Serving Families in Brooklyn, NY, and Surrounding Areas

Sparrow is a full service contemporary funeral home in New York City with service offerings ranging from the traditional to the unique. Located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Sparrow is a gorgeous, light-filled and peaceful space, with a team of staff that are compassionate, thoughtful and thorough.

Our Beautiful and Contemporary Facilities

Our funeral home is unlike anything that you’ve seen before.  It’s a modern, light-filled home that’s been designed with your family and friends in mind.  We want our home to be a place that feels peaceful and comfortable for everyone who choses us, an honor that means so much.  Our facilities include:

• Two modern-designed ‘celebration rooms’ that provide an elegant space for a ceremony to honor your loved one’s life and legacy.
• Comfortable lounge area for you to meet with family and friends.
• Retail store with a careful curated collection of beautiful products to help you celebrate your loved one’s life, as well as care for yourself during your healing journey.

Services that We Can Help You With

We are here for you every step of the way, from the final days of life when you’re saying “goodbye,” to after a loved one has passed.  Here are ways that we can support you during this difficult time:

Before Passing:

• Exit Party: An Exit Party at Sparrow allows someone with a terminal illness to celebrate with their family and friends before they die. An unforgettable way to say “farewell”.
• Death Doulas: We work with experienced death doulas to help your family care for a dying loved love.

After Passing:

Let us help you design a ceremony that truly captures your loved one’s life and legacy. We are experienced in creating unique, one-of-a-kind ceremonies, including:

• Celebration of Life Services
• Memorial Services
• Traditional Funeral Services
• Veteran Memorials, Funerals, Cremations
• Green Funeral Services

Other Types of Services That We Offer:

• Cremation Services
• Mortuary Services
• Burial
• International Shipping

Call Today, We’re Ready To Help You!

Sparrow is a full service funeral home in NYC offering memorials and funerals from the traditional to the unique, as well as direct cremation. Each person’s needs are different, so please don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know what you need. We’re here to help you 24/7. If someone has died at home please give us a call at 212-920-5422. If you don’t feel like speaking to someone right now, you can email us at info@sparrowny.com and we will respond within the hour.

We promise to be with you every step of the way, so contact us today.

Why You Should Choose This Funeral Home in Drayton Valley, Alberta

Owners Colleen and Mike have years of experience planning unique and memorable events. Whether you need help planning a funeral, wedding, or simply need a gathering space, our team is committed to bringing fresh ideas, new traditions, and a high level of personal service to our community.

Our mission is to make Drayton Memorial Celebration Centre, with their newly renovated facility, a special place for all of the important events in your life.

How My Funeral Celebrant Services Can Help Your Family

Hello, my name is Joanne Van Beek.  I’m the Founder of Circles and Ceremonies.

If you are looking for an inspiring, but non-traditional end-of-life ceremony which captures the true essence of your loved one’s life, then enlisting the services of a Funeral Celebrant is a good place to begin.

As a Certified Funeral Celebrant (trained with the Celebrant Foundation & Institute), I understand how vulnerable you and your family can be at a time of loss, and am committed to listen with compassion and care to create a ceremony which will highlight the unique and personal stories, values, beliefs and personality of your loved one.

Through a weaving of stories, music, poetry and rituals, your loved one will be honoured and celebrated in an authentic, innovative and creative way, in a ceremony which is sure to connect and comfort all those in attendance.

Every life has a story worth telling, and a personalized ceremony which tells the story of your loved one can be seen as a gift to them, as well as to you and your family.

Please don’t hesitate to call, I look forward to hearing from you.

Serving Leduc County, Alberta, and Surrounding Areas

If you live in any of these areas, I would love to help you and your family craft a personalized and meaningful ceremony for your loved one:

• Leduc
• Leduc County
• Edmonton
• Devon
• Spruce Grove
• Parkland County
• St. Albert
• Fort Saskatchewan
• Sherwood Park
• Strathcona County
• Camrose
• Camrose County
• Wetaskiwin
• Wetaskiwin County

I’m Ready to Help You During This Difficult Time…

The passing away of a loved one is difficult enough, but preparing a farewell ceremony can also be difficult, and overwhelming.

Help is available though, and as a Certified Funeral Celebrant I am here to help you create a commemorative ceremony that will honour and remember your loved one for years to come.

About Celebrant Heather Spratt

Heather specializes in crafting bespoke ceremonies that reflect the unique individual being celebrated.

She works with the dying ahead of their passing, allowing them to custom design the ceremony that feels right to them. She also supports the preparation of ceremonies after a loved one’s passing.

