Faith Sommerfied was a graduate of Smith College, an editor at Harper’s Bazaar, director of a public relations firm in Manhattan, formed her own interior design company, and in 2019 founded the Completed Life Initiative.
“Life,” said Faith, “is such an incredible gift. In so many ways, we are able to shape our own lives, sometimes our own destinies. It’s our responsibility, depending on who and how we want to be, to give our lives as much meaning as possible. The concept of a Completed Life asks what our lifelong dreams are, what our intentions are, what we most want to accomplish, experience, and do in our life.”
Faith died peacefully on September 27, 2022, at the time of her choosing, in Basel, Switzerland. “My life according to my personal criteria,” Faith shared, “is completed.” Her last words, shared with those gathered at the bedside, were nearly “I love you,” but she died before she could speak the last word. But her intent was clear.
Impacted by the death of her first child shortly after birth, and a friend’s painful death in childhood, Faith acknowledged a place for one’s spiritual beliefs as it relates to death and believed, “God had not intended us to suffer at the time of our deaths.” Faith saw her life’s purpose as advocating for the importance of autonomy and end-of-life options that offer choice and dignity.
The mission of the Completed Life Initiative is to ask the question,
“What is a Completed Life?” and to advocate for a patient’s right to direct end of life care.
Honoring Faith’s passion for the stewardship of our planet’s resources, CLI’s office furniture is constructed from ethically sourced wood, repurposed Mango trees and teak salvaged from old buildings. Our office is located at 10 Grand Central, an Energy Star compliant sustainable building, near Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations, underscoring our desire that CLI’s mission impact our nation and world as we seek to provide a space that brings people together to reflect on how to live better and to die well.
The Completed Life Initiative
155 E. 44th Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10017
1-929-456-8008
[email protected]
© Completed Life Initiative. All rights reserved, 2023.
