She'd promised him 'a super wake' — and Pam Cronrath, 78, delivered, recreating her late husband Bill as a full‑body hologram at his funeral in Wenatchee, Washington. Cronrath told the BBC she came to the idea after seeing a doctor appear as a live hologram at a medical conference and wanted more than photographs or words for the farewell after nearly 60 years of marriage.

A promise and a plan Pam Cronrath had a clear aim when her husband Bill died: to stage a memorable farewell. The couple had been married for nearly 60 years. Cronrath, 78, of Wenatchee in eastern Washington state, said she’d promised him a super wake and wanted the send-off to fit the scale of a long life together. She didn't set out with a step-by-step plan. Instead she drew on a slim but formative piece of experience: several years earlier she had watched a doctor appear as a full-body hologram, broadcast live across the United States while she was speaking at a medical conference. The demonstration stayed with her, and she explored whether the same visual effect could be used not for performance or publicity, but for remembrance. Turning stage tech into something personal Holograms are often associated with high-profile moments—posthumous stage appearances or virtual award-show guests. Cronrath’s decision shifted that association by bringing the idea into a small-town funeral setting. The available accounts describe a practical, technology-minded approach. Cronrath’s background stretches back to the early days of the internet and she describes herself as a self-confessed tech enthusiast. That background appears to have made her comfortable with experimenting and with finding technical solutions to emotional problems. Why a hologram? Cronrath said the hologram offered a way to create presence at a moment when physical presence is gone. She wanted more than photographs or words on a page. The full-body projection let her shape how Bill would appear to friends and family during the wake. How the idea travelled Cronrath’s path from inspiration to implementation began with that conference demonstration. Seeing a person appear as a hologram struck her as more than a novelty. “I was completely impressed,” she said. The impression lasted, and when the time came she asked whether a similar projection could make Bill feel present to those gathered. Local context and cultural notes Wenatchee is an agricultural community on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains. In that setting, the decision to use a hologram stands out: it moved a cutting-edge visual technique into a rural American funeral rather than a metropolitan entertainment venue. That contrast shows how devices and effects that begin on stages and screens can be adapted into private life when someone with the interest and means decides to do so. What it involved Published accounts focus on the idea and the motivation rather than technical details. Cronrath’s goal was to honour Bill and fulfil her promise, and she chose a full-body, live-feel projection rather than a static image or slideshow.

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Cronrath said she wanted to give Bill a 'super wake' and used the full‑body hologram effect she first saw when a doctor was projected at a medical conference.

This article was created with AI assistance.