“We are doing everything we can to make sure people are safe, at the same time people have the opportunity to express their grief,” said Rob Rue, funeral director, president and general manager at Littleton & Rue Funeral Home and Crematory in Springfield. “It’s our responsibility to make sure they do have an option.”
Littleton & Rue is encouraging families that want to have a viewing or service now to have a private service, Rue said. Private services usually have 10 to 15 people, allowing families to spread out.
“Generally, nobody has pushed against the need to stay safe and stay distant from each other,” Rue said.
A funeral at Jackson Lytle & Lewis Life Celebration Center last week showed how services have changed. Families are restricted to 50 people in the funeral home at one time and access is based on the visitor’s last name, according Jackson Lytle & Lewis Life Celebration Center’s website.
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Jackson Lytle & Lewis had this plan in place for the visitation Thursday for a Springfield couple killed in a March 27 crash in Champaign County.
During the couple’s service on Friday, families and friends stayed in their cars and watched a Facebook live stream of the private service. They were also encouraged to line the sidewalks as the funeral procession for Jacob Smith, 23, Ashlynn Dooley, 20, and their unborn child, passed.
“We are prepared to provide your immediate family (within COVID-19 state mandates) with the opportunity to begin the healing process privately and safely,” Jackson Lytle & Lewis said on their Facebook page.
Littleton & Rue is also providing online streaming of the service.
"People that can't come to the funeral home can see the funeral through streaming on Facebook," Rue said. "I think this is going to put streaming on the forefront."
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If a family wishes to have streaming services, the services will be listed in the obituary and an event will be created on Littleton & Rue’s Facebook page.
Littleton & Rue is also providing all Clark County families who lost a loved one in March through now a free memorial video.
This is a way to bridge the gap between private ceremonies and larger celebrations of life in the future, Rue said.
“We don’t want people to feel like they just can’t do anything right now because they are already limited at what they can do,” Rue said. “At least this will help them express their grief.”
To request a memorial video, families should email robrue@littletonandrue.com with their phone number, loved one’s obituary and a hobby their loved one enjoyed.
They will then receive a text link allowing them to upload up to 50 photos, within 48 hours. Within three to five days, residents will receive a link for the video that is shareable on social medias.
Littleton & Rue, like many other funeral homes, want to give families “the opportunity to express their grief at the same time keeping them safe,” Rue said.
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