Dancing in the Aisle

Sometimes there’s a line of an obituary that stands out. Well, in Dominic “Nick” Joseph Zeman’s case there were two.

His obituary described him as a passionate artist, performer, brother, uncle, and friend – the part we loved “and could charm just about anyone with a few words and a knowing smile.” Ahh, that gives us a hint of how Nick lived.

Nick lived with joy and his family wanted his SendOff to reflect that. The location was significant for a couple reasons, it was a landmark church built in 1894 in the beautiful Nerstrand valley. This stately church is steeped in tradition but not limited by it.

The church is across the street from Simple Harvest Farm Organics where Nick lived and worked with his sister. Nick’s farming enterprises took off: aptly named Nick’s Dog Treats and Nick’s Eggs. He sold his goods at Northfield’s Riverwalk Market Fair in its early years and at Just Food Co-op, where he was one of the Co-op’s first employees.

Meaningful Details

Guests enjoyed delicious food made with eggs produced by chicks Nick had raised. The details are always meaningful; we love incorporating them to personalize each SendOff.

The gathering was intimate and lively. This brings us to the second standout line of his obituary. “Nick was, and will always be, our dancing queen.” The 1976 ABBA hit song “Dancing Queen” was his favorite so of course we played it and of course, people danced. Here’s a short video to see for yourself.

Dancing at a funeral is unexpected. Dancing in the aisle of an old church is unexpected. But it is joyful and good. At SendOff we welcome the unexpected and do our best to bring it to life.

Curating these experiences gives those left behind the opportunity to truly celebrate life. We’re honored Nick’s family chose us to curate his SendOff.