have to be long.
21. “Gone yet not forgotten.”
“Gone yet not forgotten” is another phrase that is similar in message to “in loving memory.” You may also see this engraved on headstones.
22. “You’ll be with us forever.”
How do you commemorate the life of your loved one? Do you share memories, look at old photos, or visit the cemetery? Some families gather together on loved ones’ birthdays to remember the life that was lost.
23. “We miss you.”
Even if you think that your loved one is enjoying a wonderful afterlife, it is normal to miss a person you cared about in life.
24. “Let’s celebrate the life of __________.”
Are you printing a banner for your loved one’s celebration of life or scattering service? Set the tone for the event by labeling it appropriately.
25. “Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure. You are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.”
This verse might be rather lengthy for a banner, but it has a sweet sentiment and is somewhat catchy.
26. “You live on in the hearts and minds of the loving family you left behind.”
Use this quote next to a collage of family photos.
27. “Rest in peace.”
If your loved one struggled at the end, you might feel some relief at their passing. Be comforted in the fact that their struggle is over and that they are at eternal rest.
Memorial or Funeral Banner Design Ideas
We’ve given you plenty of ideas of phrases to include on your loved one’s memorial or funeral banner, but what about the design? Here are some general design ideas that you might want to consider.
28. Design the funeral banner to indicate their religious beliefs
Add religious symbols (such as a cross, Star of David, or crescent and star) to your loved one’s funeral banner if their faith was an essential part of their lives. Some people add halos and wings to the photos of their loved ones.
29. Highlight their occupation
Was your loved one’s occupation important to their identity? Consider highlighting this part of their life on the funeral banner. For example, a farmer’s funeral banner could show an image of the farmer standing in their field. A writer’s funeral banner could depict your loved one in front of a computer or notebook.
30. Highlight a talent or hobby
Was your loved one a skilled pianist? Consider adding the image of a piano keyboard to the funeral banner. You might also add a photo of a microphone, basketball, or gardening tools.
As you design these funeral banners, make sure they don’t look like a banner for a concert or game. Include the birth and death dates or a phrase such as “Always in Our Hearts.”
31. Use natural scenic images
Photos of puffy clouds, tall trees, beautiful sunsets, and snow-capped mountains are often placed on funeral programs and memorial banners. These images aren’t only pleasant to look at, but they also remind us that we are all part of the natural world.
32. Decorate the banner with peaceful images
Consider using some positive symbols of death. Examples include a wing, feather, clouds, dove, butterfly, or lily.
33. Consider using patriotic images
Was your loved one a proud American or military veteran? If so, you might consider using patriotic images on their funeral banners. Add symbols for their military branch, a photograph of a waving flag, an eagle, or another image that reminds others of your loved one’s service.
34. Decorate the banner with photographs of your loved one
Choose a favorite picture (or series of photos) of your loved one for their funeral banner. Some families choose older pictures of their loved ones, perhaps from high school or a wedding day early in their lives. Others choose to depict their loved ones as they looked toward the end of life.
Where Can You Find Funeral or Memorial Banner Templates Online?
There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel. If you are interested in printing a memorial banner for your loved one, why not start the process using a template?
Most templates allow you to start with a standard design. From there, you can personalize the banner by adding your own photographs, text, and symbols.
Here are some online sources for memorial banner templates. They are rather tricky to find. As you search through the websites, make sure you understand whether the template is for a banner that will be printed out and seen from a distance instead of a Facebook or YouTube channel digital banner.
Poster My Wall
This website has more than 275,000 templates, more than a million stock images, video clips, clip art, unlimited downloads of social media-sized templates, and an easy-to-use online editor. The only downside is that most of the downloads are for vertical posters as opposed to horizontal banners.
Freepik
Check out this website for free horizontal images that would be suitable for a funeral banner. You’ll find a beautiful sunset over a canyon, lit candles, and Christian religious symbols that would make an appropriate background for a funeral banner.
eSigns
The online store eSigns specializes in the production of vinyl banners. You can upload your custom artwork or choose from thousands of banner templates.
Banners
Banners is another website that helps people create customized banners for many different occasions. They do not have a “funeral” category under their list of templates, but you can find something appropriate from the thousands of templates they offer.
Disciple Press
While this company specializes in banners for churches, it would be an excellent source for someone wishing to print a customized banner for a loved one’s funeral. The templates are mainly for church functions, but they can be altered to use at a funeral.
Finding the Right Words Is Hard
It’s difficult finding the right words to say when you are missing a person who died. After all, there are a wide variety of emotions associated with grief. Being able to articulate how you feel on a banner would be especially difficult, especially if you speak for a large group of mourners.
When choosing the words and images for your display, remember that simple is probably better. Having one large photo of the deceased may draw the eyes more than a collage. Having a simple statement, such as “always in our hearts” may be more effective than a lengthy quote or verse.