35+ Quotes, Ideas, and Tips to Create a Beautiful Memorial Card

Memorial cards are small cards that are most commonly passed out at celebration of life ceremonies, funerals, wakes, and visitations. As their name suggests, they’re meant to memorialize the person who has passed away, and typically include their name, birth and death date, a photograph of them, and a quote, poem, prayer or other meaningful message. (We’ll share more about what to include in a memorial card in the next section.)

Memorial cards can also be used to announce that someone has passed away and serve as an invitation to their funeral or memorial service.

There are many different types of stationery that can be used to honor and pay tribute to a loved one during their memorial service. In addition to memorial cards, two of the most common are funeral cards and prayer cards.

Funeral cards — also called funeral programs — tend to be larger than memorial cards to accommodate more information about the person who has passed away, as well as the funeral service itself. These cards will typically include the order of service along with personal touches like photos of the person who has passed away, a passage from their favorite book or song, their life story, and more. Minted’s wedding programs can easily be customized to work as funeral cards. Simply update the text on the front to include details of the funeral service, and select a layout for the back of the card that includes a picture of your loved one and space to add a personalized message.

Prayer cards (traditionally called holy cards) are very similar to memorial cards. The key difference, as you’ve likely already guessed, is that these cards are religious in nature. In addition to the information included on a memorial card, they’ll also include religious symbols as well as prayers or bible verses. Minted’s memorial cards can be easily customized to include prayers or bible verses.

When designing a memorial card, the main thing to keep in mind is that this card is meant to be a tribute to your loved one who has passed away. To that end, what you choose to include, as well as the card design you pick, should feel like a reflection of their life and personality.

Here’s what to make sure your memorial card includes:

• Their full name. It is a nice touch to include any middle names, along with the person’s maiden name, if they changed it in marriage.
• Their birthday & death day. In addition to these two dates, you can also choose to include any other significant dates in your loved one’s life, such as a wedding date.
• A meaningful photo (or a handful of photos). Picking out the right photo to include is one of the most challenging parts of designing a memorial card. The photo you choose should be clear and high-quality, and should be a good representation of the person who has passed. Don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to a formal portrait — instead, you could use a photo that you know they were proud of, a snap of them in their favorite place, or one that shows them doing something they loved. If you can’t pick just one photo, choose a design that features a room to include a few of your favorites from each stage of your loved one’s life.
• A touching quote or message. We’re about to share 38 memorial card quotes and message ideas, but the main thing to consider here is that the words you pick should be both representative of your loved one’s personality or values, and provide some solace to those they’ve left behind.
• Optional — funeral service information. If your memorial card is doubling as a death announcement and invitation, be sure to leave some space to share the details of the procession including start and end times, location address, and if RSVPs are required.

Minted makes it easy to find and customize your memorial card to be a true reflection of the life and spirit of your loved one. Each design, thoughtfully created by independent designers from around the world, can be customized to include multiple photos, a personalized message and much, much more.

• “There are special people in our lives who never leave us, even after they are gone.” —D. Morgan
• “If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.” —Winnie The Pooh
• “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” —Mahatma Gandhi
• “As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us; as we remember them.” —S. Kamens and J. Riemer
• "Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality." —Emily Dickinson

• “People living deeply have no fear of death.” —Anais Nin
• “Life is a song — sing it. Life is a game — play it. Life is a challenge — meet it. Life is a dream — realize it. Life is a sacrifice — offer it. Life is love — enjoy it.” —Sai Baba
• “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” —Maya Angelou
• “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” —Abraham Lincoln
• “I can’t think of a more wonderful thanksgiving for the life I have had than that everyone should be jolly at my funeral.” —Admiral Lord Mountbatten

• "Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean I’ll miss you until we meet again."
• "The years may pass, but still, you stay. As near and dear as yesterday."
• "Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day."
• "Beautiful memories silently kept. Of one that we loved and will never forget."

• “You can shed tears that she is gone Or you can smile because she has lived You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left Your heart can be empty because you can't see her Or you can be full of the love that you shared” —"She Is Gone" by David Harkins

• “Remember me when I am gone But not with sorrow, pain and grief Think of me as a turning leaf That in the winter falls from its branch To be born again in spring And live forever in your heart” —“Remember Me” by Christine Currah

• “Those we love remain with us for love itself lives on, and cherished memories never fade because a loved one’s gone. Those we love can never be more than a thought apart, far as long as there is memory, they’ll live on in the heart. —"Love Lives On" by Unknown

• In loving memory of a life that will never be forgotten.
• Forever in our hearts.
• Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever.
• When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.
• Gone but never forgotten.
• You may be gone from my sight, but you are never gone from my heart.

• Into thy hands I commend my spirit.
• He who believes in me hath life everlasting.
• May the angels lead you into paradise.
• Eternal rest give unto him/her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her..
• I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. —John 11:25-26
• Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. —Matthew 5:4
• He who dwells in the shelter of the most high will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. —Psalm 91:1
• If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. —Romans 14:8

The passing of a loved one is an undoubtedly challenging time, often made all the more stressful by everything that goes into planning a memorial service. We hope that this article helped you in some small way, and reminded you that designing a memorial card for your loved one can be an opportunity to celebrate and honor life in all of its beauty.