Gold: Keeping Them Alive
"Celebrating their life keeps them alive," says Persephone Modeste, a therapist based in Rochester, N.Y., where friends and family pay tribute to loved ones killed by gun violence using customs and rituals that signify death is not the end of life for the deceased. Loved ones are celebrated and kept close through objects and events that honor their legacy. "Sometimes, the pain bears you down so much that you have to think of something joyful to be able to move on because it can be debilitating," says Modeste.
Richard Working on a Cutout
Richard Collinge Jr. puts the finishing touches on a casket wrap for Cahj’miere Robinson, a 17-year-old who was shot and killed on Sept. 11, 2022, at Memories Funeral Home in Rochester, N.Y., on Sept. 29, 2022. The wrap uses the same process one would use to wrap a vehicle. Collinge has developed a strong business selling casket wraps and cardboard cutouts for the friends and family of people who have passed away. Casket wraps can be related to the sarcophagi of Ancient Epgyt, which were used to bury political figures and wealthy people. In 2022, Collinge had to create a casket wrap and cutout for his son, Richard Collinge III, who was shot and killed on July 20, 2022.
