Graveside cards designed to be placed at a headstone as a way to express your love to one who has passed.
Eternally Yours - Founder and CEO: Richard W. Thompson
Press Release - July 10, 2008
"Because Love Last Longer Than A Lifetime." That is the belief of founder and CEO of Eternally Yours, Richard W. Thompson of Belleville, IL. He has started a new line of greeting cards he refers to as eternity cards. Cards that are specially designed to be placed at a gravesite of a loved one who has passed away.
"My mother actually gave me the idea," Thompson said. "My father passed away in 1999. Each holiday, anniversary and birthday she would go to the local card shop and look for a card to place at his grave. She could never find one she liked because they all refer to the person as living. She called me and asked if I could help her design a card she could leave at his grave. I said sure and the idea expanded from there," he added. Thompson thought if this helped his mother feel a little better and helped her still feel connected to his father; why not see if this will have the same effect on a larger scale.
Eternally Yours spawned from the thought that just because someone we love has passed away, we don't stop loving them and caring for them. Our love lasts an eternity, which is longer than a lifetime. This idea gave Thompson the inspiration for the business name and slogan.
Thompson has had some difficulty writing some of the cards. "I have had a couple of people who have lost their loved one to suicide," Thompson said. "Those can be very emotional for me to write and design. Suicide often leaves so many unanswered questions for those left behind and to try to design a card that will bring comfort is often a challenge. I take my time and try to place myself in the person's place for which I'm designing the card," he added. "Sometimes it can take a couple of hours before I come up with a design and saying which I feel is appropriate."
There are other cards which pose a challenge for Thompson as well. "Designing a card for someone who has lost an infant is the toughest to write," said Thompson. "My daughter Ashley Marie was born four months early and only weighed one pound and seven ounces at birth. The doctors said there was a ninety-nine percent chance she would die. My wife and I never gave up hope and constantly prayed that God would let Ashley live. She spent a total of 15 out of 18 months in the hospital and even though she will be 17 in December, it was emotionally exhausting. There is something about losing a little one that just makes my heart ache," he added.
Eternally Yours is mostly a web-based business selling custom cards and pre-designed cards, but there are plans to expand the business and products to stores nationwide. "I hope to sell a line of eternity calendars, coffee mugs, shirts, and bookmarkers. I am always searching for new products that may help bring comfort to people." said Thompson. "I want to reach out and help the masses of people who have lost loved ones. We offer a variety of cards for practically every occasion. Most people opt for a custom card with a photograph of their loved one and a special saying or favorite poem. Often times they want me to write a special saying for their card. For the pre-designed cards I take most of the photos myself. I do have a friend who helps with some of the pictures and another who makes the stands for the cards."
Eternally Yours offers pre-designed cards which Thompson hopes to market to stores nation wide. Cards are also available for all branches of the military, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and even pet owners who have lost their treasured family pet. "We try to meet the needs of the people," Thompson said. "That is why we offer such a diverse selection of cards, stands and other products. I have customers who order extra copies of the cards without the laminate so they can put them in a picture frame and display them in their home. Whatever the need, we try to make the customer happy with their purchase and bring them some comfort in their time of loss."
Some cemeteries do have certain regulations about what can be displayed on the ground and to remedy that situation Eternally Yours offer a variety of stands that mount over the tombstone, sit on the tombstone, or can be displayed neatly next to the tombstone.
