CHICAGO — After losing his grandfather, a South Side man is turning his grief into a resource to help others navigate life’s most difficult moments.
Englewood native Jay Wilburn is the creator of BestFarewell.com, a digital platform designed to assist families with funeral planning, organizing estate paperwork and other tasks that often follow the death of a loved one.
The website offers tools to help users organize important documents such as wills, trusts and insurance policies in a secure, shared space, and includes a user-friendly obituary creator to help families capture and tell meaningful life stories. It also provides memorial pages, a step-by-step planning checklist and features intended to guide users through end-of-life tasks with clarity and support.
Wilburn said the goal of BestFarewell is to simplify an overwhelming and emotional process by centralizing tasks often handled during a period of grief.
“It is about helping families stay organized and supported when they need it most,” Wilburn said.
The platform currently uses a subscription model with a monthly fee of $9, which provides access to its suite of planning and memorial tools. Wilburn is also developing a mobile app version of BestFarewell to make the service more accessible on the go.
Built with features powered by AI, the website helps users write personalized obituaries and memorial tributes, capture final wishes and store vital documents securely, giving families peace of mind and a structured way to honor legacies.
BestFarewell also offers grief support resources and planning guidance through its online blog, where experts share practical tips for memorial planning and coping with loss.