Heather offers full Funeral Celebrant services including meeting with loved ones, composing and leading services, liaising with funeral homes, and delivering eulogies. She can also assist with the preparation of death notices and obituaries.

Heather is certified by Life Celebrants International and is also an End of Life Doula.

To learn more about Heather and the celebrant work that she does, please read her interview with the CBC.

Why You’re in Good Hands with Funeral Celebrant Tess Veloso

Tess Veloso is dedicated to creating a highly-personalized funeral or memorial service for your loved one, a service that truly reflects his or her life and legacy.  She will work closely with you to discover his or her unique story, learn what is important to your family, and then design a ceremony that is both meaningful and memorable.

She is a qualified Life-Cycle Celebrant, having graduated from the prestigious Celebrant Institute and Foundation.  This means that she has the highest level of training when it comes to designing and officiating highly-personalized ceremonies.  You can expect a ceremony that is one-of-a-kind and not a “cookie-cutter” experience for you, your family and guests.

Tess is able to create a secular (i.e. non-religious) ceremony if that is the type of service you wish to have.  She is equally comfortable with designing and officiating a religious ceremony as she is also an ordained Interfaith Minister.

Whatever kind of ceremony you envision having for your loved one, Tess is able to bring your vision to fruition.

What Types of Services this Funeral Celebrant Designs and Officiates

Tess Veloso is able to create any type of ceremony that you wish to have for your loved one.  Her educational qualifications and expertise enable her to create the following styles of ceremonies:

• Religious
• Non-religious
• Interfaith
• Intercultural
• LGBTQ

She is able to create the following types of end-of-life ceremonies:

• Funerals
• Memorial services
• Celebration of life services
• Graveside services
• Disposition of ashes

Why You Should Contact Funeral Celebrant Tess Veloso Today

A ceremony to honour the life and legacy of your loved one is of vital importance.  Planning an appropriate ceremony can be a difficult and stressful task.  By engaging the services of a ceremony professional like Tess Veloso, you can rest assured that your loved one’s funeral or memorial service will be both meaningful and moving, as well as run smoothly.

Contact Tess today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.  You’ll be so glad that you did!

About Adriane Weller

Adriane is deeply committed to supporting others in living well, knowing all their available options, understanding their rights, and creating the most meaningful and authentic experiences possible in all aspects and moments of life, including death.

As an End of Life Doula, she supports others through:

• Advance Planning and Preparation
• Dying & Death Companionship
• Family-Led Deathcare
• Natural Deathcare
• Community Education
• End of Life Celebrant.

Adriane is passionate about providing her clients with education and choice to alleviate any  fear and confusion associated with dying and death.

About Susie Cunningham and Her Celebrant Services

As a Funeral Celebrant I work closely with the family and together we craft a ceremony that truly celebrates the life of their loved one.

I offer non-religious alternatives for a Memorial that’s limited only by one’s imagination, giving a great deal of attention to authentically representing your loved one, their core values and beliefs.

A special part of every Memorial I officiate is reading the original Life Story I’ve carefully written about the honoree.

A ceremony that truly reflects the life starts by considering the inclusion of selected readings, poems, music or song, storytelling, meaningful symbolism or photo montages.

I spend time with family and friends, hearing their stories,  looking through pictures in the family scrapbook, and gathering their memories.

I love to craft a custom ceremonies that contains only the elements that seem appropriate for the life being honored.

It could include a Henry David Thoreau verse or a funny twisty passage from Dr. Seuss; soft music by a flutist or a boisterous marching drum corps; a candle lighting ritual or a ceremony with Military Honors at Willamette National Cemetery.

A Celebration of Life ceremony should be as unique as the person. Let me be your guide.

About Rena Parma and Milestones Funeral Celebrant Services

I espouse a person and family-centered approach to care.

Whether its a funeral, celebrations of life, or annual memorial service, I will meet with you to review the life of your loved one and give meaning and purpose to their life’s experiences.

About Marilyn Dion and Her Life-Cycle Celebrant Services

I’m Marilyn, a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant.

What’s that? Well, Celebrants are authors and performers – not just readers using cookie‐cutter ceremonies.

I create ceremonies for ALL people from ALL walks of life.​

This is not a ‘one size fits all’ service. Whether your desire is a simple end of life ceremony or a complete funeral service for your loved one, I’ve got you covered.

I get to know you to create and perform an authentic personalized service that tells the story of your loved one.

