A Path Home

Today Sarah shares her conversation with De Clarke following the sudden death of her beloved husband, Jonathan Knowles. De was faced with many challenges that she had to navigate in order to provide the natural burial Jon wanted in the midst of the shock and grief of his unexpected death.  Support the show

Moreka Jolar shares the story of attending to her mother at the end of her life. Her mum, Maru, lived an unconventional life so it was no surprise that she chose to die in a rather unconventional way as well. Her spirit of generosity shone throughout her life and included helping her 8 year old granddaughter come to terms with her death. Support the show

Today, Sarah talks with India West, a farmer, willow casket weaver and natural burial advocate in Indiana. India made the funeral arrangements for their mother after her sudden death, followed by caring for their father at the end of his life and honoring his wishes to be buried in the conservation burial ground he was instrumental in developing in the state of Indiana. See the links below to view...

On today’s episode I have a conversation with Noba Anderson, a resident of Cortes Island in British Columbia, Canada. Cortes has an active Community Death Care group that has provided death care education, helped greatly with navigating the paper trail that accompanies a death, and generally supports people to know their rights regarding home based funeral care. Noba shares her experience of tendi...

Updated audio as of 12/10/2025. On this episode we hear from death and grief doula, Joslyn Roadstrom, who shares with us the many ways she meets her grief five years after her son, Israel, died in the hospital just a couple of months shy of his second birthday. You can find and follow Joslyn on Instagram at sacredroaddoula. She posts helpful videos and offers one on one grief support.  https://www...

On today’s episode I have a conversation with Naomi Hayter on Cortes Island in Western Canada. The community-led deathcare group on the island provided the circle of support and logistical guidance that Naomi needed to get through the death of her life-partner, Doug, not long after she had tended to her mother’s dying and death in a faraway city. Naomi shares how the after-death care and the green...

On this episode, Sarah Crews has a conversation with Isabel Knight and Winx Gall as they reflect on the work they did while serving on the Board of Directors for the National Home Funeral Alliance. You can download the Home Funeral Guidebook, that they were instrumental in creating, at the link below. https://www.homefuneralalliance.org/ Support the show

On this first episode of Season 6, Sarah talks with Csenge Kolozsvari who, along with her four year old daughter, traveled from Montreal to her home village in Hungary to accompany her father on his dying journey. She shares the intimate and personal details of being present to her father's needs during his final weeks. Csenge is an artist and bodyworker. You can reach her here: https://www.t...

On this episode Sarah has a conversation with Ed Nelson and his son, Erick Nelson. In February of 2023 Ed's brother Brent died from throat cancer. He had mentioned to Ed that he wanted a natural burial. Erick arrived in Kansas a couple of days before the scheduled burial and participated in an anointing ceremony with his dad, honoring his uncle.  Support the show

Naomi Worob and Tina Zuccarello share the story of bringing Jeff to the ashram he loved to spend his final weeks surrounded by people who loved him and bury him on the property.  Support the show

On today's episode, Carolyn Dehnbostel describes the home funeral she and her family provided for her mom, Betty, at their cabin in Minnesota, followed by a natural burial on their own land and the logistics involved in getting it all arranged. Support the show

Today, Sarah has a conversation with Leslie Stager about the after-death care she and a small circle of friends provided to her mom at her home in Maine. Leslie's mom died unexpectedly which made keeping her home a little challenging. Support the show

Today, Sarah speaks with Krista Marshall in upstate NY who shares  the story of the after-death care provided to an elder in the community she lived in for a time in Vermont. Grandfather Hank was beloved in the area for his presence and helpful spirit from his work with teens to his active pursuit of making life better for the people in his ever-widening circles. https://www.nancyjewelpoer.com/pro...

For today's bonus Winter Solstice episode, Sarah has a conversation about grief with Colorado-based Deathwives, Lauren Carroll and Erin Merelli.  To listen to Erin's Tedx Talk click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryIS6RdU5KI   And to peruse all the amazing courses and content the Deathwives have to offer check out their website here:  https://deathwives.org/ Support the show

On today's episode Sarah has a conversation with three members of the Ottawa Death Care Collective in Ottawa, Canada. Kelly Butler, Heather Martel and Deb Charbonneau share with us the personal paths that led each of them to engage in the important work of community death care. You'll find their website here: https://communitydeathcareottawa.com/ And read about the wind phone here: https...

Glenda Villegas is the funeral director at Thresholds, Home and Family-Directed Funerals, LLC.  based in San Diego, California. Glenda represents a growing group of progressive funeral professionals who recognize the value of supporting families who choose to do most of the after-death care themselves. https://thresholdsfamilydirectedfunerals.com/ Support the show

Sarah has a conversation with Anne Archbold and Paul Sommers about the plan Paul's mom, Sally made to donate her body to the medical school at the University of Minnesota after she died. Sally also requested a natural burial. Everything aligned in order for Sally to accomplish both. Support the show

On this first episode of Season 5, Sarah sits down with three brothers, Zach, Kevin and Sky Weaver, who share the story of preparing their dad, Phil for a natural burial. To check out the music of The Gravy Ladles here is the link to their YouTube page.  https://www.youtube.com/@thegravyladlesmusic You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram Support the show

On today's episode Sarah has a conversation with David Schinsing about his wife Sue's experience with ovarian cancer and the home funeral they planned together. Sue was a nurse, a birth doula and home-schooled their children.   Support the show

Today I have a conversation with Lauren Sample about the home funeral and natural burial her family held for her daughter Nora, nicknamed "Bird," and the many final acts of love provided to Bird in her last hours of living and following her death. Support the show

On today's episode I have a conversation with Dr. Annetta Mallon, founder of Gentle Death Education and Planning, in Tasmania. We talk about her work in the community and the state of green burial in Australia. For more information on Annetta's work, click here:   https://www.gdep.com.au/ Support the show

On this episode I talk with Margaret Henderson and Robin Cottrell in Ukiah, California. The two serve as death midwives and home funeral guides in their community.  They are also singers and members of a Threshold Choir who bring songs to the bedside of terminally ill people. For more information on Threshold Choir see here: https://thresholdchoir.org/ Margy mentions Redwing Keyssar's book ca...

A call to listeners to reach out and share their stories, followed by Sarah's original song, Precious Bird, in honor of her friend Puja. Precious Bird is Sarah Crews on guitar and vocals. Tim Crews on mandolin. Support the show

On this episode, Sarah has a conversation with sisters, Lucinda, Maud and Cecily in Ashland, Oregon. The three of them share the story of creating a home funeral for their mother, former Civil Rights attorney turned Oracle, Ann Macrory. Watch the video of Ann's home funeral here: https://vimeo.com/399209253 Forest Conservation Burial Ground: https://theforestconservationburial.org/ Support th...

Today I have a conversation with Donna Vidam about a home funeral she created for her mom, Janet. In 2020, Janet was hospitalized when it became clear that she wouldn't recover, so Donna made the choice to bring her home to die there. Following Janet's death, Donna with the help of Janet's best friends, cared for her body at home and invited friends and neighbors over to pay their r...