FUNERAL CELEBRANT, DEATH DOULA, HOME FUNERAL, & GRIEF SUPPORT SERVICES

A word about my services: Dear Departures is not a funeral home, nor do I hold myself out to the community as if I were. I am an alternative provider of information, support, and ceremony. I am an advocate, liaison, consultant, and educator. Colorado state law does not require you to engage the services of a funeral home in any capacity, should you decide not to. You will, however, have to choose a method of final disposition (burial, water or flame cremation, composting, whole body donation, etc.) I can offer some suggestions for possible providers and you can decide where to go from there. 

Sliding Scale/Ability-to-Pay/Pay-What-You-Can Options Are Available. Please contact me for more information.

CUSTOM CEREMONIES

Have you ever left a funeral wanting more? I’ve had a lot of personal loss, and often found that when attending funerals most services were lackluster, at best. I’d often wonder,  “whose funeral was I just at?”  So, I embarked on a journey into Celebrancy to give folks more. As a funeral celebrant I work hard to strike a balance in the attention given to the sorrow, the love, and yes, even the giggles during a ceremony.

As a Life-Cycle Celebrant® I do weddings, baby namings, house blessings. community ceremonies and more, but I specialize in funerals, living-funerals, memorials, and celebrations-of-life!

I will collaborate with you to craft an unique ceremony tailored to the dearly departed (or departing) and who they are/were in life. Celebrant ceremonies are not your run-of-the-mill ceremonies. They are thoughtful, personalized honorings. I take time, and care, to get the big picture, and tell a damn-good story while incorporating ritual elements (like candle lightings) that feel like a good fit.

Want reverence? Want humor? Want spunk? Want class? I can make that happen in the location of your choice!  I’ve done celebrations-of-life at the Denver Art Museum, The Botanic Gardens, in parks and bars, in a barn, in a bowling alley, and more.

I do virtual ceremonies, too! Let me be your funeral celebrant!

Ceremonies Include:

~Interview session to gather information (up to two hours)
~Drafting of custom ceremony script and edits (if time permits) prior to ceremony
~Consultation/coordination with ceremony participants (eulogists, musicians, etc.)
~Officiating the ceremony (up to two hours on site)
~Keepsake copy of the ceremony

Starting at $750.00 ~ Free 20 Minute Consultation

Add-on ceremonies for ash scatterings, graveside services, headstone unveiling etc. available for an additional charge.

Specialties include:

  • Pregnancy & infant loss
  • Living funerals – when the person who is dying has an exit-party/farewell gathering (see FAQs)
  • “It’s Complicated” ceremonies – when the relationship with the dead was strained (see FAQs)
  • “Do-Over” ceremonies – for people who never had or had an unsatisfactory memorial in the past and want a do-over (see FAQs)
  • Virtual ceremonies – virtual memorials online (see FAQs)
  • Community rituals
  • Cleansing & releasing ceremonies – for grief, deathversaries, and more

I offer a limited number of discounted/ability-to-pay ceremonies annually.

COMMUNITY DEATHCARE/HOME FUNERAL GUIDANCE

I can guide you through the logistics of holding a home funeral (also known as family/community led deathcare.) There is a wealth of free knowledge available on the National Home Funeral Alliance’s website and they have a robust guide book that I helped to write that is available as a pay-what-you-can download that can walk you through planning a home funeral, body care, and more. 

For those that do not wish to go-it-alone, I offer guidance and planning around how to engage with community death care legally, and logistically. I help you navigate the process while encouraging you to trust in your abilities. 

Sliding scale of $35-$120 hour, though no one will be turned away from home funeral guidance. ~ Free 20 Minute Consultations

END-OF-LIFE CARE & PLANNING

As a Death Doula/End-of-Life Doula, I offer:

  • advance care planning
  • care-calendar coordination
  • legacy projects
  • caregiving
  • respite
  • end-of-life vigil planning
  • after-death-care planning
  • legacy projects
  • down-sizing support
  • VSED (voluntary stopping of eating and drinking) support
  • MAID (medical aid in dying) support 
  • and more 

Like birth doulas, death doulas offer holistic, non-medical, emotional, practical and spiritual support. Death Doula services for the dying and their circle are offered as an added layer to hospice care, not in lieu of it.

Sliding Scale of $35-$120 per hour ~ Packages Available ~ Free 20 Minute Consultations

LEGACY PROJECTS

Not interested in full death doula services? Just want someone to work with on a legacy project? Legacy projects are one of our favorite offerings! And, you don’t have to be dying to create a legacy project! Want to leave behind a special scrapbook? A video? A book of stories or recipes? Let’s talk!

Starting at $150.00 

DOWNSIZING SUPPORT

Want help downsizing your belongings and getting organized so that others don’t have to go through all your stuff when you die? Let’s do it!

Sliding Scale of $35-$120 per hour ~ Free 20 Minute Consultations

PET MEMORIALS & EUTHENASIA CEREMONIES

Our pets are family. I can help put together a meaningful send-off for your furry, scaly, feathered or other non-human family members. Oftentimes, we are left longing for something more after the death of a beloved pet. 

Ceremony and ritual are important when saying goodbye to them, too. 

Starting at $150.00

OBITUARY & EULOGY WRITING

You don’t have to be dying to start writing an obituary! Getting a head start means that when the inevitable happens, (be it tomorrow or years from now), the things that are important to you about your life’s story have been highlighted! I offer guidance in obituary writing, whether you are writing one for yourself, or someone else. An obit doesn’t have to be just a timeline of events. It can be fun, witty, reverent, and/or lush! 

Writing a eulogy? We’ve got you covered there, too. Whether you need support from start to finish, or just need some feedback and editing support, we can help!

Starting at $150.00

GRIEF COMPANIONING

1:1 grief support (in person or virtually).

This might look like talk sessions, journaling prompts and debriefs, and/or creating art, ritual, and ceremony around your grief.

Sliding Scale of $35-$120 per hour ~ Free 20 Minute Consultations

GRIEF GROUP FACILITATION

Grief group facilitation in your community, for your family, workplace, etc. 

Inquire for pricing (factors include # of participants, time spent, & material provided).

ADVANCE PLANNING GROUPS

Want to get your friends and family together over cocktails to get some of their affairs in order?

Want to offer advance planning to your staff or community group? Let’s make it happen!

Inquire for pricing (factors include # of guests, time spent, & material provided).

PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS

I offer presentations and workshops on topics that include but are not limited to:

  • Home funerals & community deathcare (law, logistics, ritual, & more)
  • Medical aid in dying (MAID)
  • Voluntary stopping of eating & drinking (VSED)
  • Eulogy & obituary writing
  • Eco-friendly options in death (like green burial, water cremation, & human composting)
  • Grief in the workplace
  • Disenfranchised grief
  • Suicidal ideation & anti-carceral approaches to support it
  • “It’s Complicated” – when the relationship with the dead or dying is strained  

Have a special request? I’m happy to custom craft and/or co-create presentations and workshops on just about any topic in the death, dying, and grief space. Feel free to reach out to share your ideas & requests!

Inquire for pricing.