It’s easy to make a list of the standard gifts you can give when someone dies. For example, you can send flowers to a funeral with a thoughtful handwritten sympathy note for flowers. You can make a donation in the name of the deceased to a charity or other organization that meant a great deal to the deceased. You can drop off a casserole or offer to do some household chores. You can even attend a memorial service. That’s another great way to show you care about the deceased’s friends and loved ones.
Overview: Our Top Picks
Personalized Memorial Gifts
- Personalized Handwriting Necklace ($32.99)
- 28 Inch Sympathy Wind Chime ($49.00)
- Engraved Nautical Compass ($44.99)
Memorial Gifts for Loss of a Parent
- Custom Recipe Tea Towel ($19.50)
- 10-inch WiFi Digital Picture Frame ($159.99)
- Personalized In Our Hearts Forever Memorial Ornament ($11.98)
Memorial Gifts for Loss of a Partner
Memorial Gifts for Loss of a Friend
- 15 Piece Lavender Spa Set ($39.99)
- Floral Jewelry Keepsake Box with Lock and Key ($40.28)
- Set of fair-trade worry dolls ($16.95)
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Personalized Memorial Gift Ideas
- Memorial Gift Ideas for the Loss of a Mother or Father
- Memorial Gift Ideas for the Loss of a Spouse or Partner
- Memorial Gift Ideas for the Loss of a Friend
- Memorial Gifts for the Loss of a Child
- Memorial Gifts for the Loss of a Pet
Let’s say you do all this and still feel like you don’t know how to offer condolences in a meaningful way. You may want to give your friend or loved one a personalized memorial gift. Where should you start? Read some of the suggested ideas for inspiration on giving a thoughtful gift.
Post-loss tip: If someone in your life recently lost a loved one, they might be facing many complicated tasks—especially if they're the executor of the person's estate. Our post-loss checklist can help them through the process. They might also be looking for a way to set up an online memorial page with donations. If so, Cake's online memorial pages are a great solution.
Personalized Memorial Gift Ideas
A personalized memorial gift is a great way to show you’re thinking about the bereaved in their time of need. The perfect gift will demonstrate to your friend or loved one that you really wanted to go above and beyond to offer them comfort in a time of great need. Here are a few ideas.
Personalized handwriting necklace
Sending someone a handwritten note or card is one of the most time-honored ways of showing you care. Many people will save cards and letters from loved ones as keepsakes.
An artist can scan handwriting samples and etch a perfect replica of the deceased’s handwriting onto a simple metal bar on a necklace. A gift like this can allow the bereaved to carry a loved one’s handwriting close to their heart.
We like this Personalized Handwriting Necklace with 925 sterling silver and a pretty script font.
Memorial tribute wind chime
Many people take comfort in the thought that those we love never really leave them and are still there, guiding them through life.
A wind chime gift set with an inspirational quote and the name of the deceased etched onto it is a lovely gesture for the right person. Every time the wind blows, family members or friends will be reminded of their loved ones.
We like this 28 Inch Sympathy Wind Chime with copper and custom panels.
Personalized compass
A compass engraved with the name of the deceased is a practical gift for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors.
But even someone who doesn’t tend to venture off of paved roads will appreciate the lovely metaphor behind this thoughtful keepsake memorial gift — after all, a compass will always help you find your way.
We like this Engraved Nautical Compass that comes in a black or brass finish and a leather or wooden box.
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Memorial Gift Ideas for Loss of a Mother or Father
It’s deeply ironic that the loss of a parent is some of the worst pain you’ll ever experience — yet it’s one of the few times your parent can’t be there to help you through it. Friends who deal with the loss of their parents need extra care and love.
Handwritten recipe dishware
Recipes have never been easier to access, thanks to food blogs and digitized recipe archives. But for people of a certain age, no pie tastes quite as good as the one baked alongside your mother from a faded, handwritten recipe card.
You can actually use modern technology to preserve this tradition. Find a service that can scan the handwritten recipe cards and then have them printed onto dishware — for instance, you might want to have a recipe printed on a ceramic pie plate. This is a special way to preserve a family tradition.
We like this Custom Recipe Tea Towel on a lint-free towel.
Digital photo frame
One of the hardest parts of losing a parent is how memories begin to fade. It’s easy to forget the little things, like the sound of your mother’s voice or the scent of your father’s cologne.
