Learn About Online Memorials

Online Memorials

Forty years ago it was commonly expected that an obituary for a loved one would be published in the print newspapers in the community or communities where the deceased resided for any length of time. But the continued decline in readership, due in large part to the Internet, has greatly affected this long-standing tradition. In fact, today's newspapers are changing the way they deal with obituary submissions: while some local newspapers publish obituaries or death notices at no charge to the family; others demand a rather significant publication fee, based on word count or the number of column inches used, and there is usually an extra fee for any photographs submitted for inclusion.

Today, There's the Internet

Fortunately, online memorials have taken the place of the print obituary or death notice, and our funeral home offers what we consider to be the finest example of online memorials, the Book of Memories™. Created by a team of award-winning web developers and designers, the Book of Memories™ is intended to provide your family with a permanent place to pay tribute to your loved one.

More About the Book of Memories™

Far more than a traditional obituary—which is usually published only once and has no interactivity at all—the Book of Memories™ Memorial Website is a fully-interactive archive of treasured photographs and stories remembered from their time spent with friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

You'll be able to invite others to visit the online memorial, where they can upload images, share stories, write heart-felt messages of condolence, send a floral tribute to the funeral, and so much more. And the built-in social media integration means they can then “spread the word” about their addition to your loved one’s Book of Memories™ using Facebook and Twitter.

We offer the families we serve a Book of Memories™ memorial website with the intention that it gives you a measure of solace and comfort during the coming months. To arrange for a Book of Memories® memorial website for your loved one, call us today.

Personalized Memorials

Memorial Services

Our Journey of Remembrance Memorial Package includes the following:

Video Tribute

Cherished moments deserve more than a slide show. We create a cinema-quality personalized DVD for your family, using the only software available offering world-class movie creation technology.

Featuring 24 of your personally selected family photos, the memorial DVD includes your choice of our many scenic motion video backgrounds and music tracks. The completed tribute video can be displayed during visitation and/or service.

Photo Memorials

Canvas Portrait - A favorite photo of your loved one is reproduced as a beautiful 11 x 14 portrait on canvas, and framed for display during visitation and service. This gallery-quality portrait is a lasting memorial your family will treasure forever.

Keepsake Photo Tribute - By combining a photo of your loved one and a meaningful written sentiment into a scenic background selection, we create a unique 8 x 10 glossy print suitable for framing. Your photographic tribute will be placed on our Online Memorial Gallery where it may be viewed by friends and family members.

Bookmarks

We provide a set of four high-quality laminated bookmarks featuring the same written sentiment and photograph as your 8 x 10 tribute. The reverse side of each bookmark displays the newspaper obituary.

We believe that funeral and memorial services are most meaningful when they provide an understanding of that person's life. Special interests and activities that were important to your loved one will also give meaning to the people who attend the service. Our staff can help you share those memories by gathering and displaying photos and other items during the visitation or service.

Examples of special Memory Displays

  • For an avid fisherman -- favorite rod and reel, tackle box, a prized mounted catch, ''lucky'' hat, photos from memorable trips.
  • For the expert cook -- favorite cookbooks, apron, oven mitt, best recipes, a favorite pan or kitchen tool.
  • For the traveller -- maps, suitcase, travel souvenirs, postcards or photos from favorite destinations.

Memorial Service vs. Funeral

The biggest difference of a traditional funeral and a memorial service is that the body is not present in a casket at a memorial service. However, an urn with the loved one’s ashes may be present at a memorial service. Both traditional funeral services and memorial services have structure, and both bring the community together in support and remembrance. However, a traditional funeral service is much more structured and formal. A traditional funeral service is often associated with religion so it is often led by a member of clergy, whereas a memorial service is led by a celebrant or master of ceremonies. Memorial services often allow for each guest to participate to some level, where guests of a traditional funeral are really just there to observe and reflect.

Memorial Service vs. 
Celebration of Life

A celebration of life is an event that truly celebrates the loved one’s passions, intellectual pursuits, personality, and personal accomplishments. A celebration of life can really have no structure at all and can be really anything you want.
 
A memorial service could be best described as a gentle mix of a traditional funeral and celebration of life. A memorial service has some structure, but it still allows you the flexibility to make the ceremony unique and personalized to fit the individual being honored. Also the mood generally lies somewhere in the middle of completely somber and celebratory.

Why Choose a Memorial Service

- We find the most common reason people choose a memorial service is that they want the extra time to plan a ceremony. Since a memorial service can take place after the body has been buried or cremation, there is no rush to organize a ceremony. Immediately following a death, families are not emotionally ready to have a ceremony – They need time to grieve. Relatives and friends that live far away can organize their schedule to travel for the memorial service.

- Often those not religious choose to have a memorial service as opposed to a traditional funeral because traditional funerals are more often associated with religion.

- Memorial service tend to be cheaper than holding a traditional funeral

- As mentioned above, for some people memorial services serve as the perfect compromise between a celebration of life and traditional funeral service.

- Some people find celebrations of life do not pay enough attention to the deceased and turn into solely a party
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