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2021 Crime Victim Memorial Services

The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, in partnership with the Victim and Witness Divisions of the State’s Attorneys’ Offices, and the Maryland Board of Victim Services, sponsors four regional memorial services each year during the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The memorial services feature inspirational speakers, musical performances, and quiet reflection which honor over 4,000 crime victims of homicide, vehicular manslaughter, and missing crime victims and their families. These memorial services provide a safe, supportive, and trustworthy space for families of crime victims to congregate and share their stories. Many advocates, who strive to serve victims of crime, help to coordinate the memorial services because they understand the importance of a positive outlet for families to cope with their grief and honor their lost and loved ones.

  • Northern Region – Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore, Cecil, Harford, Howard
  • Southern Region – Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s
  • Western Region – Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Montgomery, Washington
  • Eastern Region – Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, Worcester

2021 Memorial Services will take place virtually on April 18, 2021. The services will be largely pre-recorded and available to watch online. Memorial Service materials and links will be added in the coming weeks.

2021 Memorial Service Locations and Information:

Contact Rebecca Allyn at rebecca.allyn@maryland.gov or 443-637-2188 with any questions.

Governor Opening Statement – 31st Memorial Services for Crime Victims and Their Families

Say Their Names

Responsive Reading Adapted from “Say Olin to say Good-bye” by Don Hacket

The time of concern is over. No longer are we asked how we are doing. Never are the names of our loved ones mentioned to us.

A curtain descends. The moment has passed. Lives slip from frequent recall. There are exceptions: close and compassionate friends, sensitive and loving family. For most, the drama is over.

The spotlight is off. But for us it will never end.

Say Their Names to Us.

It hurts to bury their memory in silence. What they were in flesh is no longer with us. What they are in spirit stirs within us always.

They are of our past, but they are part of our now.

Say Their Names to Us.

We are what we have to be. What we have lost, you cannot feel. What we have gained, you cannot see. They and we will meet again, though in many ways we’ve never parted.

They and their lives play light songs on our minds, sunrises and sunsets, on our dreams. They are real and in shadow, were and are.

So Say Their Names to Us And Say Their Names Again.

They are our loved ones, and we love them as we always did. 

Say Their Names To Us.

We Remember Them

Responsive Reading Written by Marilyn Gilbert

As we open our eyes each morning and see the dawning of another day, we struggle to accept the reality of a world without them.

We remember them.

We yearn to hear once more their distinctive laugh and see their beautiful smile; without them, the sky is not as blue; the sun is not as warm.

We remember them.

Spring flowers fall to lift our spirits as they used to do; only in our dreams do we hold them once again.

We remember them.

In our most private moments, we endure overwhelming emptiness. We hold our family more closely, knowing we are not promised tomorrow. Our grief is mirrored in each other’s eyes.

We remember them.

Colors, songs and photos remind us of their special brand of magic, not to be repeated. We share our precious memories and in this sharing.

We remember them.

We know so long as we draw breath, they are with us; every precious memory is a tribute to their uniqueness. We know that love is eternal.

We remember them.

Seasons change, but our longing for them remains. We go on, though not the same, accepting some small solace in the fact that nothing is ever lost, and they are loved so much.