Allie Downing

“Honouring your loved one as I would a friend or a member of my own family”

Allie is specialist funeral celebrant who is dedicated to celebrating the life of those that have passed. With this single focus, Allie is truly present for you to offer comfort, support and sensitivity at a time of grief and vulnerability.

Whether the passing of your loved one has been sudden and unexpected, or you have supported your loved one through an extended illness, the grief can be overwhelming. Allie has experienced grief first hand and has worked with many families as they embark on the same path.

At your time of grief, Allie can lead you through the myriad of options available to best honour the life of your loved one and help you say a personal, meaningful farewell.

Allie’s Story

“When Mum was diagnosed with a terminal illness, the values my parents had instilled in me came to the fore and I chose to walk away from a success career to become her primary caregiver. Wanting to understand what we were all feeling, I completed University papers on grief and dying – great for the head, but no real value for the heart and what was to come.

After Mum’s passing, I decided to continue down a path that best mirrored my values and I joined Hospice in a non-clinical role, growing and stewarding those special supporters who had pledged to leave a gift in their Will to Hospice. During this time, I also introduced a successful outreach programme speaking with members of the community and retirement villages – having been a Toastmaster was invaluable!

I have been privileged to befriend many patients and their families at Hospice who have asked me to help them say their final farewell. Wanting to provide only the very best for them, I studied with the Auckland Celebrant School and became a member of CANZ, a professional body that monitors professional standards and offers ongoing training.

Outside my work as a celebrant, I love spending time with family and friends and have a very tight network of extraordinary long-term friends who I delight in socialising with. I’m a prolific reader in my quiet times. I fondly remember going each week to the library to return and chose new books. We’d pick up fish n chips on the way home for tea – a simple yet wonderful experience as a child.

My husband Grant and I have a blended family of four adult children and three “grandies” and hopefully many more to come. We live in Auckland on the North Shore and work on the Hibiscus Coast – both areas now feel like my local neighbourhood. After becoming an ‘empty nester’ I have become a keen traveller and have enjoyed exploring the world in the last little while – I hope it won’t be too long before international borders are open again!”

Services

Working with both traditionalist and contemporaries, Allie offers a wide variety of personal, bespoke services designed to honour those who have left us and support those who are left behind. Allie focuses on capturing the essence of the person, their values, character, special relationships with friends, family and loved ones, and the achievements they most want to be remembered by.

Services Include

• Funeral/Life Celebration

• Memorial

• Committal

• Internment/Scattering of Ashes

• Living Funerals

• Pre-planned Funerals

Fees and Travel

As every situation is unique, pricing is tailored depending on the service. Allie works largely on the North Shore and Hibiscus Coast in Auckland. Should you require Allie to travel out of Auckland, additional travel costs may be incurred. 

Contact

Learn more about me at www.alliedowningcelebrant.co.nz

Feel free to contact me anytime on 021 148 6710 or allie@alliedowningcelebrant.co.nz