You deserve to be remembered
in your own words,
not someone else's.
Afterword is the only memorial you write yourself, while you still can. Your story, your voice, your message to the people you love. Accessible via a memory marker on your headstone, urn, or most outdoor surfaces. No subscription. No renewals.
One-time payment. No subscription. No renewals. Regular price $199.99 (founding author pricing saves you $50)
When you're gone, who tells your story?
Most people are remembered by a three-paragraph tribute, written in 48 hours by a grieving family who didn't have time, or the information, to get it right. It lists a name, some dates, and a handful of roles.
It says almost nothing about who you actually were.
Margaret Anne Williams, 80, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, passed away peacefully on December 4, 2024, at Mercy Medical Center, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born on March 12, 1944, in Waterloo, Iowa, to Harold and Ruth (née Carlson) Becker. She graduated from East High School in 1962 and married Robert James Williams on June 14, 1964, at First Lutheran Church, a partnership of 47 years that lasted until his passing in 2011.
Margaret devoted herself to raising her family and was a faithful member of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, where she sang in the choir for over 30 years. She was an active member of the Cedar Falls Garden Club and volunteered regularly at the county food pantry.
She is survived by her children: David Williams of Cedar Falls, Susan (Mark) Henderson of Des Moines, and Karen (Todd) Albright of Minneapolis; seven grandchildren; and her sister, Patricia Becker of Waterloo. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, and her parents.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 10th, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cedar Falls Area Food Pantry.
Everything included. Once.
One purchase covers everything: the story you write, the voices of the people who know you, the memory marker shipped to your door, and hosting with no subscription or renewals.
Eight guided sections walk you through your life: childhood, coming of age, the life you built, your relationships, your beliefs, your proudest moments, and a personal letter to your family. Every answer is in your own words.
While you're setting up your page, invite family members, lifelong friends, or colleagues to contribute their own memories alongside yours. They write in their own voice; you approve or decline each one before anything goes public. Contributions not submitted while you're alive are never published.
A 316 stainless steel memory marker, rated for 30 to 50 years and suitable for coastal climates, that links directly to your Afterword page. Attach it to a headstone, memorial stone, urn, bench, or most outdoor surfaces. Especially meaningful for families who chose cremation.
No monthly fee. No renewal notices. No risk of a subscription lapsing and your page disappearing. One payment, and your page stays online and accessible via your memory marker QR code.
More than words on a stone. The whole person.
Every word on an Afterword page is written by the person themselves, their story, their voice, their message to the people they love. Scan either QR code to read the full page.
Jonathan spent forty years as an educator in Arizona, teacher, principal, superintendent. He wrote his Afterword page himself, in his own words, while he still could.
Eleanor raised four children in Vermont, kept a warm kitchen for everyone who needed it, and organized her town's harvest supper for twenty-eight years. This is her story, in her own words.
Simple to set up. Ready when it matters.
Most people complete their Afterword page in a single afternoon. You can add to it for the rest of your life; it will be ready the moment your family needs it.
We walk you through 8 sections, from childhood and coming of age through your proudest moments, the people who shaped you, what you believe, and a letter to your family. Most people finish in a single afternoon.
While you're building your page, send an invite to anyone who knows you: a sibling, a lifelong friend, a former colleague. They write their own memory. You approve or decline before anything goes public. Only what you've approved while you're alive appears on the page.
A 316 stainless steel memory marker, ready to affix to a headstone, memorial stone, urn, or most outdoor surfaces that matter to your family.
No renewals. No subscriptions. No risk of a payment lapsing and your page going dark. Your memory marker QR code links to your page whenever your family needs it.
We don't charge a monthly fee to keep your memory alive.
Most digital memorial products are subscriptions. Stop paying, and the page disappears, taking every story and photo with it. We built Afterword differently. One payment covers hosting with no renewal dates. If anything ever changes, we'll give you advance notice and the tools to export everything you've written.
Your $149.99 covers hosting with no renewal dates, no expiry notices, no annual fees. We built this to last.
Export everything, every word, every photo, at any time. If we ever need to make changes to the service, we’ll give you advance notice and a full data export.
The URL your memory marker points to is designed to remain active. If anything ever changes, we’ll redirect it and notify you well in advance.
What families say
From people who set up their Afterword page, and from families who now have it.
“Reading Dad’s Afterword page was like hearing him speak one last time. He wrote about his childhood in a way he never talked about at the dinner table. My kids know their grandfather in a way I never expected. That page is the most important thing he left us.”
“I’m 78 years old and I’ve lived more than most people know. Setting up my Afterword page was the most meaningful afternoon I’ve spent in years. My grandchildren will know exactly who I was, not just who their family told them I was.”
“Mom had included an Afterword memory marker in her trust documents. She’d set up her whole page herself, planned exactly where it would go. When we scattered her ashes, we placed the marker right there. Scan it and she’s telling her own story. It was the most her thing she could have done.”
Who Afterword is for
Three moments when people decide a story is worth keeping.
You’ve lived a life worth knowing. You have stories your family hasn’t heard, values you want to pass on, and things you want to say while you still can. Afterword gives you the space to say them, in your own words, before it’s too late.
“I want to be remembered the way I actually was, not the way someone else remembers me.”
The most meaningful thing you can give someone isn’t an object; it’s the opportunity to be heard and remembered. Gift an Afterword page and set it up together. You’ll both be glad you did.
“I wanted to make sure I never had to say ‘I wish I’d asked more.’”
At 70, or after 40 years of work, or on a golden anniversary, some people are ready to reflect on what their life has meant. Afterword is the gift that says: your story matters, and it deserves to last.
“She already had everything she needed. This was the first gift that actually meant something.”
The window doesn't stay open forever.
Right now, you can write your own story. Don't leave it to someone else.
- ✓Hosted memorial page: written entirely in your own words, accessible via QR code
- ✓Memory marker: shipped to your door, weatherproof, attaches to most outdoor surfaces
- ✓8 guided sections, 28 questions: from childhood and coming of age through to the letter you leave behind
- ✓Contributor invites: invite people to add their own memories while you're alive. You approve each one, and unsubmitted contributions are never published
- ✓Living guestbook: after you pass, visitors who scan your memory marker can leave a note or memory on your page
- ✓Hosting included: no renewals, no subscription, no risk of a lapsed payment taking the page down
- ✓Data export: your story, always yours to keep
One-time payment. Secured checkout. No renewals.