A Path Home

Gabrielle Walters shares the arduous journey she made alongside her husband, Billy, when he was struck with a devastating illness at the end of May 2020. Determined that he would not die in the hospital, Gabrielle brought him home on the day of their 30th wedding anniversary. Back at home, with his children and grandchildren present, Billy died the next day. Following her heart and with a little b...

This episode offers ideas for people interested in raising the awareness of alternative death care practices in their communities, as well as helpful things to consider when planning a home funeral. Rebecca Senoglu, chaplain and longtime member of the NHFA, shares her path working to raise the awareness of family centered after-death care through meetings with the hospital, forming relationships w...

Adrienne Parker describes bringing her mother home where she died surrounded by three generations of family members.  After her death they spent time with her body in the parlor of the old Victorian house where Adrienne was living. The grandchildren filled their days decorating the cardboard coffin their great grandmother would be cremated in. Support the show

On this episode we hear from Alexa Sunshine Rose who shares the story of her husband, Warren, a father, activist, environmentalist, educator and EMT who died right before the New Year of 2020. Warren had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, however his death was sudden and unexpected. Alexa shares details of the autopsy on Warren's body that some listeners may find disturbing. To read more abou...

Along with her family and guest host, Dani LaVoire, Sarah Crews, shares the story of the home funeral and green burial that the family arranged for their father and grandfather, Ed Hawley. Here is the link to Heart Land Prairie Cemetery: http://www.heartlandprairiecemetery.org/  Bedside Blessing when Someone has Died by Ellen Hufschmidt Thank you for your mind and all the thoughts and dreams you h...

13 years ago, on New Year’s eve, Anne Jungerman’s husband, Ed, died suddenly and unexpectedly while out on his bike. In the hours that followed, Anne’s close knit community came together to support her and her boys, who were deep in the shock of assimilating the unfathomable news that came to them on that otherwise ordinary morning.  You can connect with Anne on Facebook by joining her community p...

On today's episode Anne-Marie Keppel shares the extraordinary life of her father-in-law Marcelo, a refugee from Chile who settled in New York City. Marcelo died in a hospital ICU in 2019. Anne-Marie made arrangements to bring his body to their home for an intimate home funeral with the family. Anne-Marie is the author of a book called Death Nesting: Ancient and Modern Death Doula Techniques,...

Final Passages founder, Jerrigrace Lyons, shares the story of attending to her dear friend, Deana, who chose the option of medical aid in dying to end her long journey through cancer. Hawaii's Our Care, Our Choice Act was passed in January of 2019. Jerrigrace joined her friend on Maui in January of 2020 and was present for her death and instrumental in carrying out her after-death care along...

Courtney shares the story of caring for her mom who died at home during the pandemic. With the support of hospice and LA based home funeral guide, Olivia Bareham, Courtney was able to care for her mother in her home, before and after her death. She is currently working on creating a photo essay of the experience which we will provide the link to when it is complete. For more about the services Oli...

Sarah has a conversation on medical decision making with the authors of Preparing for a Better End; Expert Lessons on Death and Dying for You and Your Loved Ones .  Dan and Shelley Morhaim share professional expertise and personal stories.  Along with discussing some of the reasons it's important to have Advance Directives in place, today's episode includes a conversation about home fune...

Carla Reed Brown shares the story of the home funeral she and her sister created for their mother.  Even though she died in the ICU, with the support of home funeral guide and educator, Olivia Bareham, Carla brought her mother's body home to care for her there.  Because her grandma loved candy, Carla's 6 year old daughter tucked a Snickers bar into her shroud, just in case.  Carla works...

