Online funeral services a growing trend

If you can't attend afuneral service, you might be able to pay your respects by watching online, as more servicesare being recorded or streamed live on the internet these days.

At Lyle Reeves Funerals in Calgary,Craig Snodgrass says all services are video-recorded forthe familyto take home, and many of the videos are then posted online.

Snodgrass said some families are skeptical about the idea at first.

"As soon asI bring it up to a family, they instantly kind of back off and 'Why wouldI ever want to watch that again?'"he said. "But you start talking about it more and it's forpeople that can't attend the service."

AtHeritage Funeral Services in Calgary,director Brett Wilsonsaid theytransmit services via Skypeto people all over the world who aren't able to travel.

"Families that can't attend ...get to see what took place. They do feel part of the services," he said.

Two years ago at Wilson's company,they had justone requestfor aSkype service. Now, he said, they have one request a week.

Snodgrass said a couple of families have even asked him to place a web cam on a casket to livestream the receiving line during a wake.

"Just because you're not prime minister or somebody,doesn't mean your service can't be recorded, right?"he said.