The Last Track

In the state of Oregon, any unlicensed person is allowed to run the funeral service, as long as they are not accepting payment of the services. In order to accept payments for officiating a funeral service, a person must be licensed. Typically, the person who officiates the funeral service will run the order of service. The officiant will gather music to play at the service, read the eulogy and of...

In the state of Oregon, any unlicensed person is allowed to run the funeral service, as long as they are not accepting payment of the services. In order to accept payments for officiating a funeral service, a person must be licensed. Typically, the person who officiates the funeral service will run the order of service. The officiant will gather music to play at the service, read the eulogy and of...

Typically, the person who officiates the funeral service will run the order of service. This can include:  Reading of the life story or eulogy Playing music Playing a memorial video Offering a time of remembrance  Offering prayers or reading of poems Introduce military honors or funeral rites Presenting announcements for the graveside service, luncheon, family gathering or other directors In the s...

In this trilogy, Brian talks about types of cemeteries that you might find when looking for a final resting place for a loved one. In this podcast, Brian talks about how a cemetery can be an environmentally friendly green cemetery. From scattering options, urn burial and casket burial, Brian goes through the different options for green burial. Brian talks about the different options families have...

In this trilogy, Brian talks about types of cemeteries that you might find when looking for a final resting place for a loved one. In this podcast, Brian talks about how a cemetery is designated a memorial park versus a traditional cemetery. He talks about the perpetual care and types of headstone or markers allowed in the different types of cemeteries.  Memorial parks are a newer type of cemetery...

In this trilogy, Brian talks about types of cemeteries that you might find when looking for a final resting place for a loved one. In this podcast, Brian talks about how a cemetery is considered a pioneer cemetery.  The State of Oregon defines a "pioneer cemetery" as "any burial place that contains the remains of one or more persons who died before February 14, 1909", which is...

In this trilogy, Brian talks about your options for final disposition and a final resting place for a loved one. For this podcast, Brian talks about the different options families have for a final disposition.  For burial, there are three different resting place options: above ground, in the ground or at sea. A body can be entombed in a mausoleum or buried in a cemetery. At sea, a body can be rele...

In this trilogy, Brian talks about your options for final disposition and a final resting place for a loved one. For this podcast, Brian talks about options for burial as a final disposition.  In this episode, Brian talks about burial regulations in Oregon and why people may choose different types of burial. He talks about how cemeteries can have their own requirements for burial and even differen...

In this trilogy, Brian talks about your options for final disposition and a final resting place for a loved one. For this podcast, Brian talks about the different options families have for a green service and disposition including aquamation, burial, cremation and natural decomposition. From burial to cremation options, Brian talks about the different ways that families can incorporate a smaller c...

In this podcast, Brian goes over different types of funeral services. For this episode, he talks about LDS (Mormon), Lutheran, Presbyterian, Russian Orthodox and Jewish funerals.  Brian talks about different Latter Day Saint/LDS funeral rituals and traditions you may see if you attend an LDS funeral. He talks about religious clothing that you may see if there is a visitation before the funeral. Br...

This podcast features a recording from a seminar that Brian presented at.  The seminar was focused on common questions that are asked about the funeral industry, such as whether a prepaid funeral service can be altered and what a travel protection plan is. Brian also answers questions from the audience in this recording.  In this episode, he covers pre-needs and how to make sure that your final ex...

Grief is a difficult subject to talk about, especially when talking about it to a child for the first time. Brian talks about ways to help a child process grief and understand the permanence of death. He covers how grief can be expressed through the body and through actions, as well as how to explain the feeling of grief to a child. There are activities that Brian suggests, which are linked in the...

Legacy planning means something different to each person. It should not be left for “someday” where it could end up creating tension and heartbreak. Brian Norris presented at Oregon Coast Community College Central Campus about how you can create a personalized legacy plan that is right for your family. Listen to a recording of the presentation Brian gave on legacy planning and taking care of your...

Legacy planning means something different to each person. It should not be left for “someday” where it could end up creating tension and heartbreak. Brian Norris presented at Oregon Coast Community College Central Campus about how you can create a personalized legacy plan that is right for your family. Listen to a recording of the presentation Brian gave on legacy planning and taking care of your...

Even though most Americans over the last decade have died due to chronic illness, over 2,000 adults die every year in accidents in Oregon alone. In this trilogy, we are going to talk about what to do if a loved one dies in an accident.  This is the third in a three part series talking about types of accidental deaths, autopsy, and planning a funeral after the unexpected sudden death.  In this epis...

An accidental death can cause a lot of confusion and grief. Holding a service for a loved one who has died in an accident can be stressful and overwhelming.  There are many things to consider after an unexpected or sudden death, especially when planning a service. In this episode, Brian talks about the different parts of a service and how they can be impacted by a sudden death. Brian also addresse...

When someone has died by suicide, there can be a lot of emotions and heartache involved. There can be a lot of questions on how to talk about the person after they have died and how to celebrate their life. In this episode, Brian will be talking about planning a funeral for someone who has died by suicide.  If you are contemplating suicide or believe a loved one is, please call the National Suicid...

Deciding whether or not to bring a child to a funeral is a very difficult and sometimes overwhelming decision. Brian Norris talks about how to decide whether a child should attend a funeral and how to present the choice of whether to go or not to a child. This podcast references an article written by  Kenneth J. Doka, Ph. D., a professor of psychology and counseling at the College of New Rochelle...

Grief is a difficult subject to talk about, especially when talking about it to a child for the first time. Brian talks about ways to help a child process grief and understand the permanence of death. He covers how grief can be expressed through the body and through actions, as well as how to explain the feeling of grief to a child. There are activities that Brian suggests, which are linked in the...

While most deaths today are due to chronic illness such as heart disease and cancers, death can occur unexpectedly in accidents and sudden severe illness. This is why it is important to start the conversation about final wishes early. In this episode, Brian talks about what things should be addressed in a conversation about death. He explains what information your funeral director will need to kno...

Pre-planning is determining the details of your funeral and cemetery services in advance. To some, this may sound like a difficult conversation. But putting a plan in place is actually a smart and caring thing to do that helps to reduce stress and help make things easier in the future. In this trilogy, Brian talks about pre-arrangements and preneed appointments. For this episode, Brian covers what...

Pre-planning is determining the details of your funeral and cemetery services in advance. To some, this may sound like a difficult conversation. But putting a plan in place is actually a smart and caring thing to do that helps to reduce stress and help make things easier in the future. In this trilogy, Brian talks about pre-arrangements and preneed appointments. This episode covers the guiding que...

In this podcast, Brian interviews Theresa from Samaritan Evergreen Hospice. Theresa Karlik is an RN and the manager of Samaritan’s coastal hospice team for Samaritan Evergreen Hospice. The coastal hospice team, based in Newport, provides hospice care to patients throughout Lincoln County and into Tillamook County.  This interview focused on the mission of hospice and end of life care. Brian asks h...

In this podcast, Brian talks about how legal next of kin is decided in the state of Oregon. He explains the legal ranking and how the funeral home uses this ranking. This episode talks about types of power of attorney and how that power dies on death. Brian also explains how a will impacts next of kin. The podcast addresses how to appoint a person as in charge of final wishes and why that may be u...

In this podcast, Brian talks about burial regulations in Oregon and why people may choose different types of burial. He talks about how  cemeteries can have their own requirements for burial and even different sections of the cemetery for different types of burial, such as a green burial section. This episode covers examples of regulations for urn burial, mausoleum entombment, and burial at cemete...