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Kim Johnson ReportingAn online guestbook accompanying Lori Hacking's obituary is drawing worldwide attention. People are signing on, pouring out their heartfelt grief for the Salt Lake woman and her family and the family of Mark Hacking, the man charged with his wife's murder.
Messages of sympathy for Lori's family are pouring in from all over the world, via the worldwide web, an indication of the international attention the case has received. Even though her memorial service isn't until Saturday, Lori's obituary appeared on the websites of two local newspapers yesterday.
Since then, more than 800 people from all over the country, even the world, have already expressed their condolences. From Israel to Australia, messages of sympathy and encouragement are expressed in Lori's web guestbook.
One visitor writes, "I have watched this story from the beginning and have wept with you."
Another says, "My condolences go out to the Soares and Hacking families. She is a light that will not be forgotten."
Some have written poems, others have quoted passages from the Bible for Lori's guestbook.
It's a free service offered whenever an obituary is posted. Visitors to the obituary website can click on guestbook to leave a message of sympathy for the grieving family.
Trent Eyre, Newspaper Agency Corp.: “This allows them to offer stories, publish photos, interact with family. And many of the notices are from people who don’t even know the family and just want to offer their condolences and thoughts.”
Even though the obituary site gets around 60,000 separate hits every month, Eyre says many aren't aware of the guestbook service. He says he's not even sure Lori's family knows about the outpouring of sympathy via the internet, such as, "I do not know you, but I mourn with you anyway." And another, "May God be with you during these heartbreaking times."
Eyre says the guestbook will be open for the next month. He expects messages of support will reach into the thousands.
Trent Eyre "Oftentimes when we have a high profile death locally, that we feel the local public as well as the national public might have an interest in offering their condolences, or interacting with the family we put it on the front page of our obituaries."
You can access the website by typing in deseretnews.com, or sltrib.com...and clicking on the obituary icon, or follow the included link. Lori's guestbook will be available for a month.
