When someone touches your life, it's natural that you want to honor them in a way that's as unique and special as they were. We recently met a woman who's devoted herself to planning unique and different ways to remember the dearly departed. There's no doubt some of her ideas will be brand new to you. Elisa Krcilek, Vice President of Mountain View Funeral Home Cemetery and Crematory in Mesa, Arizona tells us about some of the new ways to memorialize a loved one.
First... A high-tech option for tombstones... QR codes.
You've see QR codes on products and menus -- well, if you put one on a gravestone and scan the code with your phone, it'll take you to a personalized digital memorial page with photos of the depared, along with videos and memories shared by family and friends. Bonus, it lets people upload other memories and images later, so it can be continually updated.
Next... hold loved ones close with handcasts and thumbprint jewelry.
After your loved one is deceased, an artist creates a full cast of their hand. It's a tangible reminder of that person who touched your life. Another option allows you to carry a little momento of your loved one with you, wherever you go -- it's about taking your loved ones' fingerprint and turning it into a ring, a necklace, or even a dog tag. Elisa had one grandmother make these for her eleven grandchildren with a message engraved, and it was very special.
Finally... DNA storage.
Elisa says this is a way to actually hold your DNA, that's like a genetic time capsule. The funeral home retrieves the DNA and works with a company that produces the device you'll see in the video. Down the road, it could help you research genes related to healthcare decisions... or geneology. So everything that could be done with a DNA test can be done after the fact, because it's preserved.
