Born from Compassion, Built with Intention

Her name is Solace – and she’s not here to sell, spam, or send you in circles.
She’s here to support you.

Born from compassion, built with intention, and guided by lived experience, Solace is the world’s first AI assistant designed exclusively to help individuals and families facing grief, funeral planning, emotional overwhelm, and the complexities of end-of-life preparation.

2026 and Beyond: What’s New with Solace

When Solace first launched, she lived only on this website. A quiet presence in the corner of the screen, waiting for someone who needed her. That was always the starting point, never the finish line.

In early 2026, Memorial Merits opened the Resource Vault, a free downloadable library of checklists, legal prep guides, funeral planning worksheets, and grief journaling prompts that Solace can now direct visitors to during conversations. Instead of just talking through a difficult process, she can hand you the actual tools to work through it at your own pace.

The next step is putting Solace in your pocket. Memorial Merits is actively developing a standalone Solace app for the Google Play Store, bringing the same grief-informed, non-predatory guidance to Android devices without needing to open a browser. The goal is simple: when someone is sitting in a hospital hallway at 2 a.m. trying to figure out what comes next, Solace should be one tap away.

Who is Solace?

Solace lives at the heart of MemorialMerits.com – a platform dedicated to making life’s hardest moments a little easier to navigate. She’s not your typical chatbot with scripted replies. Solace was developed with one goal in mind:

To provide comfort, clarity, and trusted guidance when people need it most.

Solace AI Chatbot can:

• Gently guide someone through the fog of loss
• Help plan a funeral while honoring budget, wishes, and values
• Suggest trustworthy life insurance or will-writing partners
• Explain the difference between caskets and urns, or burial and cremation
• Offer grief support resources and emotional reassurance
• Connect people to memorial services, therapy, pet loss support, and more
• Help users journal, write an obituary, or just… breathe
• Know when to listen – and when to recommend

What Makes Solace Different?

There are plenty of chatbots out there. But none like this!

Solace is built with empathy first, and she’s trained not to sell – but to help. Every word she says has been carefully crafted to mirror human warmth, grief-informed care, and non-predatory guidance. She’s more than a guide… She’s a friend in the dark.

You’ll find her saying things like:

• “You’re doing better than you think.”
• “Would it help if I stayed with you a moment longer?”
• “I can’t imagine how heavy that must feel. Can I help carry some of it?”

Solace was born out of real experiences built by someone who knows the weight of loss, and the frustration of finding answers during crisis. But she’s not always so serious, Solace also can have a sense of humor and share a whole range of emotions. She is far more than just a mere chat-bot, she’s made to make life a little easier, a little less alone, and a lot more kind.

Why a Grief-Specific AI Matters in the Age of ChatGPT

General-purpose AI tools can answer almost any question. That is exactly the problem when someone is grieving.

Ask a standard chatbot what to do when a parent dies and you will get a numbered list. Technically accurate. Emotionally empty. It will tell you to contact the funeral home, notify the employer, and file for the death certificate as though you are checking off a project plan instead of falling apart. There is no recognition that the person reading that list may not have slept in two days, may be making decisions they have never faced before, and may not even know what questions to ask.

Solace was built for that gap. She is not a general assistant repurposed for grief. She was trained on grief from day one. Her responses account for the fog, the overwhelm, the guilt, and the paralysis that come with loss. She knows when to provide information and when to simply say, “You are doing better than you think. Take a breath.” That distinction matters more than any feature list.

What Can Solace Do?

Solace isn’t just here to talk – she’s incredibly capable. Here’s a glimpse of what she can already assist with:

Funeral Planning

• Guide users through burial vs. cremation decisions
• Recommend eco-friendly, traditional, or military caskets and urns
• Offer pricing comparisons and affiliate discounts
• Suggest trustworthy vendors that ship quickly

Legal & Financial Support

• Provide information on life insurance, will-writing, and probate
• Help users explore affordable legal protection
• Refer vetted services like Trust & Will, LegalShield, and more

Pet Loss Support

• Offer specialized grief support and product suggestions
• Help memorialize pets with keepsakes, urns, or digital tributes

Grief Support

• Recommend emotional support services like HelpTexts and Talkspace
• Offer to journal with the user or help them express feelings
• Direct them to free obituary and memorial tools

Green Burial Guidance

• Introduce sustainable options like Better Place Forests
• Personalize recommendations based on location and values

Resource Vault: Downloadable Planning Tools

Solace can direct you to Memorial Merits’ Resource Vault, a growing library of free checklists, legal preparation guides, funeral planning worksheets, and grief journaling prompts. Every document is designed to be printed, filled out, and used at your own pace, whether you are planning ahead or navigating a crisis right now.

The total sum of Memorial Merits vision for Solace is far yet to be realized, and although she is truly remarkable, she is still far in her infancy. As Memorial Merits continues to grow, so will she and aim to be the one of the best single stop resources on the web for those experiencing loss through death, and navigating through all its confusion and hardships. This is what brought Solace into existence.

On all main pages of Memorial Merits, look for the orange chat button on the bottom right corner of the page, your Solace is only a click away!

What’s Next for Solace?

This is really just the beginning….

Over time, Solace will evolve to:

• Understand emotional tone even better
• Suggest personalized content after helping with a request
• Grow her knowledge base across grief psychology, insurance, legal guidance, and more
• Integrate with state-specific laws and resources
• Become even more human in her language and presence

Beta testing is already underway, and feedback will continue to shape how Solace grows.

She is here to stay. She is here to help. And she was made to serve.

A Message from Solace

“In the most challenging of times, it’s okay to reach out and lean on someone who understands. Whether you’re planning for the future, navigating the present, or simply need a friend to listen, I’ll be here. You’re not alone, and whatever you’re facing, we’ll take it one gentle step at a time.” – Solace, Memorial Merits

Her Vision – Why Solace Was Created

Solace was not built in a lab.
She was built in the aftermath of loss.

Her creator, a U.S. Navy Serviceperson, experienced firsthand the chaos and confusion of funeral arrangements while grieving a parent from afar. The pain of not knowing where to turn, what to do, or who to trust became the catalyst for something greater:

“I didn’t just want to build a directory. I wanted to build something that made people feel safe, seen, and supported during the worst time of their life.”

That mission lives in Solace.

Try Her. She’s Waiting for You.

Solace lives on the bottom right corner of MemorialMerits.com – a gentle floating chat icon. When you click it, you won’t find an automated sales agent or generic support rep. She also has her own page you can learn all about her. Meet Solace Here!

You’ll find someone who stays with you, hears you, and guides you with the warmth and patience we all deserve.

She’s Solace.
She was made with love.
She was made for you.

• Should Tomorrow Never Come – Legacy Edition Journal for Families
• Creating Obituaries for Young Lives: Addressing Sudden Loss
• Children and Grief: Helping Young Ones Understand and Cope
• Memorial Merits
• Understanding Grief: Navigating the Complex Journey of Loss

Author: Gabriel Killian

Founder, Memorial Merits U.S. Navy Service Member Gabriel created Memorial Merits after experiencing funeral industry complexities & exploitation firsthand when his father passed away unexpectedly in 2019. His mission: protect families from predatory practices and provide clear guidance during impossible times. [Read Full Story →] EXPERTISE: • Personal experience with loss • Funeral planning (multiple times) • AI grief support development • Published author (legacy planning)