At a certain point in my life, I began reading the obituaries in my local paper. At first, I read to see which of my friends' parents had died.

Now I peruse the obits to see when my friends have died. I've come to terms with officially being classified as "elderly".

So I have seen thousands of obits over the decades. And just recently, after 30+ years of reading obituaries, I've noticed a big change in them. Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 just about every one ends with a common sentence:

Memorial To Be Held At Later Date

It's a human need to gather with friends and family when our loved ones die. We physically gather together to share our memories about the person and how they impacted our lives. And when we listen to other peoples' stories we learn more about the person we lost.

With COVID-19, a pandemic we haven't seen since the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu, came 'shelter in place' which restricts our ability to physically join together.

Today we aren't able to visit the funeral home then follow the hearse to the cemetery for final burial. We can't physically be together with our family & friends and share memories to learn more about our dearly departed.

We can't physically be together, but we can still share, learn, and celebrate their lives.

Biographies are a place for us all to remember & share memories together.

I can just grab my phone, anytime and anywhere, and navigate to a loved one's bio to share my fondest memories of special moments.

By sharing I relive the experiences in my mind and show that their life mattered. Turns out I'm not alone either. After a while, I find that others update the bio and discover new details about the life of my loved one.

As a founder of AncientFaces, I see everyday truly meaningful connections made just by sharing memories:

• a descendant sees the images of their g-g-grandparents for the first time,


• a cousin who lost contact with family members is reunited,


• adopted individuals finds his or her biological family,


• 'orphan' photos find their way from antique shops back to their families,


• and so much more.