Life, legacy on film
Videos preserve memories, history for loved ones
By Tracy Frank
After she was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, Audrey Christianson of Crookston, Minn., decided to share her story with her family.
Christianson agreed to let Tom Pence of Fargo videotape her talking about her memories and family history.
“I said to Kim, my daughter, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I can do that.’ She said, ‘Mom, you have a story to tell,’ ” Christianson said, welling up with tears. “I get touched by it because I’ve seen my video, and it’s absolutely wonderful.”
Kim Wagner of Fargo is the only one of Christianson’s six children who has seen the video.
“It’s beautiful,” Wagner said. “I think where the real value in this project is going to be is the day she is gone and we still have a beautiful piece of her. … My father died 22 years ago. I would give anything to hear his voice.”
Pence, who is a funeral director with Korsmo Funeral Service, started a business called Share the Story about a year ago. He videotapes interviews with people so they can pass down a recorded document of their life’s story to their family.
“I’m so thankful I did it,” Christianson said. “I just think I’m leaving my kids with something they will appreciate very, very much after I’m gone.”
Though Pence’s business is just getting off the ground, it’s something he has been thinking about for more than 20 years.
“In the nature of my work, I’ve thought that there are a lot of people going away; and when they go – when they die – a lot of that history goes, too,” Pence said.
He decided to do something about his idea after transferring VHS tapes to DVD and seeing video of his wife’s dad, who had died.
“As we were watching that, it just hit us how important that is, how special that is to have some of that on tape,” Pence said.
When Pence makes a video of someone’s life, he first gives them a booklet of questions ranging from religious beliefs and childhood memories to marriage and raising children. He uses the answers to generate conversation during taping.
“I just want them to talk,” Pence said. “I just want them to forget the camera’s even there. They do after about 10 minutes.”
The written answers can also be a valuable keepsake for families.
“Just having that list of questions with her writing on it is a gift for me,” Wagner said.
The taping usually lasts anywhere from one to four hours. Pence then edits himself out of the video and weaves still photographs throughout it. He will also tape a person’s musical abilities or skills, like crocheting, and blend them into the video. The edited tape is usually two hours long.
“It gives people comfort in knowing their family, their ancestry, their history,” Pence said. “It just gives people a connection to their past.”
The videos cost $450 for up to a 120-minute presentation and $550 for a presentation of up to 180 minutes. Pence will travel about anywhere, he said, with an additional charge beyond a 30-mile radius of Fargo.
Those who have interviewed with Pence say he makes it easy.
“It was a good experience for me,” Christianson said. “I dreaded it at first, but he is so easy to work with. After we had been into it a few minutes, there was no dreading anything.”
“Tom is really easy to work with and he’s just a really neat guy,” said Beverley Johnson of West Fargo, who recently worked with Pence to create a Share the Story video.
Pence had made a video for Johnson’s husband, Norman, earlier this year.
“We have two girls and we knew they wouldn’t be satisfied with just Dad’s. They’d want Mom’s too,” Beverley Johnson said.
The Johnson’s plan to give the videos to their daughters as Christmas presents.
“There will be things that you forget to tell your children and even if you write down the things, I think it means more if you’re saying them,” Johnson said. “It’s a good legacy.”
Readers can reach Forum reporter
Tracy Frank at (701) 241-5526
Tom Pence adjusts a wireless microphone while setting up for a recent interview session in West Fargo. Pence has started a business called Share the Story, where he interviews and records people’s memories. David Samson / The Forum
** Article reprinted here with permission from Forum Communications Company **