In 1998, a little office opened in Chicago with one goal: to bring print obituaries online. Twenty-five years, several tech bubbles, and one pandemic later, Legacy.com has grown from twelve employees and a ping–pong table into a coast-to-coast team that provides digital end-of-life services to millions worldwide.
As the leader in Obituary services over the last 20 years, Legacy.com has seen and been at the forefront of technology improvements that have made meaningful impact for families and friends of loved ones in the Obituary category.
- Technology has helped to make an obituary more personal. Obituaries have evolved from simple notices to showcasing the beautiful lives of people who may never have made headlines, but who were deeply loved for who they were.
- Online guest books have profound effect for families and friends, short-term and long-term. This ‘keep-in-touch’ relationship with their lost loved one, which can go on for decades, is often cited by readers as a key service they depend on each day.
- Obituaries give us an intimate view of history. National figures and important historical events are memorialized and accessible around the world.
- Life stories live on. More lives remembered. More people connected. The positive impacts from the evolution of obituaries are clear.
“When I founded Legacy, I wanted the company to be the place where life stories live on,” says Stopher Bartol. “We plan to spend the next 25 years continuing to deliver on that promise.”
Whatever the future holds, Legacy.com remains committed to preserving the role of the obituary as the first and best place to remember a loved one. Forever. Wherever. Whenever.
