Every Life Has A Story

Every life has a story. And a person’s Life Story is a priceless treasure. Not a treasure to be buried, lost and forgotten. But a wonderful treasure to be shared and passed on and always remembered.

At Clock Life Story Funeral Home we believe that with all of our heart. So in 2006 we added two very simple, but very important words to our company name, Life Story. Why did we do this? Because after some really hard thinking we realized that even though people call us when a person has died, it’s the Life of that person that’s most important. We joined with five other independently owned, family funeral homes in Grand Rapids, Holland and Kalamazoo who felt the same way and developed a marvelous way of helping families tell their Life Story. So they can share their treasure, not bury it. So they can keep the memories alive.

 So how does it all work?

When a person dies we set an appointment to meet the family and make plans for the funeral. At the conference the Life Story funeral director will use the Today Presentation ® on the big screen monitor to guide everyone through the arrangement process. During a relaxed couple of hours we gather information, tell stories, laugh and cry. The funeral director takes notes on it all. We gather all the information we need for the death certificates and newspaper obituaries. We go through all the options available and plan a service that is right for the family. Then we set times and dates for the visitation, funeral and burial. Then we give the family a homework assignment to bring us photos of their loved one.

What happens next?

After the family leaves, the funeral director uploads those notes on the computer and a Life Story Professional Writer takes those notes and writes a wonderful story. The Life Story is then posted on the Internet at our website at www.lifestorynet.com. The family can view the first draft there and make any changes that need to be made. When we get the photos at the funeral home we scan them in and upload them to the Life Story Network. There a team of graphic designers and computer video specialist put together the story and the photos to create a beautiful color Memory Folder and a digital film like nothing you’ve ever seen. Both the folder and the video are posted to the web site where they can be viewed around the world. People can also leave memories of the person and even post their own photos to the web page. The funeral home then prints the folders so they can be used at the service and visitation. We also have large plasma screens to show the video during the visitation.

That seems like a lot, how long does this all take?

We can make all of that happen in 24 to 48 hours; 364 days a year. (The life story staff does take Christmas off)

This must cost a lot more than a regular funeral?

We have put together Smart Packages that fit most any budget. These packages combine nearly everything needed for a funeral and actually save you money. The total cost of a Life Story Funeral is comparable to standard traditional services.

What is included in a Smart Package?

All the services of the funeral director and staff; Use of facilites and equipment; use of automobiles; casket; burial vault; obituary; death certificates and the complete Life Story Suite of Products.

Does everybody have to get a Life Story now? 

The answer is no. It’s not right for everybody in every situation. As we have always done for the last 110 years, we listen to the family. We honor and serve all religions and traditions. We can still do things just like you’ve done them before.  You can have traditional services, contemporary services, or no services at all. Burials and cremations. You can have a big party or a private family gathering. You can even get a “Life Story To Go” and do it yourself.