It’s not really possible to recreate these very tactile memories, but you can keep memories more firmly present with a digital photo frame.
Scan precious photos of family vacations and holidays and have them cycle through a digital photo frame so you keep these details fresh for those who grieve.
We like this 10-inch WiFi Digital Picture Frame with a touch screen display.
Memorial ornaments
The holiday season can be an especially difficult time for people as they mourn the loss of a parent. It’s hard to feel cheerful when you’re grieving and know that this holiday season won’t be the same as seasons past.
One way to help people who lose their parent or parents close to the holidays is to order a custom Christmas ornament as a memorial gift. This gift will enable a grieving child to incorporate their parent into the holiday as part of a special tribute.
We like this Personalized In Our Hearts Forever Memorial Ornament with a ribbon and gold outline. You can also rear our picks of the best personalized memorial ornaments for more ideas.
Memorial Gift Ideas for Loss of a Spouse or Partner
It’s important to step up and help people in very practical ways as they deal with the loss of their spouse, who was likely a source of love and a pillar of the family.
You could offer childcare, prepare meals and shuttle kids from place to place, help your friend go through their spouse’s belongings, or hire a housekeeper to help them out every week or so. But a thoughtful memorial gift can also convey the message that they are loved and not alone.
Book of letters
When someone's spouse dies, they suddenly become the only responsible adult figure who runs a household. They still have to work, pay bills, cook, and make sure homework gets done. Ease the ache and stress a bit — pull together a book of letters written by friends, family, and other members of the couple’s social circle.
These letters may recollect fond memories or even share a story that the person who’s grieving may not have heard before. Get them professionally bound as a special touch.
If you can't get them professionally bound, put them in a pretty leather binder, like this Two-Tone Tan Leather Binder with brass hardware.
Memorial jewelry
It’s very easy to feel alone after losing a spouse. Why not give a bereaved friend a memorial piece of jewelry? This could be a necklace with a pendant in the shape of an infinity symbol to symbolize that the love they shared was eternal.
You could also give your friend a beaded bracelet that spells out the words “Until We Meet Again” or something similarly poetic. A memorial gift like this with a handwritten card is a sweet gesture.
We like this Alex and Ani "Path of Symbols" Guardian Angel Expandable Wire Bangle with a Swarovski crystal.
If you're looking for something more solid and tangible, companies like Parting Stone create beautiful, handheld cremation stones to help someone grieving keep their loved one close by.
Memorial tree
Many municipalities offer people the opportunity to plant a tree in a loved one’s honor. Planting a tree like this in someplace special, like a city park or a local botanical garden, can be truly healing.
Your friend can visit their partner’s tree and see how it grows and flourishes over time. Planting the tree in a public place ensures that the deceased’s family will always be able to enjoy it, rather than planting it in a backyard and then moving someday.
We're partial to the Mountain Laurel tree or a Coast Redwood tree, but you can also take a look at our picks for the best memorial trees for loved ones for more.
Memorial Gift Ideas for Loss of a Friend
Friends can be just as close as your own family. In many ways, friends are your chosen family. A memorial gift can help a friend cope with the loss of a treasured friend or loved one.
Spa gift basket
A friend or loved one might not take the time to indulge in self-care like they did before they started grieving. A small, hand-assembled basket of spa goodies can help encourage your friend to take time to relax.
A bubble bath with chamomile is soothing and relaxing, and it pairs well with a lavender-scented aromatherapy candle. Add a few sweet treats too, like dark chocolate, to offer a mood boost. It’s important that even in the depths of grief, it’s important to savor small moments of joy.
We like this 15 Piece Lavender Spa Set with sunflower seed oil, vitamin E, and lavender essential oils.
Keepsake box
It may be easy for your friend or loved one to hide away everything that reminds them of a deceased loved one, because every time you see a framed photo or concert ticket stubs, it’s like a fresh wave of grief.
A decorative keepsake box is a great way to help your friend or loved one compartmentalize. It can consolidate the parts and pieces of the relationship with a late friend or deceased relative until they feel ready to revisit it again.
We like this Floral Jewelry Keepsake Box with Lock and Key and metal inlays.
Worry dolls
In Guatemalan culture, worry dolls are a traditional gift for introspective and sorrowful children. These tiny dolls are typically made from bits of twisted wire and scraps of colorful textiles. Children tell their fears and troubles to the dolls and hide them under their pillow at night, and overnight their problems will be taken away or lessened.
