During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual funeral and memorial services grew in demand due to the barriers of traveling and gathering at the time. Though the pandemic has ended, people have begun to see the emotional value of holding a virtual memorial service combined with an online tribute page to memorialize the recent passing of family and friends.
Virtual funeral services offer a nearly limitless number of ways to capture memories, make connections, and share heartfelt emotions to honor the death of a loved-one. Meeting virtually enables people to attend no matter where they are in the world to share their experiences and memories of the recently departed. People who choose to host a virtual memorial service have the option to bring in an unlimited number of attendees, which is not possible when gathering in-person due to physical space constraints and travel logistics. Online attendees can chat with each other through the service and connect “face-to-face” during a virtual reception immediately following the service. Prospective attendees whose schedules don’t permit them to attend live are able to view all of the recorded proceedings on-demand after they’ve taken place.
Willowise, one such online funeral service provider, has taken on the mission to create and host virtual funeral and memorial services. The company was founded by Brock & Esther Sheets after Brock’s father passed away suddenly in 2021. They decided the best way to honor Brock’s father was to hold a service virtually since his father had family, friends, and colleagues spread across a vast geographical footprint. Having spent 9 years creating websites, webinars, online courses, and virtual meetings for a defense association in Washington DC, Brock knew firsthand that a well-crafted virtual event can have just as much of an impact - if not more - than a traditional in-person funeral service. Through that experience, Brock and Esther set out to start offering virtual memorial services through Willowise.
Since starting the virtual memorial services and the online tribute pages, Willowise has received positive praise from their clients. Barbara Wolfinger worked with Willowise during a difficult time in her life and was extremely happy with the service she and her family got.
“I could not have been happier with Willowise. During such a sad and stressful time, they were wonderful to deal with and really thought of everything. The memorial webpage, the service, the reception, even the invitations, were so professional and really quite beautifully done,” says Wolfinger. “Many friends and family members remarked afterwards what a lovely event it was. The fact that everything was virtual allowed people from all over the country to attend and stay safe, and the fact that it was all recorded allowed others who could not attend to experience it.”
Peter Robertson says Willowise was able to provide him with the perfect service following the death of his wife.
“Brock Sheets, CEO of Willowise, created an amazing virtual memorial service to remember and celebrate the life of my beloved wife of nearly 54 years, Cathie Robertson, who passed away in May. The whole experience of dealing with Brock and Willowise was flawless and easy to follow with his detailed instructions,” says Robertson. “At the outset, he outlined how these celebrations typically work and came up with a plan for the website and the event itself. It involved getting pre-recorded remembrances by my wife's family, friends, and colleagues, which were posted on the web site for all those who attended the event to see at the beginning of the service.”
In addition to hosting virtual memorial services, Willowise has created the option for their clients to have a dedicated memorial webpage set up to honor their family or friends who have passed away. While tombstones have been around for thousands of years, they don’t showcase the true connection that people have with the person through a few lines etched into a block of granite. The online tribute page enables the flexibility to share photos, videos, songs, poems, and many other features that show the depth and breadth of who the departed really were. All of these features offer surviving family and friends the ability to look back on cherished memories at any time, wherever they are in the world as long as they have an internet connection.
Brock Sheets says the virtual memorial services provided by Willowise are highly thoughtful and personalized events that are more than just live streaming.
“Virtual funeral and memorial services aren’t just live streaming in-person events, they are a fully-formed, holistic online experience - from the website, to the memorial service, and finally to the reception. It's a comprehensive memorial experience that’s vital during the grieving process,” says Sheets. “It is our deepest privilege to help people honor their loved-ones with a beautiful online memorial.”
Media Contact: Brock Sheets
Email: [email protected]
