People may attribute sightings of cardinals, fluttering butterflies, found pennies or specific numbers as signs from their late loved ones. But what if you could leave messages for your family and friends to bring them comfort and joy after your death?
Hampton Roads entrepreneurs Dave Reisch and Josh Shelly created their business, Sunset Messages, to do just that. The conduit enables people to leave a legacy of personal, heartfelt and meaningful communication.
Each message includes five photos, one five-minute audio recording, one five-minute video and up to 10,000 words of text that can be sent to unlimited recipients. Package deals range from one, three, five or 12 messages. All of the messages have unlimited editing capability and are kept completely private and secure in an online message vault.
The messages can include words of wisdom, encouragement, life lessons or acknowledgement that it’s OK for the recipient to move on with their lives. Audio messages enable the recipient to keep a loved one’s voice fresh in their mind while photos and videos can provide fond memories.
“These messages will bring comfort to the folks that we leave behind,” Shelly said. “It’s hard to put a dollar sign on that level of comfort.”
Valarie Austin of Norfolk lost her husband, mother and father all within the span of five years. Because of those losses, Austin wants to make her death as easy as possible on her daughter, who is her only child.
She intends to write messages for her family, which also includes her significant other, a son-in-law, siblings and two grandchildren.
“I think the concept is pretty awesome,” Austin said. “I’ve prearranged my funeral cremation services and this ties in with that to a certain degree.”
Beth Hughes of Norfolk said she thinks Sunset Messages is not only a needed product, but also an insightful one. She intends to leave messages for her daughter, granddaughter and sister.
“I’ve never thought about it, but I think it’s a fabulous idea,” Hughes said. “You can just be the author of it and then make sure it’s taken care of when the time is appropriate.”
A real estate agent by day, Reisch conceived the business idea in 2019. He originally planned to start it with his sister, Renee Reisch Payne, but she died suddenly in April 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
The name of the business changed to Sunset Messages following Payne’s death. Reisch said one of his sister’s favorite pastimes was watching the sun set.
“I can’t think of anything I’d want more than to receive a Sunset Message from her,” Reisch said.
Reisch then pitched the concept to his friend, Shelly, a software consultant, and he immediately jumped on board.
“I was fascinated by the idea,” Shelly said.
In May 2022, Reisch and Shelly secured a spot in 757 Startup Studios, gaining mentorship, free programming and access to amenities within the Assembly building in downtown Norfolk. Both Reisch and Shelly credit the program for helping the business get off the ground. In July 2023, Sunset Messages’ site officially went live.
As of today, the messages are delivered via email and text upon confirmation of the sender’s death via an assigned delegate, but the duo is working to create a functionality that delivers them on special days such as birthdays and anniversaries. The “death tech” startup would like to expand beyond that at some point to possibly include events that can’t be predetermined, like recipients’ wedding and graduation days or first days on the job, Reisch said.
The entrepreneurs would like to partner with florists or other gifting companies for message-giving and want to bring on equity partners, including a web developer and a social media marketing professional.
“It’s an honor to have this ability to offer the service,” Reisch said. “This is a very different way to stay connected after you pass.”
For more information, visit sunsetmessages.com.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com
