About the Eulogies for You team
Lyn Pound
Lyn was born in India, went to school in Darjeeling and New Zealand and has worked in many countries around the world, as varied as Bangladesh, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates.
As a mother, grandmother, and former nurse and midwife, Lyn has seen and experienced life in many of its shades and seasons. Then, as an English teacher of teenagers and adults, a community centre manager and playgroup coordinator, Lyn has engaged in up-front presentations with people across a wide spectrum of age and culture.
Having joined with her three siblings to give the eulogy for their 99-year-old mother, Lyn knows what makes for a eulogy that is creative, humorous, informative, inspiring, memorable and attentive to the emotions of the occasion.
Geoff Pound
Geoff has been giving speeches at schools, Rotary Clubs, prisons, hospitals and for 45 years as a minister of various churches in New Zealand and Australia. He has presided over countless funeral services for people of different ages, cultures and religious beliefs. He has tailored funerals and eulogies for those who don’t want any religious component to the occasion.
Geoff has written scores of newspaper articles, several books and two doctoral dissertations but a eulogy is a different genre altogether.
Geoff & Lyn
Geoff and Lyn have been married for more than forty years. They have different gifts and they enjoy working together. They have attended and participated in hundreds of funerals during which they have learned what makes for an excellent eulogy and a helpful funeral. Having spoken at the funerals of many of their loved ones, Lyn and Geoff are acquainted with the stress and the sadness of giving eulogies at such a time of grief and loss.
About Eulogies
A eulogy is a statement written to speak about a unique person, in a limited amount of time, at a significant occasion such as a funeral, memorial service or wake.
The words ‘eulogy’ and ‘tribute’ are often used interchangeably but in a funeral service, especially where there are several speakers, a eulogy will normally include a brief account of the person’s life while a tribute might be given by a person who reflects on their interaction with the person at a specific period or place.
Have you ever left a funeral thinking that the words spoken about the deceased did not match with the person you knew? Have you ever thought that the eulogy given was so scanty and trivial that it left the person being short-changed?
An excellent eulogy distils the essence of a person in a few words. It is written to be spoken rather than read. It is usually given in an atmosphere of grief and loss amidst a swirl of emotions.
An excellent eulogy can help people gathered to heal by providing a platform for hearers to remember, give permission to grieve and offer a context for receiving comfort. The eulogy can set the whole tone of the funeral, making it dull and morbid or a joyous celebration.
An excellent eulogy honours a person’s life by emphasising the person’s virtues and the values by which they lived. It is authentic, truthful, believable, respectful and free from exaggeration.
An excellent eulogy highlights the qualities of a person. It helps the hearers to recognise the impact the person had on them and anticipate their continuing influence and inspiration.
The word ‘eulogy’ comes from the Greek language with eu meaning praise and logia meaning to speak. A eulogy means ‘to speak well of’. This doesn’t mean we portray the person as perfect or omit their quirky side but an effective eulogy gathers up their good points, summarises the contribution that they have made and speaks appreciatively about the impact the person has had upon their lives.