Sparrow A Contemporary Funeral Home Inc

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Sparrow A Contemporary Funeral Home Inc

Sparrow is a full service contemporary funeral home. Located in Greenpoint, NY.

Sparrow is a light filled space, consisting of two 'celebration rooms', a street facing retail store and a staff that is compassionate, thoughtful and thorough.

12/25/2025

A day that typically would be spent doing last minute shopping, wrapping and then making dinner, instead was spent at Sparrow for a funeral. AKA it was a day of service. I watched family and friends honor, grieve and lift up the memory of their loved one. Honestly, there was so much joy in the space, other than the black clothing, you’d be hard pressed to clock this gathering as a funeral. It was a beautiful day honoring a woman who lived her life fully and was surrounded by so many friends and family who adored her. It was a reminder to remember to truly live while we can and to nourish our community. Sometimes being of service is the best gift we can get.

12/15/2025

With just so much public facing death it brings up complicated communal grief.

Sometimes puppies, kittens and giraffes are all we can handle.

It’s ok to not be ok.

If you are struggling, reach out to someone in your circle or call a professional to get the support you might need.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

In NYC 988 is your connection to free, confidential crisis counseling, mental health and substance use support, information and referrals. You can reach the toll-free help line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone, text and online chat. Behavioral health professionals there can link you to the services you need.

12/12/2025

We’re so excited to share that our BZippy urn was featured in CAP Beauty’s newsletter as one of their favorite ways to honor a beloved pet.

There’s something so tender about finding a resting place that feels as special as the love our furry friend gave us. This urn is simple, sculptural, and made with the same care we feel for the pets who become such an important part of our lives.

Available at Sparrow for anyone looking for a beautiful way to keep their companion close.💙💙

12/09/2025

urn
noun [ C ]

An urn is a vase-like container, often bulbous with a foot, primarily known for holding the ashes of the deceased after cremation, but also used for large quantities of hot beverages (tea/coffee), as a decorative garden feature, or in computing as a Uniform Resource Name (URN) for unique identification. Its name comes from Latin for “jar,” but it can also relate to “burn,” reflecting its uses for ashes and hot liquids.

Our shop at Sparrow offers beautiful one of a kind artisan made urns. The artists we work with had never made urns before until being approached to create vessels for Sparrow. Whether you are looking for an urn for a loved one, a pet, planning shed or just looking for a beautiful ceramic piece for your home, our beautiful urns are as unique as the lives we all live

12/08/2025

As part of Sunday in the Cemetery, I had the pure pleasure of moderating the panel “What Do I Doula?” With . The work of Death/end-of-life/grief Doulas adds an incredible layer of support to families it’s a privilege to help educate oll on doula can offer a family. Thank you to the Green-Wood staff and volunteers for masking today happen and for putting it all together.

12/06/2025

What an absolute pleasure it was to participate in a talk back with after the incredible .play play. Directed, written and starring End of Life Doula

Talking about end of life while we are living never gets old!

12/02/2025

Join us at Sparrow for an evening of warmth, creativity, and community as we come together to welcome the holiday season.
We’ll provide all the supplies — ornaments, ribbons, branches, lights, and seasonal greenery.

You just bring yourself, your joy, and a little holiday spirit.
Whether you’re grieving, celebrating, or simply looking for connection this time of year, you’re welcome here. This is a gentle, no-pressure gathering where we decorate together, sip something warm, and create a bit of holiday magic in community.

Event Details
Friday, December 12, 2025
6:00–8:00 PM
Sparrow A Contemporary Funeral Home
161 Driggs Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

What to Expect
All decorating supplies provided
Light refreshments
A peaceful, welcoming space
Time to connect with neighbors, friends, and anyone seeking community during the holidays

Who’s Invited
Everyone.
Families, friends, solo attendees, those navigating loss, and anyone looking to feel connected this season.

$10 per person.
If the cost is a hardship, please contact erica@sparrowny.com — no one will be turned away for inability to pay.
We can’t wait to create something beautiful with you.
RSVP today at link in bio and join us in making holiday magic at Sparrow.

