When Someone You Love is Nearing the End of Life

Most families arrive at this season without a map. Decisions get made under pressure. Goodbyes get rushed. People look back later and wish they had slowed down, said more, gathered the people they loved while there was still time.

You are already choosing a different path.

Your Farewell Guide gives families a practical structure so that presence, conversations, and gatherings can unfold with intention rather than urgency.

Before, During, & After the Loss

Start Here

Step 1 - Where are you right now?

Before, During, or After the loss

Step 2 - What is your role in the family?

Caregiver, Administrator, Planner

Step 3 - Take the next steps

Use the book & resources to navigate.

We Believe...Doing Something Matters

Most families do not avoid this season because they do not care. They avoid it because preparing feels like giving up.

It does not.

A pause matters. A conversation matters. Saying the thing you have been meaning to say matters. Gathering the stories that will be lost if you wait too long matters.

Your Farewell Guide exists for one reason. To help families do something meaningful before and after a loss, because how we say goodbye shapes how we carry the people we love forward.

Step 1 - Where are you right now?

Phase One: Before

Someone you love may be nearing the end of their life. This is one of the hardest seasons a family walks through. Some days feel calm. Others feel urgent.

This is also the season most families wish they had used differently. While there is still time, you can have the conversations that will matter later, gather the people who need to be present, and begin thinking about how this life deserves to be honored.

What happens in this season cannot be recreated after it passes.

Phase Two: During

Someone has just passed away, or you are expecting it soon. The first hours and days can feel disorienting. Decisions need to be made, calls need to happen, and it can feel like everything is moving too quickly.

This phase is about steady steps. You do not need to solve everything at once. Focus on what needs to be done now, and move forward one decision at a time. Clarity here reduces stress and allows you to move through these early days with more confidence.

Phase Three: After

The initial shock has passed, and now attention turns to how the life will be honored. This is where many families feel the weight of planning something meaningful while also carrying grief.

This is not about creating something elaborate. It is about making sure the farewell reflects the person, not just the process. When you take time to gather stories and shape the experience with intention, the farewell becomes something that steadies everyone who is part of it.

Step 2 - What is your role?

In the final season, three distinct responsibilities tend to emerge. Naming them reduces conflict, clarifies expectations, and helps each person contribute where they are best suited. One person may carry all three.

Role One

The Caregiver

Manages day-to-day presence. Coordinates medical care, communicates with hospice, and absorbs the weight of being closest to the situation. Often the most depleted — and the least likely to ask for help.

If this is you: identify two people who can relieve you regularly, and ask for specific help rather than general offers.

Role Two

The Administrator

Handles legal, financial, and logistical responsibilities. May hold power of attorney or serve as executor. Their work begins before death and continues long after.

If this is you: confirm legal authority, locate documents, and review beneficiary designations while there is still time.

Role Three

The Farewell Planner

Thinks about how the life will be acknowledged. Gathers stories, considers music and venue, and designs an experience that reflects the person rather than a generic ceremony.

If this is you: begin collecting photographs and stories now, while there is time to think clearly.

Step 3 - Take the next steps with the help of our resources

These resources exist because doing something is better than doing nothing. Each one is designed for the season you are actually in, not for planning years ahead, but for right now.

CHECKLISTS

Before, During & After

Expanded checklists for each phase. Organized by role so that the right person handles the right task.

Click here for the expanded checklists

CONVERSATION GUIDES

Scripts for Hard Moments

What to say to a hesitant visitor. How to tell children. How to announce the passing.

Click here for the conversation guide

WRITING THEIR STORY

Obituary Template

A framework that captures the person, not just the timeline of life. Guides you from facts to essence.

Click here for the obituary template

ADMINISTRATION

Next Steps Information

Legal, financial, and logistical steps such as death certificates, benefits, accounts and more.

Click here for administration information

THE FAREWELL EVENT

Planning a Meaningful Farewell

How to design an experience that reflects the person and not a generic ceremony.

Click here for planning guidance

AFTER THE FAREWELL

Continuing the Journey

Marking significant dates, preserving stories. The quiet work continues, one day at a time.

Click here for tips on continuing the journey

A practical guide you can use right now.

This is a field guide, not a grief book, not a theological document. It provides structure for families in the middle of a difficult season.

  • Before, During, and After framework

  • Conversation scripts for hard moments

  • Practical checklists by role

  • Farewell event planning guidance

  • First 48 hours — step by step

  • Administrative and legal reminders

Professional Support

You do not have to navigate this alone.

A Farewell Guide is someone who helps a family think through what matters, gather stories, and shape a farewell that reflects the person. In many communities, this role is filled by someone connected to a local funeral home or community organization that sponsors this program.

Both Guides and Sponsors are part of a growing network of professionals who believe that how we say goodbye matters. That families deserve support before the hardest moments, not just after. And that meeting families where they are, not where the industry wishes they were, is the only way to genuinely serve them.

Enter the zip code for the area that you would like to check for a local farewell guide

Do you work with families in transition?

Farewell Guides come from a range of professional backgrounds, such as funeral service, hospice care, celebrant, elder care, senior living, and more.

If your work brings you alongside families navigating loss, this program may be a natural fit. Learn how the framework works and what the process involves.

Your Farewell Guide

Doing something matters.

We are here to help you do it.

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