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From a young age, Austin had the type of smile that was contagious. He was someone who loved life, loved to learn, and loved his family. More than anything, he loved connecting with people and making them laugh. He was very much about making people smile, making people’s day, and instilling joy in those around him, even if the joke was at his expense. As a child, Austin was neat and tidy, though these qualities didn’t extend to his dance skills (even though he loved to dance). Known for his skill at fostering and maintaining friendships and relationships with folks, sales was a smart path to success for Austin. He excelled at sales, starting at a Verizon retailer and working his way up to an official Verizon store. During his time in sales, his superb work ethic helped him hone his skills at making other people feel welcome, heard and respected – great skills to have in a burgeoning sales environment.

Outside of his work, Austin loved to spend time with his family. He enjoyed seeing others succeed and always encouraged those he knew to be the best versions of themselves. No matter the occasion, whether it be a birthday party, a holiday, or just a family reunion, Austin wanted to be there and be involved in any way he could. During the difficulty of COVID-19, he made an effort to call his family members and ensure they stayed connected, despite the difficulties they faced with the pandemic. It was also during this time that Austin made a passing comment regarding life and death, stating, “If it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go. I’m ready.” He was strong in his faith and believed in eternal life, where he hoped to reunite with his family one day. At the same time, Austin spoke about having a family of his own and getting married one day, very much a person that wanted to continue the joy he felt in his own family.

At the age of 20, Austin passed away unexpectedly, to the shock of his entire family. A friend set up an online fundraiser to help with funeral costs, but Christina wanted a more personalized website for Austin. She was looking for a place to share his life story, bring together friends and family to remember him and coordinate his celebration of life. She considered publishing an obituary in the newspaper, but it was expensive and she didn’t feel like it provided the space to truly tell Austin’s story.

When she found Ever Loved, Christina appreciated that she could include as much content as she wanted on the site, while also allowing friends and family members to share their own stories. It also made it easy to ensure that everyone had the details about Austin’s visitation, celebration of life and luncheon, and that everyone could RSVP, so she knew how many people to expect. With dozens of things she needed to manage and thousands of people to keep in the loop, having one central place to do all of this was invaluable. The result of her work is a beautiful website for Austin, a place that stands as a permanent memorial for Austin’s joyous life.

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Manuel "Manu" Gómez Diez, PhD, lived a life full of adventure, traveling, and pursuit of his passions. From a very young age, Manuel and his sister, Lucía, had the opportunity to travel abroad for one month out of the year, giving them the chance to explore and experience many different communities and cultures, as well as practice their English. On his travels, Manuel fell in love with animals (especially horses) and this kickstarted his desire to pursue a career in Large Animal Internal Medicine. After graduating with a PhD, Manuel traveled and worked at different equine hospitals in both France and the United Kingdom until he was accepted into a residency program at the University of Guelph in Canada (a school that would later support him and his family through the difficulty of his cancer diagnosis). It was during his first year in the program that Manuel received his first cancer diagnosis and had to return home briefly. After recovering from his first surgery, Manuel returned to Canada and worked tirelessly to get through the program. When his health declined in his second year after the cancer returned, he flew back to be with his family who lovingly guided and supported him throughout his final months.

When Manuel passed, his advisor suggested that the family set up a memorial website. Manuel had many friends and colleagues in the program who wanted to share their condolences and connect with the family. The family chose Ever Loved because of the available features (such as the ability to post photos, videos, memories, and an obituary), the layout, and the fact that all memories would be in one place, instead of scattered around social media platforms. His sister, Lucía, was able to easily share the website with friends, family members and Manuel’s many colleagues abroad.

The family quickly began receiving condolences, tributes, and memories from all of Manuel’s contacts, friends, and colleagues from across the world. Many people whose lives were touched by Manuel (friends, family, colleagues from his time abroad) were able to post their favorite photos of times they shared together.

Lucía tasked her parents with finding photos from when Manuel was younger to help map out a timeline of his life on the website. They also used the Updates section as a way to keep Manuel’s community informed on livestreamed funeral events and to thank them for their support. Additionally, even though obituaries are not common in Spain, Lucía translated a full obituary (written by her father) for Manuel that went into his life in detail, giving all those who visited the memorial site the opportunity to learn more about Manuel’s life, passions, and hobbies. Lucía said Ever Loved was “incredibly healing” to her and her family after losing Manuel. The living memorial they set up for Manuel was a place for them to gain insight into who Manuel was to everyone he met, even friends his family wasn’t aware existed.

On the year anniversary of Manuel’s passing, many of his friends and family returned to his memorial site to express their continued memories of him. Each time his many friends get together and take a photo, they share it on Manuel’s website letting everyone know that he’s still in their hearts and minds. Additionally, Manuel’s father uses the memorial website to share a poem he writes for his son each month. Manuel’s memory is able to live on through the lives of all those that he knew and loved.

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