Welcome to SendOff
A Note from Founder Kelly Roberts
Seventeen years ago, my brothers and I embarked on what I can only call a journey of the unknown. We’re third-generation florists, but at the time we knew very little about funerals beyond that they involved flowers of course. Despite that fact we decided to take a leap of faith, and we opened a funeral home in our hometown of Forest Lake, Minnesota.
The journey has been filled with challenges — helping more than a thousand families, building our own family business, and even navigating through a global pandemic — and it has definitely humbled us more than once. But we are so thankful we took that leap, and we’re truly honored to serve our community.
Over the years, whenever my line of work became the topic of conversation, folks would tell me, “Kelly, I want a party, not a funeral.” I was surprised at how often I heard some version of that phrase. Not that there's anything wrong with a more traditional funeral, but as my brothers and I continued to come across that sentiment, as well as seeing first-hand a shift toward more personalized celebrations, we were inspired to launch SendOff – Funerals Reimagined.
Just like a lot of churches have taken out the pews to modernize their experience, we are leading this evolution for funerals and how our society memorializes a life. A SendOff is like a funeral in that it’s a tribute to honor someone special. But that’s just about where the similarities end. We believe that since each life is unique, it should be celebrated uniquely, and that’s what we do.
First, we talk with families to discover more about the person we’re honoring, and to bring their spirit fully into the process. Who were they? What did they love? What would delight them? Then we create one-of-a-kind events, filled with details that resonate and uplift.
But what does that mean? It might involve singing karaoke and eating oysters at your favorite bar, or a tee-time-tribute at a beloved golf course. It could be a dance party or a lakeside gathering. It could be anything you can envision, and it's our job to make it happen.
We’re also changing where we celebrate these essential events. With a SendOff, you’re not confined to a dated, stuffy funeral home or a buttered ham sandwich in a church basement. We collaborate with an array of fantastic venues, so you can choose from our preferred partners or any special location that speaks to you, including restaurants, bars, wineries, and golf courses all around the Twin Cities metro area and beyond.
We work with our families every step of the way. First and foremost, we are licensed full-service providers, so we talk through burial and cremation options, including eco-friendly alternatives. Then we take an individualized approach to curate a tribute that can be edgy, elegant or anything in between! Most importantly, a SendOff is meant to bring joy, healing and even inspiration to families and their guests.
Yes, SendOff – Funerals Reimagined is another new journey of the unknown for us, but we’re setting it forth to make a real difference in people’s lives. It will be a game changer in Minnesota’s funeral industry, and we are grateful to be leading that charge.
