As a non-religious, humanist celebrant, my goal is to help you honor your loved ones through a meaningful and personal memorial or funeral service. As someone who has experienced loss myself, I am not interested in preaching a sermon filled with empty platitudes. Instead, I want to help you tell the life story of your loved one in such a way that honors the life lived. I will work with you to craft this story as well as help you find meaningful readings and commemorative ideas. I bring my warmth, compassion, and experience to each aspect of planning and conducting the service.
I would be honored to help you. I am able to do in person service or lead remote services via Zoom.
Please contact me: katrinabaecht@gmail.com
Reflections from a few families I have worked with . . .
“Thank you so much for being a part of such an intense day in our lives. You provided such a steadying force and were a huge help in settling us before the ceremony and being captain of the ship when we were in choppy water. Thank you for being a part of that. I think the ceremony represented our mother well. She would have loved it.” –AM
“Katrina was thoughtful, thorough, and compassionate in creating a zoom memorial for my mother. Her eulogy was eloquently written and encapsulated who my mother was as a person. Multiple guests came to me following the service and told me what a memorable and touching experience it was. I could not have asked for a better officiant. Katrina truly has a gift for the work that she does!” –Heather F.
“I just wanted thank you for your role in Keenan’s memorial on April 2. I’ve heard from many, many attendees that it was beautiful and uplifting. Keenan’s great-nephew perhaps put it best when he told his grandmother that he’d never been to a funeral before and was a little worried, but that he actually enjoyed it. He, his brother, and cousins loved all the stories about their great-uncle. I’m so glad that we were able to craft a real celebration of Keenan’s life that focused on his passions and sense of humor. You were a huge guiding part of putting that together. You helped me start at the beginning when I didn’t have a clue how to proceed, and you kept me on track as I worked out details right through the final service.” —Vickie H.
“You did such a beautiful eulogy for my dad. Thank you. I’m so glad I found your website! I heard from many of my friends and family how nice the service was and how much they learned about my dad. That was largely thanks to you and your process. Working with you made an incredibly difficult time a bit easier for our family. You were so easy to work with and I appreciated your suggestions and flexibility. This allowed us to have a celebration of his life that was unique and special. Dad would have loved it.” —Stacey M.
Katrina, I thought you did a fabulous job with my Moms celebration of life services. It can be hard to organize and lead a non-religious service and be able to deliver the ultimate gift to those attending… closure to the burning grief and joyful memories of the person lost. And you did it perfectly. —Elaine