Remembering Nancy ~ The Original Box

Kathy Karner
Oct 6, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Apr 14

The Story

This is an updated version of the Box that Began Boxilocks; a memorial box for my mom, Nancy.

My mom led a very vibrant life, passing away after a short terminal illness in 2021 during Covid. She wrote her own obituary and had requested a small simple graveside service. However, she knew that even for that, there would be elderly family members and friends who would be travelling hours. She worried about their safety.

What she didn't anticipate was that, after living as a pillar of her community for decades, many more people than she anticipated would want to be included in her celebration of life. Far more than a small simple graveside service could accommodate.

Faced with the dilemma of how to navigate this, and with both my sister and I not living in the area, making creating an in-person event even more difficult, I turned to an idea from my work~ marketing boxes. The original boxes we sent out, similar to the updated one pictured, were produced at my work, C2 Imaging, and I have great gratitude for their collective work on them.

The images from my mom's life, coupled with her self-authored obituary, provided inspiration for what might be meaningful for people to receive.

The Box

An avid fisherman and hunter, mom's story for her people could have included fishing fly lures, etc. But we thought together about mementoes and print that would be meaningful to all who received them, including non-sportsmen. We talked about things she was known for, that people thought of when they thought of her.

The box itself included a picture of mom, taken by her photographer daughter, Karen Pavone Photography, and the words "Remembering Nancy" on the outside... with "A Life Well Lived" on the front inside wall as you open the box.

Her box included:

Story Card that included a recent image her photographer daughter took, as well as other pictures from her life; the obituary she wrote; and reflections on her life from the perspective of her grown children.
Bandana ~ she was known to almost always wear a bandana, and had quite a collection. Close friends and close family received a bandana from her actual bandana drawer; others were purchased for the boxes.
Small box of See's Peanut Brittle ~ she loved See's Candy and would often give herself a box when she traveled to the city a few hours away, as well as picking up some to gift to others. We chose peanut brittle because it was a favorite of hers, and also would travel well regardless of temperatures.
Recipe & Photo Card of a recipe she was known for, in her handwriting, with more photos from her life on the other side.
Anytime Photo Ornament that featured another recent pic of her taken by her daughter, and a picture of her in her Alaska honeymoon years on the other.

For sharing stories, a beautiful aspect of any in-person celebration of life, we created a Facebook Page where box recipients were encouraged to post pictures, videos and memories to share their experiences including my mom with all.

The Response

We actually weren't sure how the box would be received by people who anticipated a physical gathering to celebrate her life.

It was surprising, heartwarming ~ we received so many reports of folks taking the box to a special place, opening it with family, laughter and tears as they entered into the contents, nibbling the peanut brittle, sharing stories and memories, sending us pictures of them in the bandanas, carrying her with them, and the ornaments hanging from everything from Christmas trees to wall hooks to deer antlers. They reported that they put other pictures and object memories of her in the box and gave it a place of pride on their shelves. Recipients felt included, and that it honored Mom in a beautiful way.