(Updated May 1, 2022)

A Unique Way to Celebrate a Life

A life time capsule is a way to honor someone by keeping memories of them alive for future generations. Unlike traditional time capsules that have a limited capacity and include a few artifacts, a life time capsule can be almost unlimited. As you learn about how to create one, you will understand how it will keep someone’s legacy alive. This unique celebration of life will pay tribute to the person you have chosen to honor.

Step 1. Choose the Person to Be Honored.

When we decide to honor someone’s life, it is because they mean something very special to us. Do you want to honor a family member: grandparent, parent, sibling or child? Do you want to honor a friend, mentor, or someone else very special to you? Maybe the person whose legacy should be shared is YOU! Whoever you choose, this person will be the star of your life time capsule.

Step 2. Start Now

More often than not, a celebration of life does not take place until someone has passed away. If you wait until a memorial service is needed, there is only a limited amount of time to create the final celebration, and compromises must be made.

Other milestones in a person’s life can also be reasons to celebrate them: a special birthday, a graduation, a new job, their wedding, an anniversary, their retirement, or another milestone. Depending upon how far in advance you learn about the special event, you have much more time to plan and complete how you will honor the person.

But you don’t need to wait for a memorial service or other special event. To get the most time to plan and prepare a way to share a special person’s legacy, you should start right now. And by starting today, you can make sure the celebration of life will be ready when it is needed.

Step 3. Put Someone in Charge

Creating a life time capsule may appear overwhelming at first, but the person in charge of getting it done does not have to do all of the work. They just need to be a leader with a vision of what the final life time capsule will be. It is similar to being a movie producer. The person in charge (the producer) needs to have a plan and get it done. And because of lot of different skills are needed, the producer will need to rely upon the help of others. These people will form the production team. If you decide to be the producer, great! If you think being in charge of the project is more than you can contribute, find someone else who wants to honor the person you have chosen. You can still help as part of the production team.

Step 4. Plan the Life Time Capsule

As the person in charge (the producer), you need to decide how you want to honor the life time capsule’s star. There are many ways to share their legacy: An essay or book, a photo album or display, a mini-museum, an audio recording, a video, a website. LifeTimeCapsule.com will show you what skills are needed to create each of these. If you’re not sure which to choose, honoring a person with a website about them has the most flexibility because it can include all of the others: mementos, writings, photos, audio and video.

Step 5. Get People to Help

It is possible for only one person to create a Life Time Capsule, but as you learn more about what is involved and the skills needed, you will avoid being overwhelmed by getting help from others. If you have skilled family and friends who agree with honoring the person you have chosen, they are the first people to add to your team. The next place to find help is a nearby college or high school. Depending upon the skill required, a student may be willing to work on part of your project so they can add it to their portfolio. For some skills you may not find someone willing to volunteer their time. Paying an advanced student can save you money versus hiring a professional.

Step 6. Gather Existing Memories

The legacy of a person’s life includes how they were raised, their education, their career and the family and friends who surround them. Ask the life time capsule star what they have that documents their life journey: mementos, writings, drawings, photos, audio recordings, films and videos. You should also check with their family and friends for the same types of materials.

Because each of these items can be very precious to the people who have them, LifeTimeCapsule.com will show you how to copy these items while protecting the safety of the originals.

Step 7. Capture the Person’s Story

The best way to share a person’s legacy is by hearing them tell their story. A video interview of the life time capsule star is preferred. And if family members and friends are willing, interviews with them about the star can add to their story. Do not let the thought of video interviews overwhelm you. Add someone to your production team willing to tackle the job. LifeTimeCapsule.com will show a variety of ways to create video interviews, from simple to advanced. The key is to let future generations hear the star tell their own story. A video is the next best thing to hearing from someone in person.

Step 8. Prepare to Share

Whatever existing memory items are gathered, and how you have recorded the star telling their story, each of these items must be prepared before they can be included in the life time capsule. Depending upon the item (mementos, written words, photos, audio recordings, videos) and how the life time capsule will be shared (an essay or book, a photo album or display, a mini-museum, an audio recording, a video, a website) each item needs to be modified. Again, do not feel overwhelmed. You can have members of your production team take care of different parts of the task.

Step 9. Share the Person’s Legacy

Once everything has been prepared, it’s time to share it. Again, a website is best because it can include all of the elements described above, and it can be accessed by people all around the world. But if you want to focus on just sharing photos, physical and virtual albums are possible. Writings can be shared in physical and electronic books. Audio recordings and videos can be shared online or on discs (for people who still have a CD or DVD player.) You can even set-up a mini-museum at your home or some other location where family and friends can explore the legacy of the Life Time Capsule star.

The next step …

Now that you’ve been introduced to nine simple steps for sharing a person’s legacy, please use the resources here at LifeTimeCapsule.com to honor a person who is very special to you. The Celebration of Life Planning Checklist will help get you organized. (More resources will be added soon, so please check back.)