The Family Plot Blog
Obon Festival in Albuquerque’s Japanese Garden
Japan's Obon Festival, a time to honor ancestors and deceased loved ones, is like Day of the Dead in Mexico and Central America. Albuquerque's Japanese Garden in the BioPark Botanical Garden hosted their second Obon Festival on August 13, 2022. Obon is an annual Buddhist event that commemorates one's ancestors. The traditional belief is that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world to visit their relatives. In this...
Preneed Sales Tips Every Funeral Home and Cemetery Needs
If you're serious about learning how to sell preneed funerals and cemetery property, this list of tips holds the keys you need to succeed. These five tips offer takeaway ideas from my attendance at the 2022 ICCFA University J. Asher Neel College of Sales & Marketing. These "Golden Nuggets" of information for those involved in sales and marketing of funeral services and cemetery property came from the excellent speakers who presented there....
A Visit to LH Design Burial Gown Workshop
What goes into the creation of a burial gown? While visiting Atlanta for ICCFA University in July, I got to visit the home workshop of Leon Harris, owner and designer behind LH Design burial garments for women. Go behind the scenes on this video tour. Leon Harris creates spectacular burial gowns for African culture homegoing celebrations. He designs and creates dresses that show...
August 14: Next Online Death Cafe with Gail Rubin
The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda. The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held online on Sunday, August 14 at 3:00 p.m. MDT. Get the link for this online conversation through this Meetup group event listing. During the...
Advanced Funeral Planning Tips Every Baby Boomer Needs
Few baby boomers are prepared for their own funerals. Even though humans have a 100% mortality rate, less than 30% of adults do advance funeral planning. But here’s a secret: you don’t have to spend your children's inheritance on a funeral. Here are some helpful tips about advanced funeral planning. As The Doyenne of Death®, I'm always encouraging people to plan for this guaranteed inevitability. While I had put my wishes on file with a funeral...
The Doyenne of Death® Podcast Explores Mortality Issues and Funeral Traditions
How can we start planning for our 100% mortality rate? Death educator Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist, starts those conversations with a weekly podcast titled The Doyenne of Death®. The series tackles end-of-life issues with a light touch on a dark subject. A Doyenne is a woman considered senior in a group who knows a lot about a particular subject. Gail Rubin is an award-winning author, speaker, and pioneer of outside-the-box activities to...
Video: Write Your ‘Upon My Death’ Letter Today!
What goes into an "Upon My Death" letter? In this video, Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®, shares the heartfelt and humorous story of her friend Gary Mayhew. He took her advice about planning for end-of-life. In this video recorded for the National Speakers Association New Mexico chapter's 2022 Speakers Showcase, Gail presented her speech, "Be Like Gary." A bulleted list of items to include in an Upon My Death...
July 10 Online Death Cafe
The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda. The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held online on Sunday, July 10 at 3:00 p.m. MDT. Get the link for this online conversation through this Meetup group event listing. During the pandemic, Albuquerque...
6 Celebration Of Life Ideas For Your Senior Loved Ones
Birthdays are for loved ones, friends, and family members who are still living. A celebration of life, on the other hand, honors the life of a senior loved one who has died. Unlike a memorial or funeral service that’s more structured, a celebration of life is less formal and more casual in nature. It's a joyful occasion to focus on their lives and accomplishments. If you’re looking for different ways to honor and remember a dearly beloved...
Thoughts on Being a Personal Representative
Being a personal representative for an estate is a big job. If someone asks you to be an executor or personal representative for their estate, here’s a glimpse into what's involved. Years ago, my husband Dave and I agreed to accept the responsibility of being the back-up healthcare power of attorney (POA) and personal representatives for an elderly couple we knew through our synagogue. Sid and Jeanne were delightful, thoughtful, well-organized...
