Good Grief

In this episode of the Good Grief podcast, Amber Miller sits with host Pete Waggoner to discuss the topic of funeral personalization and how it can help people grieve. They explore why personalizing a funeral—from the flowers and decorations to the food after church service—can help the bereaved be reminded of their connection to their loved one, and how it can memorialize the legacies of those wh...

O'Connell Funeral Homes' Amber Miller and host Pete Waggoner welcome the new year by discussing preplanning expectations in this episode of Good Grief. Amber shares her first-hand funeral experience with families whose deceased loved ones made it easier to prepare by taking the time to plan ahead of time. The two go into detail about the different aspects of prearranging—from the frequency and len...

In this episode, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller sit down with Pete Waggoner to discuss how one can be of assistance to those who are grieving. They explore the different ways a grieving person may behave and how we as outsiders can help support them through their journey. They also talk about the things one should avoid saying or doing when interacting with a person who just lost a loved one, par...

In this episode, Dr. Kirsten Severson along with Mike O'Connell and host Pete Waggoner explores the concept of advance directives and how they work. Dr. Severson provides a thorough explanation of the whole process and how these documents allow a person to make the tough decisions about their healthcare beforehand in case they are ever unable to do so. Mike O'Connell also gets candid about his own...

In this episode hosted by Pete Waggoner, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller discuss the process of preplanning one's funeral and its multiple benefits. They go in-depth about the different aspects of funeral preplanning, from the finances to how the actual meetings are done with family members. They also talk about how death and grief can significantly impact those left behind, and how this process c...

In this episode, host Pete Waggoner goes in-depth with Kathleen Helgeson and Amber Miller about the topic of secondary loss and caregiver grief. They discuss the smaller subsequent losses that happen after the death of a loved one, and how a loss can impact one's roles and routines. They also delve into how to cope with the challenges that come with being a caregiver, as well as the grief it can b...

In this ‘scintillating’ episode of the Good Grief podcast, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller of O'Connell Funeral Homes join Pete Waggoner to discuss funeral etiquette. They get into the nitty-gritty of the do's and don'ts of attending a funeral--from the proper attire, to the conversation topics that may be off-limits or offending to the grieving family. The two also share about the real-life scena...

In this episode of The Good Grief podcast, Mike O'Connell and Amber Miller get into cemeteries' important role in providing a final resting place for people's loved ones. They discuss the process of creating these final resting places, from deciding on the type of burial to personalizing the space to create a meaningful and lasting tribute. They also dive into the details of securing a cemetery pl...

In this episode of The Good Grief podcast, host Pete Waggoner sits with Mike O'Connell and guest, Lori Christopherson to discuss how tattoos can be used as a form of memorializing and honoring a loved one. Mike shares how he discovered Everence, a company that creates personalized tattoo ink additives with a loved one's DNA. Lori talks about her own healing process after the loss of her son and ho...

There is no other job like a funeral director. In celebration of National Funeral Director and Morticians Recognition Day on March 11th, we would like to honor what funeral directors do for us. You don’t want just anyone to care for your loved one when they have passed on, you want someone empathetic, reverent, kind, and reliable to be there for you and your family. Today's podcast highlights...

To better accommodate Western Wisconsin communities, specifically Pierce County, as well as to offer a complete range of grief services, the locally owned and operated O’Connell Family Funeral Homes are merging their St. Croix and Pierce County locations in Hudson, Baldwin, Ellsworth, Prescott, and River Falls. The Pierce County funeral homes, previously owned by Tom & Mike O’Connell and a par...

Obituaries are not only used in death – they can also be a guide to a purposefully lived life. In this podcast, Mike O’Connell reflects on the inspiration he draws from the poem, “Success,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and how writing your own obituary can provide you with life-changing self-evaluations. If you sat down today to write your own obituary, essentially the resume of your life, would you fe...

The most wonderful time of the year, might not be the most wonderful time of the year for some people. Everyday stuff is overwhelming us and the holidays can be dreaded sometimes.  Mike O'Connell presents 20 self care tips to help you through the holidays and to care for your grief.

Celebration of life vs. funeral and memorial service. How these terms have evolved as well as some ideas on how to blend these types of service, as a way to confront our emotions and start the healing process.

How to help a grieving friend.  In today's episode, Kathy Helgeson, a certified funeral celebrant at O’Connell Family Funeral Homes, joins us to discuss how to help a grieving friend. What’s helpful. What’s not. How shifting your view could help you, as well as someone grieving the loss of a loved one. Links: Meet Kathy https://oconnellfuneralhomes.com/about-us/kathleen-helgeson/

Mike O'Connell talks about pre-arranging for your funeral. Why should you pre-arrange? What are the benefits? In this episode, we also answer some nagging questions like, Can I make changes to my funeral policy after it is completed? Do I need to prepay? What sort of things will I be asked?

Getting what you want, even after death.   Mike O'Connell & Pete talk about how to make a funeral personalized to not only pay tribute to your loved one, but help the family.    Hear some personal stories about how Mike and his amazing team helped families personalize their loved ones gatherings, including how Mike personalized his brother Dan's funeral. This was the beginning o...

In today's episode, we discuss what questions and information funeral directors will ask you when planning a funeral. Many people have told us, "We thought this was going to be emotionally drawn out, and it was way better than I thought." We want this podcast to elevate your anxiety surrounding what this meeting will entail. You'll learn the 3 segments that a funeral director is going to ask when...

A Difficult Decision Picking a funeral home is one of the greatest decisions that you'll make in your life, one which will significantly impact your last memories of your loved ones, so you want to be sure you're making the right choice. There are many things that many of us don't consider when choosing a funeral home, and today's podcast addresses those factors. We delve deep into the questions w...

Memorial Day is right around the corner so we created a podcast episode dedicated to the brave men and women that give so much to our country. On this episode, we share an event we have coming up on May 27th - "Haircuts for Heroes". From 11AM - 3PM, we'll be offering haircuts to veterans and active military personnel at our Hudson Chapel. We'll also have food trucks and resources available, as wel...

Funeral etiquette isn't something that most people spend a lot of time thinking about, but the truth is that it can help grieving families have the best possible experience throughout the deep pain surrounding the death of a loved one. In today's episode we share many of the unspoken rules surrounding the proper conduct we should have when dealing with someone that is grieving over the loss of a l...

Body donation is a mysterious topic for many of us, despite its essential role in saving lives, and in today's episode we'd like to change that.  Today we'll be discussing what body donation is, the different types of body donation, what health conditions prevent us from donating our bodies, if we can choose what our body is going to be used for, etc.

Funerals without flowers... sounds weird, doesn't it? Most of us haven't been to that many funerals where flowers weren't a part of the decoration... and for good reason. In today's episode, Shelli  Erck, from Hudson Flower Shop, joins us in a interesting discussion regarding this topic. We delve deep into the history of funeral flowers, their significance and the roles they play in funeral s...

Grieving over the loss of a loved one is already an unimaginable painful experience. But to go through it during the holiday season feels even harder, for many of us. In today's episode, Kathy Helgeson, a certified funeral celebrant at OCFH, joins us in a heartfelt discussion regarding this sensitive topic. We talk about the difference between grief and mourning, what are the "tasks" of grief, how...

Hospice Care is a sensitive topic for many of us. As with pre-arranging a funeral, talking about hospice care can make us feel very uncomfortable; some of us might feel we are "giving up" on our loved ones when we begin to consider this specific approach. The truth is, hospice care can bring relief and even joy to our loved ones. There is a multitude of ways that we can use hospice care programs,...