11/27/2025

The one thing that has remained constant on Turkey Day is the Jellied cranberry. I grew up with it, love it and take it with me no matter whose house I am at or how fancy the food. It brings me comfort and reminds me of my parents and all the years we were together on the holiday that was my father’s favorite.

Our meals, whether at my parent’s in Maine or our Great Aunt and Uncle’s prior to that when we lived in Los Angeles, was the very typical white middle America fixings. The meal consisted of turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green peas (frozen), Jellied or regular cranberry from a can, Aunt Mary’s sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, rolls from a bag and then pie, lots of pie.

The first year after my mother’s death on November 13, 2015, my dad wanted to be alone. And that started our tradition of next few years spending Turkey Day with our friends & family , until life shifted again and we found ourselves in a new tradition of turkey in NYC. My friends are all gracious about me arriving with my can, and usually I find one additional connoisseur of the jellied cranberry, but even when I don’t, it’s ok. I enjoy it with no shame and with every bite, find a little comfort and a feeling of family and home.

What dish or menu item reminds you of the one/s you have lost?

11/25/2025

It’s been 4 years since my dad died In the last months of his life my dad loved to sit in his chair out on the apartment patio. I specially chose this apartment for the outdoor space. I knew he most likely would never go outside on a walk again, so figured if he had his own outdoor area he could still be outside.

And that little piece of outside was perfect. Saturdays were breakfast outside and if the sun was shining his shirt would come off! Maybe he’d be out there for an hour, never much longer. But I think it helped him feel some sense of normal when nothing else around him was.

He was slowly dying of kidney disease he’d had for years caused by unchecked high blood pressure, the toxin build up was causing something like dementia, so slowly he couldn’t recall recent events. Instead he’d focus a lot on growing up in NYC and the dysfunction of his family.

Those talks were really eye opening and at the same time really comforting for me. To be noted, he was so deaf that having regular conversations was hard. I’d yell a question and then just let him talk. Eventually, he didn’t talk much and lost most of his mobility. Gone were the Saturdays on the deck. They were replaced by a lot of sitting while he slept, an occasional question from him. Even that eventually shifted and it got so difficult watching my funny, smart, engaged dad become more and more child like.

I treasure those times on the deck.

11/21/2025

This year was a home run.

Brief notes from most of the speakers all under the umbrella of Radical Acts of Bravery

Community based compassion
Compassion
Courageous
Grit
Leaning in to suffering

Listening to understand not listening to respond

Duality of feelings and emotions
Stepping through the discomfort
Choosing connection over silence

Social workers told to support not to lead
Begin weaving that into your story
Become the center of the care
Leading from the heart

Silence causes more suffering than death itself

Joèl
Earth as a bridge between the worlds
Sankofa-go back and find what you forgot
Culture is medicine for grief

A place to put the grief/pain

What remains when language fades

If it works out “the way it is supposed to”
First and last words
Rainbows - all engage in inspecting old rainbows (what is a rainbow)

Frank Bruni The Age of Grievance

Blurring of categories
What moved you so deeply…the humanity of it all
Waiting for a miracle - holding on to hope

40% of incarcerated hospice patients are VETS

50% of the poorest get 1% of pain medication

Punctuation changes
A lost pronoun = death
A loved one not just a lost one
Loneliness is the trauma not the loss
Grief as a language is dealing with the loneliness

Not alone in the dark hallway of grief
Grief = Everyday problem that everyday people face everyday

Katherine Mannix
Reclaim the stories of dying so we can understand dying again

11/09/2025

What a wonderful day being a part of the first ever Life and Death in NYC put on by and

It brought together a cross section of people both in end of life care and lay people interested in learning more on how to navigate and prepare for end of life for either themselves or family members.

The breakout sessions ranged from mortality in wine making and sending the city to exploring the objects around us in the city and the history they carry to end of life planning. There was a sound bath, a respite room. And we learned all about The Lost Art of Dying and ars moriendi.

It was a beautiful day about death to let us all live more fully

Address

161 Driggs Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
11222

Telephone

+12129205422

Website

https://www.sparrowny.com/

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