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Cremation Urns

A Life as Big as the Sky

July 13, 2025

Phil and his three grown children met with artist Chris Nordin in the weeks after losing his wife and their mother. They wanted to memorialize Cathy Zavala Sanborn with an impactful urn that would capture something of her very expansive spirit and the care she took with all people in her life. She was always up for adventurous travels even in her final year. The way she lived exemplified commitment and dedication, but with an equal measure of delight and open-hearted warmth and welcoming hospitality.

Mia, Carina and Gabe are the crowning jewels of her very full life. Cathy had only just launched the last of her children into his college years. She had poured so much of herself into their lives in so many beautiful and fun ways. Holidays were marked by traditions that the kids could count on year after year. She made things fun and modeled how to accept life’s challenges with grace and grit without letting go of humility and compassion for others. Through her they learned how to find their own personal best and how to value it beyond their individual experiences. Cathy embraced the mess and magic of her children’s lives with dedication, love and joy.

The family found an interested and receptive listener in Chris Nordin. Gabe had an idea for the shape of the urn that Chris sketched for him until he captured it. Carina imagined that a glass succulent on top would remind them of how she tended to all that she loved, whether that was a project, an anticipated family adventure, or the many, many people for whom she was a beloved friend and joyful, fun-loving companion. She radiated beauty, elegance and strength into the lives of those she touched. Could Chris capture her sense of wonder when the night sky was filled with the Aurora Borealis?

Chris produced sketches and developed the ideas until they reached a satisfying state. Then he needed to develop a technique for capturing the Aurora in glass, a new and exciting challenge for him. After Chris and Phil reviewed samples, they settled on the effect that depicted the expansiveness and beauty of both the Aurora and Cathy’s spirit. They decided to encase a small portion of her cremation remains and luminescence into the glass of the urn—sprinkling her across the vastness of the glass sky and dancing with the astounding colors and light she loved so much.

Phil asked Chris to make one large urn for him and three smaller ones, each to contain cremation remains. Phil speaks highly of his experience of working with Chris who asked to hear about Cathy, her life, and what she dedicated herself to across the years. He appreciated the outcome of their collaborative efforts and how Chris expressed his own creative talents. Phil also asked Chris to make 4 Memory Spheres, one for each of Cathy’s brothers who live across the globe. “This is a wonderful opportunity to personalize a memorial to honor someone you love.”

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Sculptural Reflections
c/o Chris Nordin Studios Gallery
117 E. Ann Street Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Phone (313) 487-6276
Email nextsteps@sculpturalreflections.com

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