ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke community came together Sunday at Oakey’s Funeral Service to celebrate the life of Ragnar — a golden retriever who spent years comforting families through some of their most difficult moments and passed in early May.
Photos, flowers and memories filled the room as attendees gathered to honor the gentle therapy dog whose impact stretched far beyond the walls of the funeral home.
A life of service
Ragnar served as Oakey’s Funeral Service’s grief therapy dog from 2018 until his retirement in 2025, attending more than 1,000 funerals and offering comfort to grieving families throughout the Roanoke area and beyond.
“He just lived an extraordinary life, impacted a lot of people around Roanoke and beyond,” said Sam Oakey, Ragnar’s owner.
His presence left such a lasting impression on those who knew him that his family created a guiding principle in his honor.
“We started a new phrase in our house called ‘What would Ragnar do?’ because he just loved everybody the same and wanted everyone to be happy and feel good,” said Allison Oakey, Ragnar’s owner.
Diagnosis, retirement, passing
Following his retirement, Ragnar was diagnosed with a form of cancer. After undergoing treatment, he was able to spend time with his family before passing in early May.
Since his passing, the Roanoke community has rallied around the Oakey family with an outpouring of support.
“This last week has been some of the saddest days we’ve ever had, certainly the saddest we’ve had together,” Allison Oakey said. “It’s helped uplift our spirits a lot to see all the support.”
A legacy that lives on
Sunday’s remembrance service gave the community a space not only to grieve Ragnar’s loss, but to celebrate the comfort and connection he brought to so many during life’s hardest moments.
“His legacy truly will carry on, and he’ll live in the memories of so many people — even strangers to us — which is such an inspiration,” Sam Oakey said.