Holly is no stranger to many NWADEBS members. Since co-founding PDX Death Cafe in 2013 Holly has been at the center of the movement to bring conversations about dying, death, and grief into the open. As part of that journey Holly serves as a Life-Cycle Celebrant and Home Funeral Guide, helping families and communities create individualized ceremonies that support their bereavement needs. Holly has put on workshops across the region including the wildly successful DeathOK conference in Portland in 2015 and serving as a facilitator for Oregon Humanities’ Talking About Dying conversation program.
Holly is sharing her gifts through a new venture: Oregon Funeral Resources & Education, an online guide that helps Oregon consumers navigate the full range of death care independently or with the support of a funeral director.
In the short time since its launch, the site has already nimbly responded to growing and changing needs. Specifically, the site contains an incredibly detailed and heart-centered Pandemic Care Guide, a set of resources and approaches for memorialization and support in light of COVID-19 and the new challenges faced by families, loved ones and a society in mourning.
As Holly explains, the site is a true labor of love. “Nine months ago, I received an email that will no doubt change the lives of many. It was from a bereaved mother, telling the story of her beautiful 4 1/2 year old son Max, and how authorities who didn’t know the law thwarted the release of his body to his parents after the investigation was complete. She wanted to spare other families the pain they suffered, being denied the chance to care for Max after his death.
At the time Max’s mom Keelia most needed it, there was no easy place to find information on her family’s right to take custody of Max and bury him at home on their ranch. Nothing to hand the misinformed authorities who insisted otherwise.
Now there is: Oregon Funeral Resources & Education, a non-commercial public interest site dedicated to helping Oregon consumers care for their own dead with or without the assistance of a funeral director. The site is being lauded by medical and funeral industry professionals as a much-needed resource for both families and professionals.” (Read more about the creation of the site here).
We are lucky to have Holly as a member of the NWADEBS family and a leader in our community!