At this time of Thanksgiving, Sarah has a conversation with Valli Warren and Sharon Stewart. Together they share the story of the home funeral and green burial they provided for Valli's husband, Spencer, who faced the end of his life with gratitude and joy.  Support the show

Film maker and home funeral guide, Heidi Boucher joins host Sarah Crews for a deeply personal conversation about caring for her brother and niece after a wave swept them off the tide pools they were exploring in Hawaii. In 2015 Heidi completed work on a  stunning documentary called In the Parlor: The Final Goodbye http://intheparlordoc.com/ Support the show

On this episode I have a conversation with Marianne Dietzel about the fatal accident that took the lives of her daughter Nina and Nina's best friend, Kirsten. The girls were enjoying their last year of high school at a special place in upstate New York. Marianne describes how their new community came together to support the families and hold space for the girls as their souls transitioned tog...

On this episode ecological landscape designer Michael Judd describes what it took to establish a cemetery on his family's homestead in rural Maryland, the memory of staying by his father's side throughout his dying process and the meaningful experience of the family taking charge of burying him in the cemetery space they had created together. Here is the link to the video: https://www.yo...

On this episode I have a conversation with Peg Lorenz, a home funeral guide and death educator in Central Massachusetts. Peg has been teaching home funeral practices and supporting families for over 10 years. She is the founding director of Peaceful Passage at Home  https://peacefulpassageathome.com/  Peg is a former Board member of the NHFA. Support the show

On this episode writer Kelly Notaras recalls the details of caring for her beloved partner and best friend, Benjamin, before and after his death in 2017. The article she wrote about the experience is here: https://bestselfmedia.com/doing-death-differently/ Find the beautiful book The Grace in Dying by Kathleen Dowling Singh here: https://bookshop.org/books/grace-in-dying-a-message-of-hope-comfort-...

On this episode I'm joined by independent home funeral advocate, Bec Lyons, who shares the story of her nan's home funeral and the work she does with families choosing to care for their own in her corner of the world, on the island of Tasmania.  https://yountaboo.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHET_Q5fok4 Support the show

Jamie asked to be buried under an oak tree in the yard of her home. Her partner honored her wish by finding a suitable place between the oak tree and Jamie's beloved lilacs. Today, Elizabeth Fournier, the green funeral director who was called in to assist with the plan, shares the experience from her perspective, honored to be invited in as a guest at Jamie's loving send-off. Support the...

Sarah Crews, Dani LaVoire and Michelle Acciavatti discuss grief, ethical choices, and maintaining and creating new community rituals, among other issues on this episode of A Path Home. Here are links with more information on those topics. https://birthbreathanddeath.com/death/guest-post-more-than-a-funeral-service-mediatating-grief-during-covid-19/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/opinion/corona...

Host Sarah Crews discusses changes to the funeral landscape since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in the US with Elizabeth Fournier and Dani LaVoire. Elizabeth is a licensed funeral director in Oregon. Dani, the president of the National Home Funeral Alliance.  Here is a link to an article by Josh Slocum, of the Funeral Consumer's Alliance titled, Covid-19 and the dead; facts, not fear. http...

When Lucy Basler's husband, Pat, suffered a brain aneurysm and was transported from his home in Wisconsin to a large medical facility in Minnesota, the family had to navigate laws and policies in both states in order to bring his body back to the house for a home funeral. Support the show

Sarah gives a brief overview of the laws that regulate the funeral industry and how they apply to ordinary people arranging funerals for a loved one. Reporting the death through filing a Death Certificate is required in every state. Find out whether the state you live in restricts your right to care for your own dead. Much of the content in this episode is in the book Final Rights: Reclaiming the...

Host Sarah Crews and her cousin Gwen Wilson talk about the family coming together to provide the end-of-life and after-death care for her husband, Mark. Remarkable in this story is the experience of their oldest daughter, Sarah, a young woman with Down Syndrome, finding her path into caring for her father before and after he died, and the effect it had on her grief journey. Here's the link to...

Anne Murphy, a home vigil guide, death educator and celebrant, describes what it was like to be invited to participate in the planning of Emily's home-based after death care, the vigil, memorial ceremony and subsequent green burial in a casket made of sea-grass. Emily's four year old daughter, with the loving support of her father and community, found her own way into every aspect of car...