"We do read the obituaries (online) and sign guest books, especially when we are out of town," said Rozelle, 71, who winters in Haines City.

The practice of reading obituaries online, of signing Web-based guest books and including photos with memories of the deceased has steadily grown in popularity because of its convenience.

From anywhere in the world people can pen their thoughts; some writers add their e-mail address so others reading the guest book can communicate with them, a bonus in reuniting friends.

The Citizen Patriot is among nearly 250 newspapers across the country -- including The New York Times and The Washington Post -- that team with Legacy.com to post its paid obituaries online. It also offers an online "guest book" for 30 days, and a copy of it is given to the deceased's family.

For $29, that guest book would be kept online for a year, and for $79, would remain permanently online.

Adding a photo to accompany the comments costs $2.95.

"When we started in 1998, the Internet was relatively new and we had a handful of hits," said Hayes Ferguson, CEO of Legacy.com in Evanston, Ill. "Now we receive a half-million hits a month.

"More people have become Internet-savvy, and this is a natural way to express condolences," she said.

"We hear a lot of feedback that this was helpful because people couldn't make it across country to the funeral, but they were able to leave their thoughts."

That was why Rozelle's son, Brad Hutchins of Glen Ellyn, Ill., signed the guest book for a Jackson woman who died here last month. Hutchins wrote a message about working with the woman, and what a nice person she was.

"This was the first time I have come across an online guest book," Hutchins wrote in an

e-mail. "It was helpful to read !(the) obituary online. I think the idea of allowing friends across the country to sign a guest book is very helpful for us and hopefully for the family or close friends who receive the book when it is completed."

Another Internet service is MeM.com, but it is quickly branching out from obituaries and guest books to include such features as an Everlasting Memorial of the deceased so future generations will be able to "know" him or her, as well as Lifelong MeMories that can begin as an online baby book and chronicle a person's life story.

"When you look at a marker in the cemetery you see the person's name, birthdate and death date," said Scott Mindrum, founder and CEO of MeM (Making Everlasting Memories), headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"We want to be the dash. We want all that information -- the passion, what he enjoyed, all that is missing -- to be known about the person," he said.

Mindrum works with funeral homes and cemeteries across the country, including Jackson, in helping families use the service, if desired. And many do.

"We are literally processing over 1,000 a day," said Mindrum.

Packages range from $50 to $500.

Mindrum envisions it as becoming a great help to genealogists, especially as more people begin to document their history.

"It is a safety deposit box online," Mindrum said. "When someone has a fire or a flood or other disaster, they run back to try and save scrapbooks and photos. This sets them aside in a protective archive so natural or domestic disasters don't affect them."

People can create a password so not everyone has access to their information, but Mindrum said few use it -- "a testament to the fact that they are in control of the information and are not putting in bank-account numbers, information like that."

"Self-publishing is the easiest way to think about it. They could create their own Web site or blog, but we've been doing it since 1996, and it is very simple to use," Mindrum said.

"Memories are the most valuable thing a person has."

Copyright © 2006. The Jackson Citizen Patriot.