Interfaith or no faith, spiritual but not religious, I’ll work with you to create a meaningful ceremony that reflects your beliefs.

Let’s talk about your vision, your story, your way.

Our initial meeting carries no obligation and no fee.

Resources That You May Find Helpful

To read articles that I’ve authored to help families who are grieving and planning a ceremony for their loved one, please click here.

About Jane Mosely and Her Funeral Celebrant Services

I am of the belief that every stage of our life should be celebrated.

Each life is different, each dream is a hope, each achievement a success.

Each of us is an individual surfing the sea of life seeking others with the same shared dreams hopes and ambitions.

At our journeys end, we will have lived a life that has been shared with others along the way, we will have loved, laughed and hopefully been happy.

As a Celebrant my role is to help you tell your story, at your ceremony, your way.

An intuitive empath with a listening ear by nature.

About Barb Phillips and Her Funeral Celebrant Services

As a funeral celebrant my wish is to demonstrate to people how to genuinely re-connect with themselves and each other through the revived ancient traditions of ceremony, ritual and oral story-telling.

I will spend quality time co-creating with you and learning about your loved one through meetings and interviews with family members and friends.

In collaboration with you we will carefully craft a eulogy and create a ceremony with music, quotes, readings, unique symbols and rituals that express the unique personal qualities and life stories of your beloved.

It truly would be my privilege and honour to provide you with the finest in meaningful and personalized funeral ceremonies that pay tribute to and honour the life of those you love.

About Lorraine Cowan and her Funeral Celebrant Services

When a life ends, transformation occurs not only for the deceased, but also for those left behind. 

Each life, regardless of how long or short, has a story to tell.  As a Professionally Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant, I work alongside you to get to know your loved one’s story.  I then craft a ceremony with words to honour their life and bring comfort to those left behind.   

When someone dies, we not only grieve their death we also grieve our loss.  It is so important to stop, gather, and hold space to recognize this transformation. Even elephants and gorillas stop to practice ritual and acknowledge the death of one of their own.   End-of-life ceremonies should uplift and connect us at a time when we may feel profound grief and disconnection.

​If you or your loved one has said “I don’t want a funeral”, read my blog post on this subject before making a decision.

End-of life ceremonies don’t have to be held at a church or a funeral home.  Ceremonies can be held at home, a golf course, a legion, a bar or restaurant, or anywhere else you choose.

There is no right or wrong time to remember the loss of a loved one through ceremony.  End of life ceremonies can be held months, and even years after a death.

I can also help you to select the music, readings, rituals, and stories that reflect the life, beliefs and personality of your loved one.

• Funeral ceremonies
• Memorials
• Life Tributes
• Celebrations of life
• Ash scatterings and Interments 
• Graveside ceremonies
• Stillbirth, miscarriage and ceremonies for infants and children
• Pet memorials
• Living funerals are becoming more common. 
• Eulogies
• “MAiD” (Medical Assistance in Dying) Ceremonies, before and after Assistance.​

About Anita Peters’ Funeral Celebrant Services

Anita is a certified Life Tribute Professional (Insight Institute) and Humanist Celebrant (American Humanist Association).

She has led formal and informal secular celebrations/ceremonies at graveside, in residences, in public and private gardens, on a boat, and in a funeral home.

“I’ve had families ask everyone to wear joyful outfits, plant a tree, scatter bird seed in a garden, create an ephemeral work of art, or circle of remembrance.”

She has arranged a ceremonies within a week or six months after a death.

She is an experienced facilitator of end-of-life planning conversations: she brought the Death Café Movement to the humanist community in Connecticut and hosts two Death Cafes a year.

“It is a special responsibility to be the voice of the family and I am always moved when asked to take on this important role and honored by the trust given to me freely. A humanist memorial is life affirming, celebrating a person’s life while at the same time acknowledging a loss. During my initial meetings, I often discover who else I should be present for, a sister in California, an estranged child or an old friend. I may be calling long distance or arranging an in-person meeting before beginning to write a life tribute that will honor the family’s loss and the person now gone. It must also speak to everyone who will be coming to support each other at this difficult time .”

She assumes this responsibility with empathy and compassion: within the past four years she has arranged lifetime tributes for her mother and husband.

Within her community, she is leading a re-imagining of death and dying, to be reflective of the humanist celebration of life ceremonies.

She is an avid reader of Poetry and all of her ceremonies include poems and the music loved by the deceased or chosen by the family.

About Simone Walsh and her Funeral Celebrant Services

The death of a loved one is a time of sadness and sorrow. At a civil funeral you have the opportunity to not only say good bye to your loved one, but also to celebrate their life.

