What People are Saying About OregonFuneral.org
“Oregon Funeral Resources & Education website is exactly as named—a thorough education in the legal rights, responsibilities, and processes for caring for a loved one after death, with clear writing, personal stories illustrating a variety of situations, an easy-to-follow layout, and links to an extensive compilation of resources to assist in those tasks. Even after 33 years as a nurse in Oregon, mostly in rural and underserved settings, I was unaware that there is no legal requirement in the state to use a funeral home. I believe many professionals and most of the population shares my ignorance. I particularly value the suggestion that officials communicating with the bereaved ask, ‘How can we assist you with plans?’ rather than ‘Which funeral home would you like to use?’”
—Monica Dostal, RN, MS, FNP-retired, former graduate nurse practitioner faculty member
“I applaud you for producing this website; you have done an admirable job. This will be a good resource for families as well as investigators. Many people out there are just legitimately unaware of this option that families have. We will continue to present this topic in our yearly death investigator course to hopefully minimize the chances of future miscommunication about families’ rights.”
—Sean Hurst, MD, Oregon Acting Chief Medical Examiner
“Up until around 1900, when a death occurred, the tasks that are now performed by paid professionals were performed by the family. Most people today think that they are legally required to use a funeral home, which simply is not true. More and more families desire hands-on involvement, but simply don't know how to go about doing so. Enter this website, a great asset for anyone who desires to have a home funeral or who just wants to be personally involved in the care and handling of their loved ones’ remains. The website is simple, yet thorough, covering every detail of how a family can care for their loved one without the use of a funeral home. I am confident that it will be a real blessing.”
—David Noble, recently retired from five decades serving Oregon families
funeral director, cemetery owner/ operator, Oregon Mortuary & Cemetery Board member
“This is so very, very, very helpful to families. People need a website where they can go while they're sitting by the transitional bed or in the middle of the night when they can't sleep to find information. The web truly doesn't host anything else like this. I look forward to adding a link to my funeral home website for families to find all of this wealth of knowledge.
—Elizabeth Fournier, Cornerstone Funeral Services, author of The Green Burial Guidebook
“I love the simplicity of the website. It's very well laid out and easy to navigate, while providing comprehensive information. An amazing resource – I’m excited to see it replicated for Washington.”
—Shonie Schlotzhauer, Executive Director, Sacred Earth Foundation
White Eagle Memorial Preserve
“I'm in tears reading all these stories, especially Max’s. This site is a remarkable gift to Oregonians. What a labor of love, and so needed.”
—Concetta Antonelli, Healthcare worker
“I have learned so much from your terrific website. What an invaluable gift of resources and offerings in one beautiful and very professional website.”
—Tamara Thiel, Columbia Gorge End-of-Life Doula
“Thanks for creating this site—it's nice to have all of this information in one place!”
—Deana Hagy, Evening Star End-of-Life Doulas Services, LLC
Download here: What People Are Saying About OregonFuneral.org PDF
—Monica Dostal, RN, MS, FNP-retired, former graduate nurse practitioner faculty member
“I applaud you for producing this website; you have done an admirable job. This will be a good resource for families as well as investigators. Many people out there are just legitimately unaware of this option that families have. We will continue to present this topic in our yearly death investigator course to hopefully minimize the chances of future miscommunication about families’ rights.”
—Sean Hurst, MD, Oregon Acting Chief Medical Examiner
“Up until around 1900, when a death occurred, the tasks that are now performed by paid professionals were performed by the family. Most people today think that they are legally required to use a funeral home, which simply is not true. More and more families desire hands-on involvement, but simply don't know how to go about doing so. Enter this website, a great asset for anyone who desires to have a home funeral or who just wants to be personally involved in the care and handling of their loved ones’ remains. The website is simple, yet thorough, covering every detail of how a family can care for their loved one without the use of a funeral home. I am confident that it will be a real blessing.”
—David Noble, recently retired from five decades serving Oregon families
funeral director, cemetery owner/ operator, Oregon Mortuary & Cemetery Board member
“This is so very, very, very helpful to families. People need a website where they can go while they're sitting by the transitional bed or in the middle of the night when they can't sleep to find information. The web truly doesn't host anything else like this. I look forward to adding a link to my funeral home website for families to find all of this wealth of knowledge.
—Elizabeth Fournier, Cornerstone Funeral Services, author of The Green Burial Guidebook
“I love the simplicity of the website. It's very well laid out and easy to navigate, while providing comprehensive information. An amazing resource – I’m excited to see it replicated for Washington.”
—Shonie Schlotzhauer, Executive Director, Sacred Earth Foundation
White Eagle Memorial Preserve
“I'm in tears reading all these stories, especially Max’s. This site is a remarkable gift to Oregonians. What a labor of love, and so needed.”
—Concetta Antonelli, Healthcare worker
“I have learned so much from your terrific website. What an invaluable gift of resources and offerings in one beautiful and very professional website.”
—Tamara Thiel, Columbia Gorge End-of-Life Doula
“Thanks for creating this site—it's nice to have all of this information in one place!”
—Deana Hagy, Evening Star End-of-Life Doulas Services, LLC
Download here: What People Are Saying About OregonFuneral.org PDF
Highlights of Media Coverage
(See More in Books, Articles, Organizations)
- DIY funerals: Your family can be your own funeral director, if you want, by Tom Banse, NW News Network: Regional Public Journalism, 12/16/21
- When her 4 year old son died, she wanted a home funeral, by Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick, USA Today, reprint 12/8/19
- Download the PDF of the original article here
- View: Not Taking No for an Answer, Opinion, The Register-Guard, 11/25/19
- Advocating for Home Funerals Think Out Loud, PBS radio interview with Holly Pruett and Keelia Carver, Oregon Public Broadcasting, 10/15/19
