How families are connecting to share stories and say goodbye
Stories. We love them, We’ve always loved them. Even ‘history’ as a word comes from ‘his’ ‘story.’ We like to hear them, and we like to share them. The stories we like most are the ones involving those we love. Those colorful characters and plot twists make up the text of our life stories, and sharing those stories brings us greater connection to each other.
As a society, we love being connected too. Be it email, social networking or mobile phone calls; we share our stories and communicate with each other all the time. And this can be true even in our grief. When faced with the loss of a loved one, the ability to connect with others, sharing stories and treasured memories, allows us to honor and celebrate those we have lost.
Many families and friends are now separated by distance and time zones. The majority of people have at least one family member living in another country, and it is not always possible for everyone who would want to be at a funeral service to be there. In some situations distance may not be the only issue: illness, cost of travel or other commitments can make it impossible to attend. We still want to be able to have the chance to say goodbye and be a part of that story.
One Room’s webcasting software allows you to be written into that final paragraph. You may be unable to physically attend a service, but you can still be part of the event. With high definition recording and global live streaming (as well as archiving for later viewing or download), we provide people with the opportunity to share in the memories and be able to say goodbye in their own way.
We know that these important moments should not be distracted by complicated instructions or difficult-to-use technology. So for all our users, whether a Funeral Director booking the service or a friend or family member watching it, we have made the software easy and intuitive so that you can concentrate on the service… concentrate on the story.
With 56% of Americans now owning smartphones and using them to access the internet more frequently than computers, we have also optimized our webcasting for mobile, with designated apps and responsive technology to enhance the viewing experience. We want to make sure that in these important moments, people are able to say goodbye and find some peace, wherever they may be.
Recently, a brother and sister contacted us. Their father had passed away and while his daughter was able to attend the service, his son was in London and unable to make it back in time for the funeral. Their father had spent much of his youth living in Europe and they had friends and family spread across the world that would also be unable to attend in person.
The daughter told us how relieved she had been when the funeral home had explained that they could offer One Room webcasting so that friends and family could watch from afar. When she told her brother that he could still watch and be a part of the funeral, he had been reduced to tears. He was so relieved that he could say goodbye to his father even though he could not make it back here. They were so grateful for the service and told us that many of his friends and extended family had held their own memorial services, sitting and watching the service together.
We hear stories like this frequently. Families separated by illness or distance, but joined in their grief. Families that have been able to connect and say goodbye, because of One Room.
We have now helped to connect thousands of family and friends in 68 countries…That’s a lot of stories that One Room has helped to share.
David Lutterman was a founding investor in One Room and joined full time as CEO in 2013. He has a 25 year background in Telecommunications and Information Technology, most recently running territory operations for Cisco and EMC in the field of cyber security and fraud prevention. David’s move to One Room is driven by his passion for the benefit of this technology and desire to lead growth across global markets.
To learn more about the One Room and FrontRunner integration, check out the
FrontRunner Blog and contact Callum Winsor at 1-866-748-3625 ext. 541 or via email at callum@oneroomfunerals.com.
Nicely written, David! Unfortunately (for me) I get stuck on your use of “his” “story” as the origin of “history”. (The burden of the writer who loves etymology!) It comes from Latin, historia (Greek historía) which really means learning or knowing by inquiry. (Stay with me here…) I believe many of today’s families don’t have “time enough to know” about their past. They are so caught up with the overwhelming amount of information coming at them every day through the media and Internet channels – yet when a loved one dies, there is a valuable opening – brought about by their loss and ensuing grief.
In providing webcasting services, One Room helps fill that space in a deeply meaningful way, helping family members to learn more about their loved one’s personal history and better come to know their family history. You provide the opportunity for inquiry into the unknown. And what a remarkable gift that is to the families you serve!