Funeral Webcast: The Closest Thing to Being There

Webcasts rose from obscurity in the 1990s to become a staple of modern communication, connecting people across continents and around the world by drawing them into a virtual gathering place for a common purpose. Businesses quickly adopted the webcast as a convenient and cost-effective way to conduct meetings and seminars, and today webcasts are everywhere ­– including funerals.

Yes, funeral webcasts. Some people find the idea a bit ghoulish at first – perhaps they recall a well-meaning relative who, back in the day, showed up at every wake and funeral with Polaroid in hand and proceeded to “capture the moment” by shooting pictures of the corpse in the casket. Others resist injecting technology into such a solemn and personal occasion. And some express concerns that funeral webcasts will cause people to stop attending funerals altogether.

According to Mark Krause of Krause Funeral Home in Milwaukee, such fears appear to be unfounded. His funeral home began offering webcasts just last year, and already they’re handling two webcasts a week. “This doesn’t replace people coming to the funeral,” Krause says. “It allows people who can’t be there to participate.”

Funerals are for the living – they aid in the grieving process and help survivors face the reality that their loved one has died. Funeral webcasts make it possible for anyone to attend the funeral without regard to time, distance or cost. Viewers can see their friends and family members at the funeral and listen to the music and eulogies from any location with an Internet connection and a secure password.