What to send someone who has lost their father
Send something that keeps him close: his photograph in a memorial lantern, with a drawer for his watch or wedding ring, or a memory book where the family can write down his story. Practical help in the first weeks counts too, and so does a short note on Father’s Day and his birthday.
Gift ideas
- A memorial lantern with his photograph, and a drawer in the base for the things he always had on him: a watch, a ring, a pocket knife, his reading glasses.
- A memory book about him. His life story, the family tree, the things he used to say, his favorite things, photographs and recordings of his voice.
- Something of his, made into a keepsake. A framed note in his handwriting, or a photograph of him at work or doing the thing he loved.
- Practical help. Many fathers were the ones who fixed things. Offer to take over one of his jobs for a while: the car, the garden, the bills.
What to write
Say his name, and one thing you remember.
I’m so sorry about your dad. I’ll always remember him standing at the grill, telling everyone it was nearly ready for an hour.
I didn’t know your father, but I know where you got your patience from. Thinking of you.
The days that come later
The first Father’s Day, his birthday and the anniversary of his death often arrive after everyone else has moved on. A message on those days, or a small gift, lets your friend know he is still remembered.
Which STILLWIND lantern for a father
Those We Love suits a father well: a short verse about the people who stay with us, on a lantern that holds his photograph. If he was also a grandfather, or the one who held the family together, Family Tree suits him well. Both come as a wood lantern with a copper or black crown, and as a slimmer metal lantern in black or white. Each has a velvet-lined drawer, a flameless candle with a remote, arrives gift-boxed with a sympathy card, and comes with the free Still With Me Starter Book.
Questions
What is a good memorial gift for the loss of a dad?
One that holds him: his photograph behind the glass of a memorial lantern, with his watch or ring kept in the drawer beneath, or a memory book the family writes together. Both last long after the funeral.
What if I did not know their father?
Write about your friend: that you know how much he meant to them, and that you are thinking of them. With a lantern, they choose the photograph that goes inside.
Can I send it straight to them?
Yes. Enter their address at the Amazon checkout. It arrives in a gift box with a sympathy card, so it does not need wrapping.