A legacy project is a memorial or remembrance piece created by someone or by those they loved to honor them after they pass. These family artifacts can be crafted while totally healthy and well, in active dying, or as a part of the grieving process after a death (pets included too!) No matter your stage or age you can start your legacy project and add to it as time goes on, ultimately, leaving an authentic representation of you for your loved ones to visit and honor. I first learned of this as a named crucial process within Death doula grief work and death processing but, for some, it’s already a type tradition naturally performed in their families in various, creative ways.

Examples

-As an attendee of several Midwest funerals, one of the first legacy project examples that come to mind is the picture board. Loved ones gather pictures of the deceased throughout their life and often display this in funeral homes for viewing services. This idea can be expanded upon to an honorary picture board/frame that you hang up in your home for your beloved one, a call to gather what pictures you would want on your own board and putting those in a collection spot to be added to over time, or collating special photo albums/ scrapbooks to put all the sentimental items in one viewing space. The options are endless.

-Ancestor/Beloved dead altars on shelves/tables can be made with pictures, special objects, books, art, statues, honestly whatever pays tribute to those you wish to honor and, once created, this area is treated as a functional sacred space in your home. I would suggest keeping it clean, especially if offerings are made here, but how often you tend your shrine area will vary person to person. Some may want regular practice with their altar while some will pay the most attention to it on special days throughout the year. Interaction will vary but the respect stays the same.

- Editing down family videos, recorded interviews/interactions with your loved one is another option I have seen utilized. This medium can act as a time capsule for thoughts, mood, voices, laughter, opinions, memories, and countless other things for a family to cherish after death. 

- Project example for an unknown ancestor in your family tree (Lady Grange Project)

- Project example for an animal or beloved pet (Squirrel in a Matchbox)

Why they’re Important

- People need as many resources as they can get for processing death. Sometimes creativity can be an overlooked vessel for that processing so I leave this simply as an option that may help.

- It’s a pandemic. The situation is evolving but I think it’s best to have considered options we might not have thought of or used before because of the realness during these times. Bedside vigil is a privilege we might not all have during this. Consider what that means for how you would honor a loved one if you couldn’t be with them in the end? What rituals would you employ? What comes to your mind in terms of creations? What would you make to honor who you loved? Making something in order to heal may not be a bad option to have in the toolkit of 2022.

- And if you have never thought about it before, now you can. How do you want to be remembered? What would you make to express and honor your true self? What medium would you use? Don’t wait until the end before you have given it any thought, you’re worth more than that.

An Honorary Legacy Project

*pictures shared with consent

This project I created to honor my late Poppa. It was made to pay homage to all the time we spent together through our lives, the sense of family he gave me that was unique to him, and how much I love and miss him. We played games together at the kitchen table in the evenings, laughed a lot, ate a lot, planted vegetables, watched anime that he complained about, and I read more books in my grandparents’ living room than I could ever keep track of. Utilizing pictures, special items, and these memories, I made his legacy project within a breakfast tray. In the end, this project became a way for me to honor my Poppa and to also better process his death years later. It encapsulates an essence of him, and it makes me smile when I look at it. It worked out.

And there you have it. I hope my experience and review of legacy projects makes you examine if they could be useful to you too.