Worry dolls are now a popular gift for tourists, there is something very cathartic about having a tangible figure to give your troubles to. Over time, your friend may rely on them less and less as their healing progresses. It’s a thoughtful and practical memorial gift with a lot of meaning.
You can buy a small set of fair-trade worry dolls for loved ones on Amazon.
Memorial Gifts for the Loss of a Child
Every death is a loss, but the death of a child can feel particularly unfair. It’s an awful feeling when life ends before it can really begin. But even when someone is only on the planet for a short time, they can have a massive impact. These memorial gift ideas for the loss of a child can help honor the legacy of someone who left this planet far too soon.
Preserved children’s art
Most children are prolific artists who love sharing their creations with the world. If you have a child in your life, the odds are good that you have some crayon drawings of theirs up on your fridge. You can digitize these drawings and have them turned into professional art prints and then framed. This kind of keepsake can become a treasured memory for a grieving family.
Printed photo book
If you’re a family member of someone who has lost a child, you probably have photographs of holiday gatherings and other special occasions. If so, you may have pictures of this child from family events - possibly even ones they’ve never seen before.
You can get a professionally bound and printed book of photographs like these with several online companies that work with digital uploads. This gift can help families in mourning remember happier times.
Charitable donations in memory of a deceased child
Many people find comfort after a loved one dies if people continue doing good work on their behalf. When a child dies, one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give is a donation to a meaningful charity in their name. If the child died due to an illness, you could donate to a children’s hospital or a nonprofit dedicated to curing that disease.
You can also donate to an organization that the child in question would have liked to support. For example, if the child was a girl who enjoyed science, you could donate to a nonprofit organization that gives opportunities to girls interested in STEM.
Meaningful memory chest
Sometimes it takes years, but at a certain point, parents of a deceased child start to let go of belongings like clothing, books, or toys. But some items are so sentimental that they will never leave their parent's possession.
You can get them a beautiful chest or trunk where they can store their precious artifacts. To personalize it further, customize it with an engraved name plaque.
Memorial Gifts for the Loss of a Pet
For many people, pets aren’t just furry friends - they’re a member of the family. The death of a pet can hit people just as hard as the death of a human family member. But they often don’t receive the level of support they would if they were mourning the death of a person. These thoughtful gifts are a great way to show that you care about their loss.
Memorial garden stone
When a person dies, their loved ones can often visit their gravesite when they want to feel connected to their memories. The same can’t be said for pets. While pet cemeteries do exist, they are far less common. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a stone made in their honor.
Many websites give you the option to order memorial garden stones. You can have the pet's name engraved on it, along with sweet decorations like pawprints or angel wings. The recipient can place it in their pet’s favorite backyard spot for a lovely memorial site.
Pet portrait
Many talented artists all over the world specialize in creating portraits of pets. You can send them a series of photographs to get a sense of the pet’s size and looks from multiple angles. Then they will craft a custom portrait in that pet’s likeness.
If you’d like to surprise a friend with a pet portrait but don’t have photos of the pet, you can check your friends’ social media pages to find reference images. Your loved one will treasure the opportunity to see a new image of their beloved companion.
Custom memory box
When a pet dies, there will be mementos of them scattered throughout the house. Objects like collars, leashes, and food bowls can serve as painful reminders of an absent pet. Even if someone doesn’t want these artifacts, they may also not be ready to donate them or throw them away.
You can get a beautiful decorative box and personalize it with the pet’s name. Then offer to help your friends tuck items like these away. You can even include their pet’s favorite toys. When they want to remember their pet, they can revisit the objects in the memory box, but they don’t have to face them every day.
Framed photo and poem
If you’re looking for a simple gift, you just need to go to the nearest store that sells picture frames. Get a double-sided frame, and place a photo of the deceased pet on one side. On the other side, you can display a printout of a poem about grieving a pet. This is an easy yet eloquent gift for someone mourning a dear friend.
Get a Memorial Gift
There are few things that are as personalized and appreciated as memorial gifts for a friend or loved one who has experienced a death. Are there other memorial gifts you can think of that would be appropriate?
You may know your friend or loved one’s personality, hobbies, and personality better than anyone. They will likely be touched that you’ve gone the extra mile to get just the right gift.