QR Code Gravestones Are Real and Available in the Hudson Valley

The idea of using a QR code on a headstone isn't new, but in this day and age of handheld information at the swipe of a scan, the idea might be ready to make a comeback.

Headstones have been around for thousands of years. The markers were originally designed to help keep the grave from being disturbed by unknowing individuals. It also became a way to memorialize the deceased.

Modern stones often include the deceased name, birth date, date of death and often other imagery that can include pictures and affiliations. So now think about if you could take that one step further, into the digital world.

Photo by Simon Godfrey on Unsplash

QR codes on a headstone offer the ability for someone to walk up to a gravesite and experience the deceased in a digital story. The QR code can reveal pictures, videos and even audio. The idea is that decades after someone has passed you could scan their QR code on their grave and find out more about them.

Why Do It?

The QR code turns a headstone into a living marker of your loved one instead of just a one-dimensional stone with a name and some dates carved on it. When I heard of this concept I thought it would be interesting to find out what Hudson Valley Headstones & Cemetery Research thought of this idea. I reach out to them for comment and when they reply we will be sure to update this article with their insight on this modern twist on an old concept.

Are QR stones popular in the Hudson Valley?

In an effort to see just how popular this idea is in the Hudson Valley I reached out to a few monument makers, Weidner Memorials in Highland, KL Keyser Memorials in Kingston and Barre Memorials in Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie.

I did get to speak with someone at Barre Memorials in their Poughkeepsie office and they stated that as far as they knew no one as of yet has requested a QR stone from them but they had definitely heard people were doing it. I was also able to speak with a person at Weidner Memorials and they too reported that as of yet they have not created a QR headstone but figured it could happen.

Food for Thought

I haven't quite decided what I think of the idea. I know that there is a whole generation of us that doesn't like scanning things with our phones for info. But on the other hand what a cool way to have a living memory of your loved one. It also would make visiting famous and historical graves a lot more informative.

Check out a list of places that you can live that give you more time to decide QR code or No QR Code

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

LOOK: The most famous actress born the same year as you

Many of the actresses in this story not only made a name for themselves through their collection of iconic performances, but also through the selfless, philanthropic nature with which many of them approached their stardom. In an age of flipping the script on societal norms, many of these actresses are using their voices and platforms to be advocates for those who are otherwise unheard.