The Family Plot Blog
March 6: Historic Fairview Cemetery Volunteer Clean Up
Volunteers to Clean Up Historic Fairview Cemetery Want to volunteer your time to make a difference in your community? Historic Fairview Cemetery, established in Albuquerque, NM in 1881, is maintained by a local nonprofit organization. On Saturday morning, March 6, starting at 10:00 a.m., volunteers will help clean up a section of the cemetery by weeding and picking up trash. Gardening/weeding is great exercise, with built-in social distancing!...
February 21: Online Death Cafe
Join the Conversation in the Next Death Cafe! The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place ONLINE on Sunday, February 21, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Due to self-distancing imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, we will meet through Zoom. RSVP to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to receive the link for the meeting. The objective of the Death Cafe is “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their...
Children and Grief: Video Interview with Tim Mostert
Children and grief: helping kids understand death and grieving is a challenge around the world. The new book, What Now?, written and illustrated by Tim Mostert, can help fill the gap in educational materials about death and mourning. Tim Mostert is known in South Africa as a cartoonist who created Speedy, an incredibly popular comic strip character in the country’s leading newspaper, The Daily Sun. Speedy is also featured in a TV series,...
February 17: Tales from Albuquerque’s Historic Fairview Cemetery
Virtual Event: Tales from Historic Fairview Cemetery Historic Fairview Cemetery at 700 Yale Blvd SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was founded in 1881. It has approximately 12,000 permanent residents. Yet, only about 6,000 of the graves have markers. It’s the final resting place for both the famous and the unknown. There are military graves for Buffalo Soldiers and Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, notable politicians, business leaders, and unknown...
Video: Dying with Ease Interview with Dr. Jeff Spiess
In this "Books to Die For" interview, Dr. Jeff Spiess, author of the book Dying with Ease: A Compassionate Guide for Making Wiser End-of-Life Decisions, talks with Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist and The Doyenne of Death. Among the topics discussed: The history of hospice Autonomy cases related to end-of-life: Karen Ann Quinlan and Terri Schiavo A though experiment on what it's like to die and understanding loss Medical aid-in-dying and...
An Obituary Through the Eyes of Grandchildren
Here is a unique obituary for Lloyd Bert Garcia, created by his grandchildren offering their fondest recollections of him. The photo is a drawing created by his granddaughter Evie. This was published in the Albuquerque Journal on January 17, 2021. Seven grandchildren remembering their beloved Papa who passed away on January 16, 2020 Julia: I loved that my Papa was always willing to drop whatever he was doing to help with whatever I needed. He...
Cremation on A Good Goodbye TV Tonight
Do you have questions about cremation? Tune in to watch A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die and learn what you need to know before you go! This episode is airing Albuquerque's cable channel 27 on Tuesday, January 12 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 16 at 2:00 p.m. MST. This 26-minute interview features Tom Antram, the president and CEO of FRENCH Funerals and Cremations, and Buck Dyck, a funeral director and...
Obituary as One Act Play: Shannon L. Marshall
Obituary as Play Script This creative obituary for actress Shannon Marshall shares her life story as a play script. It shares her passions in life and names the people who were special to her. Bravo to whoever wrote this obituary! A ROCK OF REFUGE An Obituary in One Act for SHANNON L. MARSHALL SCENE: Two figures stand together behind a veil of ethereal, wispy clouds. A woman is dressed in a beautiful white gown with a shawl of rainbow colors,...
January 17: Albuquerque Historical Society Presentation
Live Online Presentation On Sunday, January 17, 2021, at 2 PM. Gail Rubin, President of the Historic Fairview Cemetery nonprofit organization, will speak on the topic “Historic Fairview Cemetery: Final Resting Place for Notable People in Albuquerque History.” The program will take place by live stream on the Albuquerque Historical Society Facebook page. Historic Fairview Cemetery at 700 Yale Blvd SE in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was founded in...
January 16: Xeric Garden Groundbreaking at Historic Fairview Cemetery
Historic Fairview Cemetery Holds Groundbreaking for Xeric Demonstration Garden Historic Fairview Cemetery, established in Albuquerque, NM in 1881, is ripe for a low-water xeric garden. The cemetery is run by a local nonprofit organization. On Saturday, January 16, starting at 1:30 p.m., the organization’s Board and President Gail Rubin will hold a groundbreaking yucca planting ceremony. The planting kicks off a project to foster xeric...
