Remembering a Loved One on Their Death Anniversary

Is your loved one death day coming up soon? Death anniversary can be difficult to go through. Celebrating and remembering your loved one can go a long way to help your grief.

Here in this article, we will discuss ideas to honor your loved one on their death anniversary to help you celebrate their life.

Let’s get started

What is a Death Anniversary?

A Death anniversary is the anniversary of someone’s death. 

A mixture of emotions can occur during our loved one’s death anniversary. The first death anniversary is usually the most difficult because it marks the first to more years of absence of our loved ones in our life after their death. 

It could be a remembrance day that brings many good memories or one that can be clouded with grief. 

For some people, a death anniversary is worthy of celebration to honor loved ones. It helps us to accept and face grief in a positive way.

20 Ideas to Honor a Loved One on a Death Anniversary

Here are 29 ideas to honor and remember a loved one on their death anniversary:

1. Gathering for a Death Anniversary Memorial

Gather with others to share memories about your loved one. There is a comfortable heartwarming feeling to remembering the deceased together with others who also love them.

A memorial service can be held to specifically celebrate and remember their life. Here we write several memorial service ideas that you can take inspiration from.

2. Create an Online Memorial Website

You can honor and remember their legacy by creating a special dedicated memorial website. Memorial websites have the capability to contain your loved one’s life story with photos and videos.

You can share the memorial website link with other people. Invite families and friends to remember your loved one and to share their tributes and memories as comments on the memorial page.

Many people have praised our memorial website creator to be the most meaningful and produces the most well-designed quality among other alternatives. 

If you are interested in creating a memorial website, take a look at our online memorial website creator!

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3. Loved One’s Favorite Food

Host a feast to honor your loved one on their death anniversary. Does your loved one have a favorite food?. 

You can make one in their memory and invite close friends and family to eat it together with you. 

By making and eating the departed one’s favorite meal, you will reminisce about the times you made or shared the meal together. 

4. Charity Support or Donation

Do something good in their name. You could create a donation event to support a cause or movement that you loved one cherished.

Invite other friends, families, and people to participate in the event. Supporting an organization that is aligned with your loved one social values will feel meaningful.

5. Pay a Visit to Their Final Resting Place

One of the most common activities to do on a death anniversary is to visit a deceased person’s final resting place.

Families often pay respects and bring flowers to a loved one cemetery. If your loved one was cremated and their ashes scattered, you can revisit the scattering site.

6. Visit Your Loved One’s Favorite Places 

On your loved one death anniversary, consider visiting a special place that meant a lot to them. Travel somewhere they loved. 

Being in a place that was special to someone you loved can feel good because it triggers memories of how they lived. 

7. Light a Memorial Candle

A memorial candle is also a popular and simple way to remember a loved one. Lighting a candle is a soothing and heart-warming act of tribute. It can bring a feeling of peace and connection.

There’s an article we write that shares the 7 best types of memorial candles. Give it a read if you are interested in this idea so you know which candle is the perfect tribute to remember your loved one. 

8. Take Time for a Day of Reflection

As we know a death anniversary can be difficult to go through. If you do not intend to hold any big or extravagant memorial service that might take too much of your energy, that is fine too! 

Take the day off, go for a walk, and journal your thoughts. Reminisce memories of your loved one. Maybe you can come up with a dedicated personal poem that expresses your love. Write them down! 

Write thank-you notes. or write a letter to your loved one with things that you have always wanted to say to them. These things can only come with a peaceful day of reflection.

9. Build a Photo Memory Book

Perhaps, one of the best to remember our loved ones is quite simple. Look through photographs of your loved one. 

You could print photos and create a photo memory book that contains all your loved one’s pictures. Photos bring many memories. Creating a memory book is a simple yet wonderful activity to do on your loved one death anniversary.

10. Outdoor Activities

Is your loved one a lover of outdoor activities and environments? You can do the things they loved doing as an honor. Get out in nature, and take an adventure to their favorite hiking place for example.

Doing so will bring many memories and can bring a feeling of connection with your loved one.

11. Planting a Memorial Tree

Planting a memorial tree to remember and honor a loved one is getting popular. Trees live for a long time and can be a meaningful visitation spot to celebrate your loved one’s life.

We have written a guide for honoring loved ones with a memorial tree, if you are interested in this idea, give it a look!

12. Group Prayer

Hold a service together with family and friends at a church. Prayers can go a long way. It can strengthen one’s soul. 

A prayer that is followed by a group talk about your loved one is a fitting occasion. 

13. Sports-Themed Memorial

Most suitable to honor a loved one that loves sport. Consider making sports the theme of a gathering to mark the anniversary of a death.

Make it a game night. Play sports in a group. Do a game of mini-soccer with the family or 

watch your loved one favorite team playing their big game together at home.

14. Book Reading Event

Is your loved one a book lover? Read your loved one’s favorite book. You can do so either in private, have the whole day to read your loved one’s favorite book or hold a book reading event with others.

15. Establishing an Altar

Dedicating something as a special tribute to your loved one can be a good idea. Set a place specially built to honor your loved one at the table. Print photos and decorate.

If you think that an altar is too religious or spiritual, don’t be! It doesn’t always necessarily have to be like that. Think of it as simply a collection of mementos and objects that are meaningful to your loved one. 

Alternatively, you can also make a box of keepsakes. 

16. Remembrance Flowers and Plants

There are several popular flowers often used to honor a loved one. You can purchase it and bring it to your home. 

It is a gentle, elegant, and beautiful tribute to our loved one’s precious life. Here are 9 lists of remembrance flowers in memory of a loved one.

17. Loved One’s Favorite Music

Compile and listen to your loved one’s favorite song. Do they have any favorite bands or music artists? Perhaps you can consider attending their concerts or performances as an honor to your loved one. 

One’s favorite music played on death anniversary represents a lot about the individual. Immersing yourself in it can bring a sense of connection to your loved one.

18. Create a Dedicated Art

Is your loved one a fan of the arts? Perhaps you can consider hiring an artist to create a dedicated art to honor your loved one. 

A painting portrait of your loved one, or a sculpture created especially to remember the deceased, for example. You can browse through the talents and artists to hire on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or Dribbble for digital arts.

19. Story Sharing About the Loved One

The core idea here is to have a conversation together with people who are also close to your loved one. Invite them for a tea and story-sharing session. You can even prepare a celebration of life speech.

Have a bonfire, a fire crackling creates a comforting atmosphere to remember your loved one.

20. Memorial Release

You can release a balloon, butterfly, or bird on your loved one death anniversary. 

The act of “releasing” something to honor your loved one is a powerful gesture of both letting go and acceptance. Do a memorial release in your place that your loved one loves to make it more meaningful.

End of Article

Thank you for reading through. We hope this article helps you to find inspiration on activities to do to remember a loved one’s life on their death anniversary. 

What do you finally decide to do to honor your loved one’s on their death anniversary? Share with us in the comment!