MORGAN CITY, La. — Dolly Parton’s music, generosity and kindness have left a lasting mark on people across Louisiana, and a Morgan City funeral home is giving community members an opportunity to share their memories of the country music icon.
Hargrave Funeral Home in Morgan City has set up a memorial table where fans can sign a remembrance book and receive a complimentary prayer card. Messages left by supporters will eventually be sent to the funeral home that handled Parton’s arrangements.
“Everyone she touched, from distance or closeness, even here, we experience that grief because our lives have changed without her presence, and so we want to celebrate that,” said Candace Dinger, area manager for Hargrave Funeral Home.
Dinger said the memorial has already prompted community members to share personal memories of Parton.
“I don't know anyone who does not smile when they hear the name ‘Dolly Parton,’ and we all have beautiful memories of her in one way or another,” Dinger said.
Dinger recalled one man who visited the funeral home and shared that his first concert was a Parton performance in Morgan City. He also remembered a hat Parton signed and jokingly recalled missing an opportunity to get a kiss from her.
For Dinger, the memorial is about more than remembering Parton’s music. It is an opportunity for fans to reflect on the ways her kindness and generosity affected their lives.
“She made a legacy in everything she touched, not just her career, but in the things that she held close to her heart,” Dinger said. “She brought families together, she brought education that spanned generations and included all people of different walks of lives.”
The memorial will be available during Hargrave Funeral Home’s Morgan City office hours through Sept. 4.
Dinger said Parton’s influence will continue long after the memorial ends.
“She was constantly gracious and giving, and most importantly, authentically herself,” Dinger said. “And so I think that's why she resonated with so many beautiful people. She was truly a role model in all ways.”