Can you officiate over a funeral?

Yes, I am a family and funeral celebrant.

Where do we have the service?

Many people have the funeral service in a crematorium or a funeral home. If the remains are waked at home, the first part of the service can be performed there, before going to the grave yard or crematorium. There are no rules, and I am happy to discuss your plans with you.

What are the restrictions with a civil funeral?

Really there are none. A civil funeral is not based on any religion or faith. The family can have any type of music, poems and prose they would like. You are of course welcome to include hymns and prayers, but I am unable to perform any sacraments or religious rituals. Together we will create a meaningful and personal tribute for your loved one.

How do we get started?

When you have contacted the Funeral Director, please get in touch with me, either by phone +353 (0) 874437498, email hello@thecivilcelebrant.ie or via the contact form at the bottom of the Home Page. I will then meet with you and your family to arrange your loved ones funeral ceremony. I will guide you through every step of the service, and provide you with lots of ideas for poems, prose, readings and music.

Preparing for a civil funeral ceremony:

• Meet with the family of the deceased, outline the ceremony and gather information to prepare a fitting tribute.
• Liaise with the Funeral Director
• Draft funeral ceremony
• Speak with or meet with family to finalise the ceremony
• Final draft of funeral ceremony and practice.
• Officiate funeral ceremony and committal
• Travel from funeral home to graveyard or crematorium.

Families may be preparing a funeral service before their loved one has died. If this reflects your circumstances, please get in touch and I can work with you and your loved one to create a very special funeral ceremony.

Have more questions? Please get in touch +353 (0) 877813594, hello@thecivilcelebrant.ie or pop over to my website and use the contact form.

Unique Civil Funeral Ceremonies

Telling Their Story, Your Way

One of the hardest times in life is coping with the death of a loved one. The rush of emotions can be overwhelming. You are somehow finding your way through your personal grief and supporting others who are grieving around you. You are also suddenly thrown into a world of coping with practicalities and dealing with the next steps, which can feel out of reach.

One such practicality is the funeral itself.

As your Civil Funeral Celebrant, we fully understand that this can be a difficult, distressing and bewildering time for you and I will work tirelessly to make this new transition in your world as comfortable as possible.

A Civil Funeral by For Life’s Journey ensures you will receive an entirely unique and personal ceremony, written and delivered bespoke for you. The ceremony you would like for your loved one will be constructed in partnership with you, telling the story you want to tell and sharing the memories you want to share. We will support you every step of the way and answer your questions to provide a service that truly commemorates and celebrates in the way you want it to – so, any religious element, the ritual content, the participants, the readings and music can be chosen by you.

Why Choose For Life’s Journey?

As your Civil Funeral Celebrant, Tuirenn Hurstfield and For Life’s Journey will ensure you are looked after every step of the way during this difficult time, and will provide you with a personal ceremony that truly reflects your loved one…

As a fully qualified Civil Funeral Celebrant, Tuirenn Hurstfield works with local Funeral Directors and crematoria to ensure that you are given the ceremony that you wish for your loved one and given the proper chances to say goodbye.

As well as funeral celebrancy, For Life’s Journey also offers services in Living Funerals, Memorial Services and Scattering of Ashes Ceremonies.

About Caroline Whittle and her Funeral Celebrant Services

I am an experienced Civil Funeral Celebrant conducting burial, cremation and funeral memorial ceremonies throughout the West Midlands including Coventry, Birmingham, the Black Country, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire.

I provide tailored funeral services, both semi-religious and non-religious, and funeral ceremonies of a more spiritual nature with words in keeping with the beliefs and ideals of you, your family and your loved one. In this way we can create a truly personal occasion.

I strive to ensure that your needs are met, no matter how unique the ceremony, allowing your individuality to shine through. I believe that the funeral service – the speech, the music and the sense of family – belongs to and is made by you.

My wish is to provide a goodbye that truly reflects the life and character of your loved one. Endeavouring to fulfill your wishes wherever possible, I will work professionally and compassionately to achieve this on your behalf.

I am a certified funeral celebrant of the Fellowship of Professional Celebrants.

Funeral Services

When someone dies the grief can be immeasureable, and one of the most important concerns of the bereaved family is ensuring that the Funeral Service, whether cremation or burial, is as fitting a goodbye as possible.

As an experienced funeral celebrant I can help you to create a personal and inspiring Funeral Service in keeping with the beliefs of your loved one. It can be as formal or as celebratory as desired. My aim is to support you in the creation of your perfect goodbye so that one day, when the pain has softened, it is possible to look back and feel content with the Ceremony we pieced together with sensitivity and love.

