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n.
1. Something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event.
2. A written statement of facts or a petition presented to a legislative body or an executive.
adj.
1. Serving as a remembrance of a person or an event; commemorative.
2. Of, relating to, or being in memory.
There are many ways to commemorate the life of a loved one. Traditionally headstones on graves, monuments, and plaques in public places such as park benches have been used.
Recently, more organic forms of memorial have become popular, particularly trees planted in dedication. The internet has seen the advent of a new range of memorial services including tribute websites, sometimes guaranteed to last forever.
Society > Bereavement > commemorating a loved one > memorial websites > MuchLoved
Society > Bereavement > commemorating a loved one > memorial websites > example website memorials
Society > Bereavement > commemorating a loved one > memorial websites > internet tributes
Society > Bereavement > commemorating a loved one > memorial websites > online memorials
Society > Bereavement > commemorating a loved one > memorial websites > website memorials blog
Society > Bereavement > commemorating a loved one > memorial websites > Memorial Code of ConductThere are normally two distinct times that a bereaved family make a public declaration of their private grief following the death of a loved one.
If the idea of creating a memorial website appeals to you then here are a few factors to bear in mind when choosing how to do this:
Firstly there is the announcement of death culminating in the funeral service itself. This is at a time when the bereaved will be in the midst of a great range of complex emotions such as numbness, pain, confusion, anger and even relief. As well as a possible newspaper announcement this will involve calls and messages and is often a task that is delegated as the immediate family tries to take in the news of the death. Even at the funeral service itself, the eulogy is often delivered by someone who knew the deceased but is not so close that they are unable to speak because of emotion.
Secondly, in the longer term, as the focus moves from announcement of death to legacy there will be the question of some kind of remembrance memorial. For some of the powerful or famous this may involve books, trust funds or even statues but for the vast majority it will mean commissioning a memorial gravestone, an entry in a book of remembrance or an act such as planting a tree in a special spot.
Developments in digital media and the way people communicate using email, 24hour internet use and portable mobile phone technology, has opened up new options and opportunities in the way we register a death and remember people.
In terms of announcing a death, I am personally far from convinced of the appropriateness of the internet. I remember as a child hearing a letter written by my Grandfather to be read out upon his death. It was a significant, meaningful moment and I am not sure if a parting email would have been quite the same – but organisations are starting to promote the use of email and websites in order to announce a death and with the world of communications moving so fast, who knows?
When looking to create a more permanent memorial or legacy however, websites do open up new possibilities. Crucially there are no geographical or time limits, family living far away can still visit and at any time that they need. After my brother died, I remember climbing over the fence of the graveyard one evening in order to visit his grave. It may have been a reaction to the idea of the cemetery gates closing shut at dusk, or maybe the need I had at a particular time, regardless of whether it was day or night, to connect with him.
There have been commemorative and informative website memorials existing for some time such as ones for the peace activist Rachel Corrie or for the TV presenter Caron Keating. These have normally required high levels of technical expertise or large budgets in order to create but the growth of specialist organisations have made it much easier to create your own at little cost and importantly without needing to be able to program computers.
There is a whole new area in which memorial websites can support the bereaved by helping in the grieving process itself and bridging the period between announcing a death and creating a legacy.
The stages of grief are open to debate in terms of exactly what they are and when and how you experience them, but what is accepted however is that there are stages to grief and that they have to be worked through. It is key to the bereavement journey to find the best path for yourself and this is where a memorial website organisation like MuchLoved may be able to give some help.
The people who create and then develop a website memorial range from devastated parents who have lost a child and wish to commemorate and record a life cut short, through to families remembering the life of an elderly relative by collecting together old photos, facts and stories so that grandchildren and their wider family can find out more about their life story.
If the idea of creating a memorial website appeals to you then here are a few factors to bear in mind when choosing how to do this:
