The objects we keep when loved ones die — and what they say about mourning

After experiencing multiple losses in 2006, including the death of her father and three close friends, artist and professor Jody Servon began a project documenting the stories behind objects that people keep after the passing of loved ones. The project started with her preserving her father’s hairbrush in a Ziploc bag to retain his scent. It expanded to include her late grandfather’s dentures, which were unexpectedly received in the mail. Servon has since collected stories about various objects, creating a poignant exploration of the connection between personal belongings and memories of departed loved ones.

Servon created “Saved: Objects of the Dead” with collaborator Lorene Delany-Ullman, a poignant portrayal of grief based on over a decade of interviews in her North Carolina community. The book features a range of items, from traditional heirlooms like jewelry to everyday objects such as a leather card holder or a bent metal colander. Some objects, like a prosthetic leg, serve as reminders of their former owners, while others symbolize heartbreaking tales of lost potential and truncated lives. 

Servon emphasizes that the love and grief associated with a departed person endure, and people yearn to hear about the memories and the person’s name long after their passing.

For more information see Oscar Holland “The objects we keep when loved ones die— and what they say about mourning”, CNN, September 25, 2023.