I will visit you at home or at a location of your choosing and we will discuss your preferences, ideas and options for the Service. These often include details of the eulogy, music, hymns, order of service and any personal touches that you would like to weave throughout the proceedings.

I am very supportive of you taking an active role in the service and if you wish to share your own memories I’ll be there to offer guidance at every step. I appreciate tradition yet encourage unique ideas and have conducted services that have ranged from very formal and conventional through to staged memorials in beautiful town halls, colourful and hawaiian themed farewells and goodbyes where the congregation have come forward to sign the coffin with a message of love. Families are often still quite unaware of the choices that are available to them but in this modern day there really is no reason for you to not have as much creative freedom as you desire.

After our meeting I will then liaise with your chosen Funeral Director and will be at hand for any questions you may have prior to the Service by email and telephone. If you’d like to see me again then you only need ask.

My duty is to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled wherever possible, and I will work professionally and compassionately to achieve this on your behalf.

The Services I Provide Are:

• Scattering/Interment of Ashes
• Memorials
• Pet Funerals

About Hannah The Celebrant

I believe in positive death experiences and that a good funeral is very important for all affected.

Sensitive and articulate, I am a celebrant who works hard to create unique and compassionate funeral services.

I have a diverse career in marketing and fashion and have experience working with homeless charities, Crisis and St Mungo’s. My varied background has brought me into contact with a wide array of people with different stories.

My interest in people and my love of music, literature and poetry inspires my writing and helps me craft beautiful, empathetic ceremonies of all kinds.

I like to work closely with the family and friends of the deceased so that together we can build a personal ceremony that truly commemorates the life of the person that has died.

I do not conduct religious ceremonies but I am happy to include any spiritual or religious aspects in the service that reflect the deceased or that may provide comfort to those left behind.

The Process

I believe that the funeral or memorial service is an important part of the grieving process. It is paramount that you and your family have the service that is right for you. I like to work closely with the family and friends of the deceased to create a unique ceremony that is meaningful and compassionate.

The process starts with a face-to-face meeting where you can tell me all about the person you want to commemorate. I actively encourage your contributions of music, poetry and memories that paint a picture of the person that has died.

I work with you and the funeral director where relevant to create a service personalised to your needs.

I invite you to contact me for more information.

About Vivienne

My career has been all about events, as the Director of Marketing for an International Convention Centre. Now as an authorised Celebrant, I get to do something I am absolutely passionate about …being a creator of ceremonies. When I create your meaningful bespoke ceremony, it will be all about you and what you want.

Funerals & Memorials

Funerals and Memorials from a compassionate heart. Compassion for a family that has lost a precious member, and a strong belief that everyone’s life deserves to be acknowledged and celebrated in a manner that suits their approach to life itself, drives me to create a heartfelt and personal ceremony.

With understanding, respect, care and personal experience, I will honour your wishes and arrange a ceremony that truly reflects your loved one.

About Silver Ceremonies

I tell people I have THE best job in the world – I am a funeral celebrant – the look on their faces is usually one of disbelief, until I explain why. When I visit families, after the death of someone they love, they not only open their door but they open their hearts and allow me (on the word of a funeral director who says I’m good at what I do) to share with them a most sacred and personal time in their lives.

With a background in grief counselling and grief education, I hold a Diploma in Funeral Celebrancy as well as having been privileged to have trained and mentored many funeral celebrant students through and after their studies including Jane who wrote: “Many thanks Robyn for your care and support…. You are my guardian angel”.

My passion is to create a ceremony that will live on in the hearts and minds of those who attend. Viktor Frankl in his book Man’s Search For Meaning wrote: A biography should not be judged by the number of pages, rather by the richness of the content. I agree, there is no denying funerals have sad moments, but they should very much be a celebration of life, regardless of its length!

I have a great interest in children and death and my first book that was published in 2004 is called What Happens When You Die? A child’s questions answered. It is a step by step story of what happens, who is involved and why, before and during and after a funeral service. It continues to be sold in both Australia and New Zealand (see books page).

Having becoming a celebrant many years ago, there are families I have now celebrated the lives of several of their family members, as well as the odd wedding thrown in here and there! It is wonderful to share these precious moments (both happy and sad) with them.

Now perhaps you too can understand why I say I have THE best job in the world!

If you are interested in finding out more, please feel free to call me on 0425 726 246 and we can have a chat.