Pam Conrath, 78, arranged for her late husband to appear as a life-sized hologram at his funeral in Wenatchee, Washington. She worked with Proto Hologram and Hyperreal to produce a scripted address and a staged Q&A based on prerecorded material and memories from their 60-year marriage. Around 200 guests attended, many surprised and some believing parts of the presentation were live. Conrath initially budgeted $2,000 but said she ultimately spent roughly 10–15 times that amount.
Widow Uses Life-Size Hologram of Late Husband to Speak at His Funeral
Pam Conrath, 78, arranged for her late husband to appear as a life-sized hologram and deliver remarks at his funeral in Wenatchee, Washington, the BBC reports. Working with two specialist firms—Proto Hologram and Hyperreal—Conrath used prerecorded material and memories from their 60-year marriage to craft a scripted address and a staged question-and-answer segment.
Service and Reaction
About 200 people attended the service; most were not told in advance that they would see a full-size holographic likeness of the man they had known. "People were aghast," Conrath recalled. "Some genuinely couldn't understand how it was happening." While the speech was prerecorded, parts of the event were presented in a way that led some guests to believe the Q&A was occurring live.
Inspiration and Cost
Conrath said the idea grew out of seeing a full-body hologram years earlier while speaking at a medical conference. She initially planned a modest "super wake" with a $2,000 budget but ultimately spent roughly 10 to 15 times that amount. Conrath said she believes her husband would have been "inspired" and "thankful" for the memorial.
Companies Involved: Proto Hologram and Hyperreal produced the holographic likeness using recorded audio and visual material provided by Conrath.
The funeral raised questions about the role of emerging technologies in memorial services, how prerecorded material is presented to grieving audiences, and what families may expect from digital recreations of loved ones. Conrath framed the ceremony as a personal tribute, saying she wanted to give her husband a memorable farewell.
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