FUTURE IN 3-D

Innovation for the funeral industry, however, doesn’t stop with the Internet, as some companies have raised the art of giving tributes to a more meaningful level, thus helping the surviving kin and friends heal.

( the priest, after celebrating mass, can no longer join the entourage all the way to the cemetery), [so] there’s no program,” Mr. Jose said. “It’s the celebrant’s job to actually do it. Even in our cremation services, we have a short tribute that we created for all families. There’s a flower offering, there’s a last memory writing, there’s now a candle ceremony.”

The final memory writing refers to the surviving kin writing their final messages or memories on the coffin before it is cremated.

Of course, closure for the surviving kin is helped along by providing memorabilia, giving them a feeling that the deceased is still with them, if not in spirit, then at least through some piece of remembrance.

Examples of customized keepsakes include personalized candle with the picture of the deceased; “thumbies,” which is a personalized jewelry created from the fingerprint of a loved one; and a cross made from the corner of the casket used during the wake.

On the subject of caskets, Mr. Jose said 3-D printing is the wave abroad: “The corners of the caskets can actually be the face of the person. It’s not here yet but we can order it abroad. I’ve seen urns in the shape of boats and model cars because of the advent of the 3-D printer. I was in a convention last October and they actually showed me a stadium, a baseball stadium, which was an urn because the guy was a baseball player. So he had the stadium recreated from a picture and made into a 3-D.”