Online Memorials -- Registry of Life

by Gregory Allen Butler

Online memorials are becoming more and more common. And for good reason. When a loved one dies, the question of how best to remember and honor the departed needs to be answered, along with how to deal with the grief of the loss. Online memorials serve all of those purposes.

Why should memories end with a memorial service? Why should a grave stone be the only way to tell the world that someone lived here on Earth, someone who was vitally important in the lives of many, whether as a father or mother, a brother or sister, or as a son or daughter, or as a dear friend?

There are services now that will assist you in creating an eternal, online memorial website, otherwise known as a living registry. It is not only a way to help with grief, but it’s a way to continue expressing the inner-most feelings for the deceased. One such service that I have looked at closely, which understands the issues of grief, and the importance of its expression, can be found at http://www.registryoflife.com

Registry of Life was founded by Dr. Wayne Dees, a clinical psychologist who has extensive experience with bereavement, grief and loss. Dr. Dees also contributes his writings on grief, and how to deal with it, on the site. You can also post questions to Dr. Dees on grief and he will answer you. Obviously, the service is not only about honoring a loved one, but it is also about coping with the loss of a loved one.

Here is what Dr. Dees has to say about the creation of this service:

Registry of Life was designed to commemorate and celebrate the lives of our loved ones who have predeceased us. A Living Registry helps with the important tasks of mourning and bereavement including commemorating the loss, acknowledging the reality of the loss, identifying and expressing the emotions of grief, and saying goodbye to those we love. The Registry of Life website also offers guidance and encouragement to the bereaved to tell their story and share their memories.

This is a dignified and vitally important service that everyone should know about. Grief can be so difficult to get through. So many people let their lives get derailed by grief. This is one online memorial service that can really help.

I like many of the features at Registry of Life, one of which is being able to choose whether the tribute you create is public or private. Another feature I like is that it is interactive. You can allow visitors to not only visit the registry you create, but they can post photos and add comments in the guestbook. Other features include password protection, the ability to upload any music you want, and the ability to tell your loved one’s whole life story. There is also a time-line feature.

If you decide to create a life registry, you will be able to choose from 14 design themes. You can add, delete or edit content 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the rest of your life.

It’s easy to set up. You have a 14-day free trial after which your credit card, which you supply during registration, will be charged. There is a one-time charge of $49.95 and that ensures that your registry will remain on-line for all time. What a great value. The url would look something like johndoe.registryoflife.com.

This service also provides a comprehensive listing of web resources on grief.

Although there are other similar online memorial services, I don’t know any that offer such a complete service.