Stories

Celebrating Life During Loss: FOREVER Is Here to Help

By Fran Smitherman  •  September 15, 2025

Facing illness and loss is never easy, but it’s made a little lighter when the memories we cherish are safe and accessible. In the late stage of my mother-in-law Becky’s illness and passing, I wanted to honor her life in a meaningful way, and FOREVER® helped me do just that.

Stories

Three Photo Collections, One Family Story

By Kelly McGrath  •  September 9, 2025

For as long as I can remember, my Aunt Rose—one of my dad’s sisters—was the keeper of our family photos. And when I say “keeper,” I mean she had almost all of them. After Aunt Rose passed away, and later her daughter as well, our family lost track of anything she might have saved.

Stories

Why We Do What We Do: A Client Story

By Kathy Lanham  •  August 25, 2025

I have a client named Traci who shared a truly precious and touching story with me. I first met her at a vendor fair in South Carolina. While we were chatting about FOREVER Digitization, she said, “I have to do this,” and immediately purchased a Small Box.

Stories

How Has So Much Time Passed?

By Megan Blondeau  •  July 17, 2025

The other day, I stumbled across a photo from about six years ago in my FOREVER® account. One of those unexpected finds that stops you mid-scroll.

Stories

From the Desert to FOREVER: A Tape That Time Couldn't Bury

By Shirley Wyatt  •  June 20, 2025

On December 25, 1990, I was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. A few months later, I received a VHS tape from my brother-in-law, capturing the Christmas I missed.

Stories

My Baby Girl, My Dad’s Voice, and the Gift of FOREVER

By Macinda Wolff  •  June 11, 2025

I had a bunch of tapes I hadn’t been able to watch in years – partly because the equipment was outdated, and partly because I never labeled them. I had no idea was even on them! I kept hearing about FOREVER Digitization. So eventually, I thought, “Why not give it a try?”

Stories

One Question Led to an Unexpected Gift

By Erica Burg  •  May 19, 2025

I was going through old photos in my FOREVER® account, tagging faces using the facial recognition feature. I hit a wall trying to remember the name of one of my son's old hockey teammates. My son, Lucas, happened to be home from college, so I asked him for help—just a quick question, or so I thought.

Stories

A Forgotten Film Became a Family Treasure

By Karen Bowser  •  April 25, 2025

I had a film reel that my mother gave me years ago – one I didn’t know existed, or what was even on it. When she handed it to me, I had no way to play it. So, I sent it to FOREVER to be digitized.

Stories

Love & Laughter: Memories Near and Far

By Patt Matsen  •  November 27, 2024

In quiet moments of reflection, it’s often the simplest memories that tug most at our hearts.

Stories

How FOREVER Brought Music to Life in Print

By Ann Gulledge  •  November 27, 2024

My client, Norman, produced a documentary about the 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team. It’s an incredible story that would captivate anyone who loves football.

Stories

A Hidden Gem Found in an Old Box of Stuff

By Joanna Hadle  •  November 19, 2024

I found this film reel (I believe it's an 8mm) in an old box of "stuff" and didn't even remember having this type of camera. To see what was on the film reel, I decided to have it digitized with FOREVER.

Stories

Honoring Our Heroes: Sharing Your Stories

By FOREVER  •  November 11, 2024

From October 15 through November 4, we invited you to share stories of the veterans in your life by nominating them for special recognition. Not only was this to pay tribute to their service on Veterans Day, but also for the chance to win a coupon to use at FOREVER.com.

Stories

Unraveling My Ancestry: A Journey of Discovery

By Gloria O'Donnell  •  November 4, 2024

My story begins in Norway before 1800, rooted in the lives of my ancestors, particularly my great-grandmother, Ingebjorg Rikardsdatter.

Stories

A Personal Connection to Hyde County

By Karen Swindell Watson  •  October 23, 2024

Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm into family history in a big way. About 30 years ago, I began researching my family’s genealogy. Through my research, I discovered that many generations of my ancestors had lived in Hyde County, North Carolina.

Stories

A Librarian's Digital Treasure

By Cindy Marks  •  October 16, 2024

My client, Anna, has been a Cataloging Librarian at an academic library since 1987. Over the years, she has captured fun moments at the library with her coworkers, creating several traditional scrapbooks filled with those memories.

Stories

My Mom's Sense of Humor Will Be Seen for Generations

By Maureen Harrity  •  August 19, 2024

My mom was a practical joker, even when she was hospitalized and told that she had small-cell carcinoma on her breastbone.

Stories

Discovering a Gift My Mother Left Behind

By Joyce Klingele  •  August 15, 2024

My mother passed away earlier this year in February at the age of 87. While I was gathering her things for the funeral home, I found a small black journal on a cabinet next to her dresser.

Stories

My 60th Birthday Surprise

By Sandy Wirth  •  July 16, 2024

My family planned a surprise 60th birthday party for me in 2020 and because my daughter has access to my FOREVER account, and I had digitized our old scrapbooks and scanned older photos, she was able to get tons of fun old photos from my childhood to present day to put on display at my party!

Stories

You Never Know What's in that Old Box of Stuff

By Debbie Garland  •  June 25, 2024

Growing up the youngest of five children in the 1960s, there are very few photos of me. My parents were older when I was born and the novelty of having kids had worn out for them. I don’t think we even owned a camera, so the photos I have were usually shared by somebody else.

Stories

I Never Knew my Mom Could Play the Guitar!

By Melodie Jones  •  June 18, 2024

Last month I sent in an old audio tape (from the early 1960s) to be digitized by FOREVER, not knowing what was on the tape. It turns out... it's priceless!