Fox and Weeks Funeral Directors has conducted funerals in Savannah for nearly 130 years, but it’s never too late for an old funeral home to learn new tricks. 
A few months ago, Fox and Weeks became the only funeral home in Savannah to offer live webcasting for funeral and memorial services it conducts. The online broadcasts are produced through Event By Wire, a company headquartered in California that provides an online broadcast of the funeral distributed via a secure website using streaming video technology.
“This is leading-edge technology that allows us to deliver a memorial or funeral service live to family members, loved ones or friends anywhere in the world,” Fox and Weeks co-president Jim Weeks said. "Offering webcasting to the families we are privileged to serve enables everyone to be together while the life of a loved one is celebrated.”
According to a press release, friends and family members who are unable to attend a service receive a password-protected e-mail invite to watch the service, and each funeral can be viewed live in real time or recorded so that friends and family can view the service later. The cameras easily can be transported to services that take place in churches or other locations, and Fox and Weeks can broadcast services as long as a wireless Internet connection is available on site.
Choosing webcasting is one way for families to cope with the increased cost of travel during the country’s recent economic difficulties, he said.
“Right now, people may not have the money to pay for an expensive plane ticket and two or three nights in a hotel, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be able to be a part of saying farewell to a loved one alongside the other family members who may be able to attend,” Weeks said. “Technology allows us to stay connected in more ways than ever before.”
Fox and Weeks Funeral Directors has been operated by the Weeks family in Savannah since 1882 and is one of Georgia’s oldest funeral homes.
For more information about live online webcasting for funeral services, call Fox and Weeks at 352-7200 or go to www.eventbywire.com.