All faculty, students and staff are welcome to attend the annual memorial service commemorating the lives of those who donated their bodies to the Wayne State University School of Medicine Body Bequest Program for medical education, taking place at 11 a.m. May 4, inside the chapel at Oakland Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery, located at 43300 West 12 Mile Road, in Novi, Mich.

The one-hour, minister-officiated service is held yearly to pay respects to the donors, and includes the burial of their cremated remains. Donor families are invited to attend the service, which is organized by the Body Bequest Program's Mortuary Supervisor Barbara Rosso-Norgan, B.S., M.S.L., and first-year medical students, who serve as pallbearers and ushers, and read the names of those being remembered. The school's UltraSounds acapella group will perform.

"These donors have given their bodies to teach these students. Their families are following through on the wishes of their loved ones so that our students here, and medical residents within area hospitals, will be able to learn," Rosso-Norgan said. "They receive no compensation for this. They do it because they feel this will help future doctors learn and understand how the body works, and they have hope that future generations will benefit from the knowledge these medical students and residents gain."

Four medical students are expected to speak on the Class of 2021's behalf.

"After this service, you walk away feeling like you were part of something bigger than yourself. It's an awesome feeling," Rosso-Norgan said.