By GARY DEMUTH

Salina Journal

The recently departed can be a presence at their own funerals, thanks to computer technology.

Through the use of computer software systems, within 24 to 48 hours, relatives can have photos of their loved one, along with film, music CDs and spoken tributes compiled into a professional video tribute package for a public viewing and/or memorial service.

Before the personal computer, static slide shows were about all family members could expect at a funeral service, said Mike Carlson, of Carlson Geisendorf Funeral Home, 500 S. Ohio.

"In the 1980s, we would send in photos and music to this company in Seattle by FedEx, and then eventually they'd mail us a VHS tape," said Carlson, who has been in the funeral business since 1975.

Today, he said, "Everything we do is connected to computers. People will come in and have us make a video for them, or they'll do their own video on their home computer."

Carlson and his staff also offer a delayed video stream of the funeral on their website so those unable to attend can still view the service.

"They might have grandchildren who can't make it to the funeral, or they're in the military, so they can watch it on the Internet," Carlson said. "Or we can produce a permanent DVD and make copies for the family."

Computer technology has helped funeral business owners be more efficient in helping a deceased's relatives and friends make important decisions during a stressful time.

Services offered through computers not only include the aforementioned video tribute packages, but online condolence registers and personal tribute pages, online floral and gift services and online catalogs of caskets, vaults and urns that relatives can view at three-dimensional angles to make informed choices for their loved one's final resting place.

"People now have the opportunity to do at home what they used to have to come into the mortuary for," said Karl Ryan, of Ryan Mortuary, 137 N. Eighth. "Technology makes for a quicker turn-around now."

When relatives do go into a mortuary to make final arrangements for their loved one, what used to take several visits can now be done in one stop, Carlson said.

"We'll sit with the family, go over the information and they'll make a decision," he said. "We can immediately print out all the information and go over it with the family."

Thirty years ago, Carlson said, grieving families had limited choices when making funeral arrangements. Casket choices usually were limited to the few dozen coffins and urns that could be fit in a showroom, and register books tended to be standard and generic.

"Now you can look at 1,500 or more available caskets, see it in three-dimensional views, see what material it is made of and even customize it," he said. "Today we have 200 customized versions of what a register book can be."

Having a wide variety of choices is important for relatives who want to do something special for the departed, Carlson said.

He recalled one family that shot a video of relatives talking about the deceased, then interspersed the tributes with a slide show of the family in happier times.

"Families don't want simple funerals anymore," he said. "They want to add more to the service, and they want it more personalized."

Ryan said the adage "funerals are for the living" has been made more significant through computer technology.

"A lot of younger people use Facebook, and when someone dies, they can create a memorial page there, as they often do," he said. "They can put up a lot more photos and videos to illustrate a person's life."

Although many funeral homes offer a video tribute package, many family members -- even children -- have the ability to create their own video on their personal computers to be played at the viewing or service, Ryan said.

"A lot of people now have the expertise to make videos of their loved ones," he said.

Those who want a more professional job can turn to a video service company like Mid-America Productions, 1510 E. Iron. Owner Rick Weber said he has contracted with several area funeral homes to produce video tribute DVDs.

The only downside is the time crunch involved.

"Usually you don't know when you're going to die, so if a passing happens, they might call us Monday morning and say funeral services are Wednesday," he said. "We have 24 to 48 hours to get the job done because the funeral is not going to wait on us."

The key to putting together an effective tribute video is to gather as many pictures as possible -- 50 to 60 -- of the loved one in all facets of his or her life.

"You want to trace a person's history from infancy, through high school, military service, up to a more recent photo," Weber said.

Mid-America Productions also has a library of music to fulfill favorite songs or music requests. If a particular piece of music is not on hand, it usually can be found online, Weber said.

"We can download it on iTunes for 99 cents," he said.

The best thing computer technology can do, Weber said, is help bring a deceased person back to life -- if only for a moment in time.

"We want to take the pictures and make them come alive," he said. "Through video, you'll be able to get a sense of their life and personality."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.