Celebrate a Life Both Near and Far

What You Need to Know About Virtual Celebrations of Life

When a loved one passes away, we turn to our community for support. Coming together with everyone to share stories and celebrate the deceased’s life is an important tradition that offers comfort and closure to all in attendance. But for almost every memorial service or celebration of life ceremony, there is at least one family member, friend, colleague or neighbor who cannot attend.

We’d like to think that no matter what, we’d be there for a loved one’s funeral. Sadly, sometimes circumstances are beyond our control. Family members may be too sick to attend. Work, school or military obligations may be unavoidable. For some, travel accommodations may be too expensive or unavailable. And other unforeseen life events might take us by surprise, demanding our attention and derailing our best-laid plans.

Today, many memorial services now include a virtual component, so those who cannot attend can still watch the service along with everyone else and offer their support to the grieving.

Virtual Tribute Services at Cedar Memorial

At Cedar Memorial, we have partnered with a platform called TribuCast to create a personalized website that acts as a virtual home for people who cannot pay their respects in person. Here, people can tune into a livestream of the memorial service and/or visitation, read the eulogy, submit stories and words of encouragement, browse photos, videos and other keepsakes, and sign the online guest book.

How Does It Work?

Cedar Memorial takes care of the set-up and will provide you with a URL to access the tribute website. Attendees do not need to sign-up or login to attend the virtual service, making it easy for people of all ages to use. To view the live broadcast of the service, virtual attendees will need an internet connection and either a computer, phone or tablet. Tuning into the service is as easy as hitting the play button.

If one of your attendees is not used to working on a computer, we recommend talking to them in advance to let them know what to expect. If you or any attendees need assistance accessing anything within the site, the helpful staff at Cedar Memorial are available to talk through everything them over the phone, so no one has to miss out. Additionally, the livestream will be recorded, so in the event an attendee cannot attend at the time the service is held, they can still watch on and hear the beautiful words said about their loved one.

No One Needs to Miss Out

Thanks to modern technology, no one ever has to miss such an important and significant event as a tribute or memorial service. If you have any questions about the process, get in touch with Cedar Memorial at 319-393-8000 or contact us online here.