What to do when someone dies is a mystery to most of us. But there is movement to regain the lost skills and self-reliance of previous generations, driven by a vision of creating more affordable, eco-friendly, meaningful and authentic ways of memorializing and caring for our own dead ourselves, in our own homes, in our churches, and in our communities. This movement is gaining momentum, guided by ethical and environmentally conscious values, seeking more congruent methods and practices that reflect our vision for the planet and provide a sense of place for those left behind.
NHFREA's goal is to empower individuals, families, friends, communities, and professionals to make funeral decisions based on knowledge, not fear or grief or by default. For many, that will mean learning how to conduct a home funeral; for others, it will mean searching for a funeral director who will honor their unique ideas; for still others it will mean advocating for change in our municipal cemetery, hospital, and government laws and policies. However this reform in funeral practices and responsibility resonates with you, we are here to educate, to support, and to nurture new ideas that will change the way we do death in the best possible ways.
Find Us at These Locations!
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Wednesdays, February 19 – March 4 (March 11 snow date)
2:30 pm to 4:30 pm OSHER WINTER COURSE DOC House – Hanover, NH Honoring the Dead in America: How Funerals Really Work with Lee Webster Fridays, May 1 and 8 9 - 11 am OSHER SPRING COURSE 1 Court Street, Lebanon, NH Mingling Sincerely My Tears With Yours: Condolence Letters, Obituaries, and Other Death Writing Considered with Lee Webster May 15, 2020 10 - 11:30 am Aging Resource Center Hanover NH Changing Funeral Trends: Home Funerals and Green Burials with Lee Webster |
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NHFREA in the News
Chuck Lakin trying on his casket at Common Ground Fair
Listen to:
Bonus Episode: 3 ½ Feet Under with Lee Webster, NHPR, Outside/In, first aired March 9, 2017
Home Funerals are Here to Stay Deanna Cochran of Quality of Life Care with Lee Webster, January 7, 2017
#TalkDeath Episode 5: Who Owns Your Body with Tanya Marsh and Lee Webster, YouTube Qeepr
Maine Public Radio interview with Chuck Lakin and Julie Lanoie on Maine Calling on November 3, 2016
Green Burial radio interview with Lee Webster on Phaneuf Funeral Home's Dying to Talk on 107.7 FM January 12, 2016
The Power of Home Funerals and History of the NHFA with Lee Webster, End of Life University with Karen Wyatt, M.D.
NHPR's Word of Mouth interview with Lee Webster January 30, 2014
Watch:
Home Funerals and Green Burials, group think in Windham County, VT, a film by Andrika Donovan, January, 2020
Home Wakes, Home Funerals Suzanne O'Brien of DoulaGivers with Lee Webster, January 30, 2019
Lee Webster speaking with Bodhi Be at DeathTracks December 4, 2018
Janet Ellis speaking at How to Bury Your Loved One at Home - How to Have a Home Funeral March 23, 2016
Julie Lanoie speaking about the home funeral at the UU Fellowship of the Eastern Slopes on March 2, 2014
Read:
The Movement to Bring Death Closer by Maggie Jones, The New York Times Magazine, December 19, 2019, featuring Lee Webster
More People Want a Green Burial But Cemetery Law Hasn't Caught Up by Alex Brown, Pew Charitable Trusts, November 20, 2019, featuring Lee Webster - also published by the Washington Post
Millennials Aren't Killing the Funeral Industry‚ But They Are Changing It by Heather Morrison, Rewire, December 2, 2019
How Death Doulas, Home Funeral Guides, and Funeral Professionals Can Serve Families Together by Lee Webster, Order of the Golden Rule, October 2, 2019
Return to Nature: Why We Choose Green Burials by Lynn Freehill-Maye and Philip Pantuso, YES Magazine, Fall, 2019
What is Human Composting by Katherine Hignett, Newsweek.com, April 23, 2019
Lebanon cemetery officials research possibility of green burial by Tim Camerato, Valley News, April 14, 2019
Why Caring for Our Own Dead is an Act of Social Justice from theWake Forest Law Review by Lee Webster, March 1, 2018
At the End of Life: Death Doulas and Home Funeral Guides on MedPage Today with Julie Lanoie and Lee Webster, April 11, 2015