Headstones that tell a story

Whilst the process of burial may not have changed substantially over the centuries, gravestones can now provide a digital link to their owners’ life stories via scannable QR codes.

An American company in Seattle makes grave memorials that include the QR codes. By scanning the code with a smartphone, visitors can gain direct access to a page on the Living Headstones archive website, which contains information about the departed. This may include an obituary, family heritage and history, photos, comments by friends and relatives and links to external sites. Although others may view the information, only visitors authorised by the family administrator can post information on the web page.

The company, Quiring Monuments, is in its third generation and is run by Dave Quiring, who inherited his role 43 years ago when his father died. “My job is to help people tell a story in stone, generally,” he explained.