The Family Plot Blog
In-Person Death Cafe Changed to Online This Sunday
The Albuquerque Death Cafe was to take place at Historic Fairview Cemetery this Sunday, October 16, to discuss death among the tombstones. However, the weather forecast is cold and rainy (rare for Albuquerque). We will instead hold it online through Zoom and stay warm and dry at home. 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 an interesting,...
Register Now for the Before I Die Ohio Festival
Before I Die Ohio Festival Registration Now Open! The first Before I Die Ohio Festival will take place October 27-29, 2022 in Dayton, Ohio. This series of events offers upbeat activities to think about, talk about, and do something about our inevitable mortality. Activities include Death Cafe conversations, field trips to cemeteries, funeral homes and crematoria, movies, panel discussions, and a wide range of speakers. While most events are...
Casket Lowering in a Conventional Cemetery Burial
How is a casket is lowered into the grave in a conventional cemetery burial? Watch this video. A team of two workers for the cemetery remove the supports under the casket, allowing the weight of the casket to be supported by the green lowering straps. The metal framework around the grave has poles that rotate, allowing the straps to extend downward, lowering the casket into the...
Obituary for Helen Fuller
Helen Fuller's fortunate life drew to a close on August 25, 2022, at age 89. She died peacefully surrounded by family a few weeks after falling and breaking a hip while hiking. She got her start in Denison, Texas, the second daughter of Walter Greene and Willie Rice Langston on March 19, 1933. Describing her early childhood she said, “We were loved. And we had everything.” Both of her parents died when she was 13, her mother at age 49 from...
A Funeral Fit for a Queen
A Funeral Fit For A Queen The announcement of today's death of Queen Elizabeth will put in motion funeral plans that have been in place for decades. It will be an enormous undertaking (no pun intended). What is being done for the Queen's funeral, and for the benefit of your family, how can you do the same? Have a Plan in Place Operation London Bridge is the name of the plan to be followed upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It includes how...
Gail Rubin Speaking at NFDA October 9
How to Foster Preneed Sales with a Before I Die Festival Don't miss this presentation at the National Funeral Directors Association convention in Baltimore on Sunday, October 9, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death® will share how a Before I Die Festival can fill your preneed pipeline. One funeral home made $80,000 in preneed sales in two days! Program Description How do you encourage people to...
The Remarkable Tom Root Celebration of Life
Tom Root was a remarkable man. As a Certified Funeral Celebrant, I recently had the honor of creating a Celebration of Life service for Tom Root's family and friends. The family has given permission to share this celebration with you. You can read the service script after the video. Greeting Tom Root was a Renaissance man, a man of energy, intellect, and joy, with a zest for life...
Discussing Death Cafes on August 31
Want to know more about Death Cafes and how to hold one? Join leading Death Cafe hosts Gail Rubin, Amy Cunningham, Nancy Gershman and Harvey Newman on Wednesday, August 31 at noon ET/11:00 a.m. CT/10:00 a.m. MT/9:00 a.m. PT for an online discussion, The Roundtable Death Cafe. The Completed Life Initiative is coordinating this two-hour event, in cooperation with Reimagine Summer Events. Register for this free online event here. The Roundtable...
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...