Videos from the ICCFA Funeral Convention
Funeral Information You Won't Find Anywhere Else The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) held its annual convention in person for the first time since the pandemic shut down. The convention and expo was held in Las Vegas, Nevada March 22-25, 2022. As The Doyenne of Death®, I attend this event as a journalist and interview exhibitors at the expo on new developments in the field. You can view videos of the interviews...
April 10 Online Death Cafe
The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda. The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held online on Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 p.m. MDT. Get the link for this online conversation through this Meetup group event listing. During the...
Funeral News Stories
These funeral news stories offer ways to talk about death and dying. These news items were compiled by Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death®. Washington Post: Even on his birthday, a black funeral director can't escape covid deaths As the pandemic enters its third year, the nation is edging toward normalcy. Except funeral directors still grapple with an enormous wave of deaths. Read the full story. Washington Post: How I...
Curating Family Photos with Martie McNabb
Have you inherited your family’s photo collection? Is it overwhelming your life? What can you do to manage these photos, and how do you deal with the emotional baggage tied to all these things? Martie McNabb, a personal historian and founder of Show & Tales and Memories Out of the Box, has helped hundreds of people deal with these issues. In this video interview, she encourages people to have hope when dealing with an overwhelming task....
March 20 Online Death Cafe
The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda. The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held online on Sunday, March 20 at 3:00 p.m. MDT. Get the link for this online conversation through this Meetup group event listing. During the...
The Pandemic Changed Our World Two Years Ago Today
Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the pandemic shut down our world as we knew it. I was packing my car to drive to Colorado to present The Newly-Dead Game® at the Frozen Dead Guy Days festival in Nederland. With the announcement of the pandemic by the World Health Organization, Nederland's Town Council voted to cancel the festival two days before it was going to start. I remember how shocked and confused we all felt about how the virus was circulating...
Albuquerque Business First Gives Best Nonprofit Board Award to Historic Fairview Cemetery
The Board of Historic Fairview Cemetery was recognized by Albuquerque Business First's 2022 Philanthropy Awards for Best Boards. Gail Rubin, President of the Board of the nonprofit organization and The Doyenne of Death®, accepted the award. The award ceremony was held March 10, 2022 with a crowd of more than one hundred in attendance. “We have a very dedicated all volunteer Board that gets involved in the cemetery and makes things happen to...
Historic Fairview Cemetery Board Honored with Philanthropy Award
Cemetery History Group Honored The Board of Historic Fairview Cemetery is being recognized by Albuquerque Business First's 2022 Philanthropy Awards for Best Boards. The award ceremony and summit will take place on Thursday, March 10, at Sandia Golf Club, 30 Rainbow Road NE, Albuquerque. Here is information that helped Historic Fairview Cemetery earn this recognition. What is the mission of your nonprofit? To preserve and maintain the Historic...
Video Interview: Navigating the Pandemic
Pondering the Pandemic In this "Books to Die For" interview, Teresa Schreiber Werth talks about the book, "Navigating the Pandemic: Stories of Hope and Resilience." A certified funeral celebrant, Werth brought together the writings of 38 individuals in this book. They reflect on the many losses brought on by the pandemic, but also share uplifting thoughts for humanity. This collection of poetry, stories and honest feelings focuses on the...
Learn From These Before I Die Festival Videos
All of the videos from the 2021 Before I Die New Mexico Festival are now available online! The 5th annual Festival took place in-person in Albuquerque and online with four days of death-positive conversations and experiences October 30 to November 2, 2021. The Festival featured entertaining and educational elements, including field trips to funeral homes and cemeteries, speakers and panel discussions, hands-on workshops, and more. While the...
How Being Prepared for End-of-Life Helps Us with Our Grief
How Being Prepared for End-of-Life Helps Us with Our Grief Over these past two pandemic years, the shadow of death and grief has touched many of us. I recently saw a billboard for a local funeral home: “Good grief comes with instructions. Preplan.” Boy, that hit home. My longtime friend Gary Mayhew had taken my advice. He’d written an 11-page letter titled Upon My Death. What a gift that turned out to be. Tall and skinny, witty and kind, Gary...