Forever loved and never forgotten

GREEN BAY – “My daughter passed away last year, and she was my only daughter. (It was a) horrible experience,” explained Melissa Maloney, while recalling the birth of her daughter, Sophia Marie.

“She was born early and her lungs weren't developed, so we just had to kind of hold her until she passed away.

“After she passed away, we went the avenue that we knew, which was the funeral home. And when we went there, you know, they were wonderful, they really were. Just for me, I couldn't do the funeral home. It just wasn't something that felt right for me. So me and my husband started looking around for places that we could do a celebration of life.

“So, we started looking around, and we found venues; but one, they were either booked up because a lot of people do weddings and stuff at them too, or two, they were just extremely expensive.

“So, we ended up deciding that we wanted to make a change within the community. We wanted to have the first of its kind venue that was set up for celebrations of life.”

That experience resulted in the opening of “A Gathering for You,” by Melissa and her husband, Greg.

“So, we specialize in celebrations of life. We have a building that is geared towards that. It's kind of hard to explain, because when people picture celebrations of life, they picture a funeral home, but it's just it's a different atmosphere,” she explained.

“It's an upbeat area. I have coffee and popcorn, and people can bring in their own food or cater in. I don't have restrictions on that, you know, to cut back on costs and then we just made ourselves affordable. You know, instead of spending thousands of dollars on a venue, which is what most people have to do when they have these celebrations of life, we make ourselves more cost-effective.”

Melissa said that the building is a “result” of Sophia’s passing and that the building is dedicated to her.

“When she passed away, like, you know, the tiny casket, I just, I couldn't do it. I was like, I need something different, and I know I'm not the only one. I think this is a new avenue that people want, but there's just not anything that, you know, really specializes in this stuff. I want people to know that there is a place that they can go to that is more uplifting, that's just beautiful inside. Everything is just white and clean and bright. And I have a tree that's in here and it's called the ‘Forever Tree.’ And anybody that has an event here, I would burn their loved one's name on the leaf, and then at some point during their gathering, they get to put the leaf on the tree and it stays there as long as the business. So, it's just kind of like a legacy thing too,” she added.

A Gathering for You is located at 822 Cormier Rd., Green Bay, and will have its grand opening on Jan. 4, 4-6 p.m.

For more information, visit gatheringforyou.com.