It's Not My Grandfather's Profession Any More

Modern technology has infiltrated into all aspects of our lives. There is no escaping it. I know that my grandfather, who died in 1974, would not have dreamed of even this computer I am using to write this article.

I've been around funeral service for most of my life, and have been a funeral director for a little over thirteen years. Consequently, I've witnessed the changes. From the cookie cutter funerals of twenty years ago, to the streaming online videos of the services today, the profession has come a long way.

Although I am not a true believer that all of the technology currently being utilized by funeral professionals is legitimate, it was in fact a technological innovation that finally brought me into my family's business.

Cell phones.

Growing up, I remember my grandmother and grandfather always having to be by the phone. I guess even back then, people didn't limit their dying to normal business hours. I could not imagine having to live my life like that. As a result, funeral director was never a thought for me, so I joined the Air Force.

When cell phones came around in the early nineties, I finally reconsidered and came home. I have not been disappointed. As anyone who relies on cellular communications to make their living will tell you, they are a blessing as well as a curse. The same could be said for most of these new innovations.

Another miracle of technology that actually saved me from extreme embarrassment is Google Maps. A month or so ago, I had a funeral at a church in Taunton, MA, which is about thirty miles away. Just as my grandfather would have done with an unfamiliar church, I took a ride by and devised my plan for getting cars in and out. Easy, right?

The morning of the funeral, I discovered that the St. Andrew the Apostle Church I scouted out had consolidated with another church at a different location. Seeing that the people at the church didn't give me that little tidbit of information when I arranged the mass, and we had to leave the funeral home in about twenty minutes, I turned to Google Maps.

Crisis averted. Within five minutes, I had the route to drive as well as a satellite view of the church to plan the ingress and egress. Done. My grandfather would have been screwed.

Some of the new innovations are nice as enhancements to the services. Online Guest Books are helpful to receive condolences from people who live out of state. Unfortunately, they are also being used by the next door neighbor in lieu of going to the wake. Convenient, but there is no substitute for face-to-face.

Overall, I think my grandfather would have approved of some of the new technologies such as Life Tribute Videos as well as some of the personalization options available. Even so, I can picture him telling me not to let all of these new toys get in the way of what a funeral is supposed to be. He would said, "A funeral is a time for the community to gather together to grieve the loss of one of their own, and to celebrate that life in order to help the family and friends left behind work through the pain."

Pa, I couldn't agree with you more.