I saw a story on Mashable this morning about a man in Israel who attached a QR code to his mother’s tombstone. The QR code contains a URL for a memorial site set up for his mother.  He said, “I was most concerned about 20 or 40 years from now, how will she be remembered … [I wanted to put] what’s in our memory into a place that doesn’t forget.” What an interesting idea. I’ll definitely have to bring that up when I speak to the Mid America Monument Builders Association convention tomorrow.

I wonder how it will work. Will there now be perpetual care memorial websites for our loved ones? Someone will have to continually pay for hosting and domain names for the memorial sites. Will we still be using QR codes 20 to 40 years from now? Will QR code readers still be available?

I hear from the monument builders that I have talked to that there are headstones with built in video or audio components where you can hear your loved ones voice or see a video. Technology has now affected how we remember our loved ones after they die.

Facebook let’s you keep your loved one’s profile active as a memorial after they die. This seems like a great way for friends and family to keep the memories alive. Maybe, the same QR code that is on the tombstone could be added to the Facebook page for those that can’t make it to the cemetery. Will Facebook still be around 20 to 40 years from now? If not, what will take its place?

Genealogists spend a lot of time taking pictures of tombstones and doing research. How much easier will it be for genealogists of the future to research my generation? I’m not sure. It is interesting to think about what will last and what won’t, and how things may be 20 40 years from now. What do you think?