Video: The Embalmers’ Cookbook Interview with Jeff Chancellor
The Embalmers' Cookbook Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeff Chancellor, co-author of The Embalmers' Cookbook. Written along with his friend Mike Brown, the cookbook is a fun collection of "Recipes to Die For" and trivia about embalming and funeral history. Fun Recipes and Trivia The recipes include drinks (Chemical Solutions), salads (Casket Sprays & Flowers),...
January 24: Online Death Cafe
Join the Conversation in the Next Death Cafe! The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place ONLINE on Sunday, January 24, 2020, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Due to self-distancing imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, we will meet through Zoom. RSVP to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to receive the link for the meeting. The objective of the Death Cafe is “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of...
Books to Die For Video: Opening to Grief
Do we even recognize the river of grief we are trying to navigate in 2020? Claire B. Willis, co-author with Marnie Crawford Samuelson, of Opening to Grief: finding your way from loss to peace, offers insights that can help. Claire Willis is a clinical social worker who has worked in the fields of oncology and bereavement for more than 20 years. A co-founder of the Boston nonprofit Facing Cancer Together, Claire has led bereavement, end-of-life,...
Video: Understanding Sadness and Anger at the Holidays
Gail Rubin spoke at Wings For LIFE International about managing grief during the holidays. Using clips from the 2015 Disney Pixar film Inside Out, she explained how anger and sadness play important roles in our emotional reactions to change and loss. The scenes she showed brilliantly illustrated the impact of sadness on our emotional reactions to change and loss. Wings For LIFE International helps families and individuals impacted by...
TV Series “A Good Goodbye” Returns to Albuquerque Cable
Series starts January 5, 2021 on Comcast Cable Channel 27 The TV series A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die returns to Albuquerque’s Comcast Cable Channel 27 starting January 5, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. MST. The 14-episode series of 30-minute programs presents expert interviews on everything you need to know about funeral planning before there’s a death in the family. It’s hosted by pioneering death educator Gail Rubin,...
Video: New Trends in Cemeteries
Video: New Trends in Cemeteries "Where the Bodies are Buried: New Trends in Cemeteries" was a panel discussion during the 2020 Before I Die NM Virtual Festival. This session, which brought together leading-edge cemeterians (people who run cemeteries) from across the United States. Here are highlights from the panelists' presentations. Among the topics covered: addressing the rise...
December 20 Online Death Cafe
The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place ONLINE on Sunday, December 20, 2020, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Due to self-distancing imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, we will meet through Zoom. RSVP to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to receive the link for the meeting. 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,...
Kyle Tevlin on How to Create Meaningful Memorial Activities
How can you hold meaningful, memorable memorial activities, especially with the restrictions of a global pandemic? Kyle Tevlin, founder of I Want a Fun Funeral, spoke about “Raising the Bar on Our Funeral Traditions” at the fourth annual Before I Die New Mexico Virtual Festival. A Lesson in a Cartoon She showed a cartoon featuring two homo sapiens making cave paintings. The father...
November 22: Online Death Cafe
The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will take place ONLINE on Sunday, November 22, 2020, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Due to self-distancing imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, we will meet through Zoom. RSVP to Gail [at] AGoodGoodbye.com to receive the link for the meeting. Please provide your own refreshments. Have a cup of tea or coffee and a cookie or other snack handy. The objective of the Death Cafe is “to increase awareness of...
Video: Property Reincarnation with Karen Hyatt of Estate Pros
Karen Hyatt, founder of Estate Pros New Mexico, presents "Property Reincarnation: Giving New Life to the 'Stuff' of our Lives." This one-hour presentation features insights into how to tackle clutter and downsizing, valuation of goods and furniture, and dramatic Before and After photos of clients' places where Estate Pros worked their magic. Karen provides great information about...
Video: Graveyards of the Wild West: New Mexico
In this video, Heather Moulton, author of the new book, Graveyards of the Wild West: New Mexico, discusses several old cemeteries in New Mexico. She also shares examples of pictures in the book, taken by photographer Susan Tatterson. The graveyards in small towns across New Mexico featured in this talk include Fort Sumner Cemetery and the grave of Billy the Kid, Shakespeare...