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About Zakar Urns

What's in a name?

We knew this was our calling: to care for our family, friends, and neighbors in a time of grief. But what we were yet to have was the name of our new venture. We brainstormed for ages, but after many iterations and various possibilities, the process had yet to bear fruit.

One night as I was lying in bed, still fretting over the name for our company, I decided to pray. I asked Him to help me find the name He wanted. I laid there listening intently for a prompting, when the words "beloved ones" came to mind. Then the question "what is the Hebrew word for that?"

I jumped out of bed and headed straight to the Internet. The Hebrew words for "Beloved Ones" is Dodi (דּוֹד). But that did not feel quite right. I looked up other words only to find them hard to pronounce. But suddenly, I found it: Zakar. And the meaning?

Zakar (זָכַ֧ר) - verb

  1. Hebrew for "remember"

I had a rush of chills flow over me. I knew right then Zakar was our company's name. And I, of course, had to thank Him for His guidance.

In the morning I told Torie I had the name for our company. With excitement, I said "Zakar Urns." A smile came across his face as he asked how did I came up with it? I recalled the story of the night before and he agreed that we had our name.

Our Family

We're Torie & Julie Patterson, proprietors of Zakar Urns. This is the culmination of a lifetime of love and learning.

We were both born and raised in the state of Maine. Married in 1989, we have 2 children, 7 grandchildren.

Julie & Torie Patterson, 1989

Torie

"As a young boy, I developed a strong interest in music and spent many hours teaching myself how to play the guitar. I have always been fascinated by wood; I remember carving Van Halen’s logo into an old oak tree that I hung proudly on my wall. Inspired by my love of music, I hand carved miniature guitars."

Torie's build process, 2020

"In the summer of 1989, I started working for my in-laws at Bryant Stove & Music. I spent the next 30 years restoring antique wood stoves. Over the years, my hobby of woodworking filled my home with furniture, contributing to a collection of equipment, skills, and an ever-growing love for wood. My father in-law passed away in 2018 and sadly, when my mother in-law passed less than a year later, the family business closed. We were left with no jobs. After many conversations with my wife, we decided to take on this next journey of our lives by using the skills and passion we have acquired to start a business of our own. We hope that you enjoy our projects as much as we’ve enjoyed making them."

Julie

"When I was little, every summer I would spend a couple weeks at a time with my sisters in New Hampshire. Upon arriving, my older sister would have a project ready and waiting for us to work on throughout our time there. This was where my interest in crafting really started to take place. My love for making cards started when I was around 8 years old when I got a Spiral-graph for Christmas. I couldn’t even tell you how many cards I have made over the years. My husband often teases me that my true hobby is collecting craft supplies. I would have to agree."

Julie's workshop

"I have supplies for jewelry, clay, dream catchers, drawing, rubber stamps, cross stitch, stencils, inks, markers, Cricut, paper, paper and more paper. I often tell people I have a mini craft store in my home. When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, I decided to challenge myself and put together a dollhouse kit for my daughter in-law. Since then, I have made a 1900's log cabin from scratch and started a 1900's one room schoolhouse. These projects were a lot of fun as I realized how I was utilizing every crafting skill I developed over the years. Even so, I always find myself going back to my first love; making cards."