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Sue Sowerby - Celebrant - 'To Honour A Life'

Favourite Sue Sowerby - Celebrant - 'To Honour A Life'

Welcome to my profile! I am here 'To Honour a Life' as your Funeral & Memorial Celebrant With respect, with dignity and with honour. I am an experienced, trained independent Funeral & Memorial Celebrant, covering Essex, Hertfordshire, London and many of the surrounding Home Counties. I work closely with families and a wide range of Funeral Directors, offering guidance, reassurance and personal support from our very first conversation, throughout the planning of the service and, of course, on the day itself. With a professional background in Marketing and Communications along with many years of experience in creative writing, storytelling and public speaking, becoming a Celebrant felt like a natural and deeply meaningful progression in my life. For me personally, I believe you have to experience your own grief to truly understand someone else's grief. For more than seven years, I have had the enormous privilege of supporting families through one of life's most difficult and emotional experiences, helping them to create a beautiful, meaningful and truly personal farewell for someone they love. I believe that every life has a story worth telling, and every story deserves to be told with warmth, dignity, sincerity and, above all, love. No two people are ever the same, and neither should their farewell be. By taking the time to meet and listen, to understand the person behind the name, and to discover the memories, stories, achievements, relationships and even those wonderful little quirks that made them so special, I carefully weave together a heartfelt and highly personalised Tribute. It is often the smallest details that mean the most. A familiar saying, a favourite piece of music, a funny family story or a simple act of kindness. These are the moments that bring someone's personality to life, creating smiles through the sadness and precious memories that will remain long after the service has ended. To Honour a Life. To Tell Their Story. To Remember Them Well. Those words are at the very heart of everything I do, and the reason I chose 'To Honour a Life' as the name of my Celebrant business. I officiate at Celebrations of Life, funeral services, memorial services after an unattended direct cremation interment of ashes and other personal farewells. Your service can include elements of faith, spirituality or be entirely non-religious. There is no set formula, no expectation and certainly no right or wrong way to say goodbye. What matters most is that the service feels right for you and truly reflects the person you are remembering. When we meet, we will spend time talking about your loved one and the life they lived. Together, we will explore their story, the people and places that mattered to them, their passions, their personality and the memories you hold dear. We will also discuss every aspect of the service, from the personal Tribute and your choice of music to poems, readings, prayers, the Order of Service and those all-important personal touches that can make a farewell so individual and meaningful. And throughout the whole process, I will be there to guide, reassure and support you, ensuring that you feel comfortable, involved and confident that your loved one's farewell is in safe and caring hands. Nothing is too much trouble when it comes to helping you create the farewell your loved one deserves. As an independent Celebrant, I have the privilege of working alongside many Funeral Directors, who often recommend me because they feel I am the right fit for the families they are supporting. I consider that trust a real honour. However, you can also choose your own Celebrant. If you already have a Funeral Director in mind and would like me to officiate at your loved one's service, simply let them know that you would like Celebrant Sue from 'To Honour a Life'. I warmly invite you to visit my website, where you can read the lovely reviews and heartfelt words shared by families I have had the privilege of supporting over the years. Their kindness and appreciation mean more to me than I can ever adequately express. Being a Celebrant is so much more than standing at the front of a chapel and delivering a service. It is about listening, understanding, building trust and helping families find comfort in knowing that their loved one's life has been remembered and honoured in a way that is truly personal to them. It would be a genuine privilege to support you and your family, and I would be honoured to be your Celebrant. To Honour a Life – with respect, with dignity and with honour. Love Sue x

Location: Epping, Essex; Services provided within a 40 mile radius
Contact: Sue Sowerby
Typical fee: £280
Website: https://funeralcelebrantsue.co.uk
Email: [email protected]; Send an enquiry to Sue Sowerby

Your message goes straight to Sue, who will reply to you directly. Funeral Celebrants doesn't take bookings, act for celebrants or handle payments. Fees and arrangements are agreed directly with them.

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Mobile number: 07787 989794
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"Retrain", he said

Published 4 years ago

Running my own business for 30 years does not mean I don’t listen and take on board sound advice. Of course I do! So, to Mr Sunak, I took your advice. Firstly to all of my clients, my business contacts and my friends and family, I am giving up The Sowerby Group business where, with my amazing, talented teams, we have created something special in the recruitment, digital marketing and creative communications sector.

This is a business that has been built on referral, recommendation, trust, longevity and in many cases, where clients have become friends. And I am so proud of everything we have achieved together." But there have been times when I’ve thought about the skills I possess and how they can be channelled into something different and more ‘spiritual’. A place where I can still add true value to those who will benefit most.

Many will already know for a number of reasons. I am a biographer, a storyteller, a counsellor. I have a strong voice on issues where I have a true passion. I am an avid supporter of our hospice’s bereavement café. I am someone who listens. I love to hear other people’s stories. I have a very enquiring mind. And I ask lots of questions – often crossing the boundaries of the ‘whys and wherefores” !

Putting all those skills into a big melting pot, I started my journey to train as a Funeral Celebrant to include Memorials. It wasn’t just a lightbulb moment either. You see, I have been to many funerals and have listened intently to the Celebrant – some very good ones too! And in the back of my mind I would think “I would like to do that”. I even spoke at my father’s funeral many years ago – and I have never, ever got over the emotional rollercoaster of losing my father, my friend and someone who was a strong confidante and who was taken far too soon. My grief is still raw but I am in a much better place.

So I commenced the journey of an Independent Funeral Celebrant. I researched lots of celebrant courses and before I pressed the button to sign up to one in particular, quite coincidentally I was contacted by the owner of a new Independent Family Funeral Directors in the very place where I live in Essex. This had to be more than coincidence that the owner should ask me to write an article about their new business for our village magazine. And of course I accepted, whilst also asking if they were looking for a Funeral Celebrant. Very kindly, they put me in touch with one of their own Celebrants who has been in the funeral for over 20 years. He is now my Mentor, my Trainer and someone who I have shadowed at funerals, meeting bereaved families and where I have role-played many times to ensure that I am the best that I can be. As part of the Funeral Directors’ team I work with bereaved families and friends to deliver the best and most memorable service to celebrate the life of their loved ones.

Do you ever believe that things happen for a reason? I know I do and this was more than evident on that afternoon when I took the call from Steve and Harry Drew, owners of Drew and Son Funeral Directors. I firmly believe that I am being ‘called’ to follow a particular path. A path where I can continue to help people, to listen, to write eulogies and to deliver a Celebration of Life. It’s a path that I have chosen to follow, and it’s also a path that, I believe, has been chosen for me.

Sue Sowerby, Independent Funeral Celebrant – ‘To Honour a Life’

http://www.sowerbygroup.co.uk/retrain-he-said-find-new-jobs-he-said

Earlier comments

Left on this listing through our old comments box, which anyone could use. We didn't check who wrote them.

"We cannot thank Sue enough for the absolutely beautiful service she delivered for my dad. From the very beginning, she was so kind, caring and compassionate, and she made such a difficult day that little bit easier for us all.
What truly amazed us was how she spoke about Dad. It honestly felt as though she had known him personally, capturing his personality, his spirit and the kind of man he was so perfectly. Every word felt genuine and heartfelt, and it was clear how much care and thought she had put into making the service so special. She gave dad the send-off he deserved, and we will be forever grateful for the comfort she brought to our family during such a heartbreaking time. We couldn't have asked for anyone better to honour his life and memory.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us say goodbye to dad in such a beautiful and meaningful way. You truly have a special gift, and we would recommend you to anyone who wants their loved one to be remembered with such warmth, love and understanding."

October 2026