A Life Well Lived — Honoring M.

On what would have been M’s 41st birthday, his family and partner planned an all-day celebration of his life — one that honored his incredible creativity, deep compassion, and lasting impact on his community.

The day unfolded across multiple locations in Northfield, MN, and we were honored to support the morning Memorial Service at Urness Recital Hall on the St. Olaf College campus. At the time, both Wendy and Jaime were working at the college, and we worked closely with the family in the weeks leading up to the event to ensure every campus detail was handled with care.

Because this was during the height of COVID, the service followed all St. Olaf safety protocols — including vaccination checks and capacity limits. We coordinated closely with the family to support those logistics, and helped ensure the service could be livestreamed for friends and family who couldn’t attend in person.

The memorial itself was filled with music, memory, and meaning — held in a space that was significant long before M became a St. Olaf student. As a child, he and his partner had spent many hours on campus singing with the Northfield Youth Choir, and it was here that their shared love of music first began. That history came full circle when M’s partner gathered a choir of dear friends from those early years to sing together once again.

It was an incredibly moving tribute.

A few weeks later, we each received handwritten thank-you notes from the family, along with cardinal mugs handmade by their father and mother from the family pottery business. Wendy has collected their pieces for years — including a custom bowl made for her dog, Chester — and the gift was heartfelt and deeply appreciated.

While we didn’t plan every element of the day, we were proud to support a portion of it — and grateful to play a small part in celebrating a life so full of talent, love, and generosity.