Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Friends and family gather online via Zoom to farewell Rotorua pensioner Doris Davidson

Leah Tebbutt
By Leah Tebbutt
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
21 Apr, 2020 07:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Doris Davidson was farewelled by her family through Zoom after she died at the beginning of lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Doris Davidson was farewelled by her family through Zoom after she died at the beginning of lockdown. Photo / Supplied

Doris Davidson was farewelled by her family through Zoom after she died at the beginning of lockdown. Photo / Supplied

It wasn't the ceremony they had expected to celebrate the life of Doris Davidson but for Jos Pemberton it was important to let her mum go, and to do it together.

While some families are opting for long-term embalming to say goodbye once they're able, Pemberton's family opted for a digital farewell via meeting app Zoom.

"We could have gone about this in two ways; one was to feel very annoyed or angry that we couldn't do the traditional things, or we could turn it into how satisfying and rewarding can we make this in these circumstances and that's what we chose to do," Pemberton told the Rotorua Daily Post.

"It was really important for us to let mum go, and to be together to do that."

Doris, pictured on her 90th birthday with her son and daughter Jos Pemberton. Photo / Supplied
Doris, pictured on her 90th birthday with her son and daughter Jos Pemberton. Photo / Supplied
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In doing so, people from across Australia, New Zealand and in Canada were able to share tributes and poems after the Zoom ceremony was opened with a prayer by an Osbornes funeral director.

Open up the latest news from Rotorua

Get daily headlines from the Rotorua region straight to your inbox.
Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.
By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

It was a week before lockdown when Davidson, 96, had a fall she would not recover from. On March 26 she was taken to a care hospital, but from there, no one was able to visit.

While the hospital was "fabulous" in accommodating Skype calls, Pemberton said it was traumatising.

Davidson died that evening.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
One of Doris highlights of her 96 years was becoming a Great Great Grandmother to her grandson pictured, in 2018. Photo / Supplied
One of Doris highlights of her 96 years was becoming a Great Great Grandmother to her grandson pictured, in 2018. Photo / Supplied

The hospital allowed Pemberton and her brother to individually say goodbye to Davidson before she was taken to be cremated. The next day the Zoom celebration of a "life well lived" began.

"Since then we have felt a sense of finality," she said.

Discover more

'It's the right thing to do': Regional Council leadership choose to donate from salaries

17 Apr 01:56 AM

Biz leader: Tourism will 'literally take years' to bounce back

19 Apr 08:00 PM
New Zealand

Homeless man living in Rotorua motel dies suddenly

21 Apr 06:12 PM

Call for nationwide rates deferral and freeze

21 Apr 02:44 AM

"I feel like if we had waited and hadn't done anything I think we would still be left in this grieving state that we couldn't move past."

Osbornes Funeral director Richard Fullard said to be able to come together, whatever the circumstances, was an important part of the grieving process.

"There are many people alone in their bubbles, they feel isolated, they don't feel connected with their immediate family or community but to come together on something like Zoom and share stories and have a laugh and a cry is great."

Funeral director Richard Fullard from Osbornes Funeral Directors. Photo / File
Funeral director Richard Fullard from Osbornes Funeral Directors. Photo / File

Fullard said since lockdown began he had been working with families to help create a meaningful experience.

For the majority of families, Fullard said they had opted to have a direct burial or cremation but there were other options available.

"We do have deceased persons in our care. Long term embalming is nothing new, we do that when we are repatriating deceased persons overseas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"So we have had families request that because they want to view the body and be with the body before the disposition and it is a nice thing we are pleased to be able to do."

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

When New Zealand moves into alert level 3 on April 27, funerals of no more than 10 people can go-ahead with health and safety protocols in place and Fullard said being able to come together in a physical sense was often what families needed.

"It is really important families take the opportunity to come together to support, console and to celebrate as well.

"It is one thing to be able to do it online but it is another to be able to do it in the same space and really be there for one another."

Doris Davidson pictured on her birthday in October last year. Photo / Supplied
Doris Davidson pictured on her birthday in October last year. Photo / Supplied

Subscriber benefit

The ability to gift paywall-free articles is a subscriber only benefit. See more offers by clicking the button below.

Already a subscriber?  Sign in here
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Fourth measles case in Wairarapa linked to overseas travel cluster
New Zealand

Fourth measles case in Wairarapa linked to overseas travel cluster

11 Jul 04:28 AM
Wellington Chamber of Commerce boss resigns abruptly
Wellington

Wellington Chamber of Commerce boss resigns abruptly

11 Jul 04:17 AM
Aussie sporting first in racial abuse arrest
World

Aussie sporting first in racial abuse arrest

11 Jul 04:15 AM
Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier’s McLean Park to host 3 finals
Hawkes Bay Today

Hawke’s Bay club rugby: Napier’s McLean Park to host 3 finals

11 Jul 04:03 AM
'Dumbfounded': Murder accused allegedly asked about dead mum's money at funeral
Crime

'Dumbfounded': Murder accused allegedly asked about dead mum's money at funeral

11 Jul 04:00 AM

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

Pair deny charges over death of Paige Johnson in alleged hit-and-run

11 Jul 12:26 AM

One man is charged with manslaughter and the other with being an accessory after the fact.

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

Heavy rain warning issued for Bay of Plenty, up to 140mm expected

10 Jul 10:57 PM
Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

Light truck rolls on SH36, one seriously injured

10 Jul 10:45 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search