Making New Hampshire Funeral Information Easy to Find

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.
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.

Quick Find
In New Hampshire, no one is required to purchase the services of a funeral director or funeral home. Families may conduct any or all tasks commonly performed by a funeral home (except embalming which is not required by New Hampshire law), and may bury on their own property if certain provisions are met. Sometimes called "family-led after-death care" or "home funerals" this may include:
  • bathing and dressing the deceased; 
  • sheltering the deceased at home;
  • spending time with the deceased (sometimes called a wake, vigil, or viewing);
  • filing the death certificate and obtaining a burial/transit permit;
  • making arrangements for final disposition (generally burial or cremation);
  • transporting the body home (or to another location) for care and viewing, and to place of final disposition;
  • making arrangements for any ceremony. ​​

3 Approaches to Funerals

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​Around the World

Find a Speaker

Making a Clean (Energy) Getaway: Eco-friendly funeral practices and products
Sanbornton Library
Sanbornton NH
April 18 or 25, 2024 (TBD)
6 pm
Partnering with End-of-Life Doulas and After-Death Care Educators for Hospice Personnel
St Anselm College Student Center
Manchester NH
March 7, 2024
Burial  on Land with Existing and Proposed Conservation Easements in New Hampshire
February 2024
TBA
Free and paid online classes at Redesigning the End.com
Green Burial Masterclass
Green Funeral Services
Doulas and After-Death Care: Bridging Both Worlds
Hospice and Home Funerals In-Service Series
After-Death Care Mini Course for Doulas, Guides, and Individuals

Meet Lee Webster, Funeral Reform Advocate

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As a writer, researcher, hospice volunteer, home funeral guide, conservationist, web designer, and frequent speaker on the benefits of home funerals and green burial, Lee Webster's career and volunteer service spans years in public relations and development for nonprofits, conservation groups, health agencies, private secondary schools, colleges and universities. She serves as the Executive Director of New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy, is a former President and Vice Chair of Education of the Green Burial Council, and was a six-year VP and President of the National Home Funeral Alliance. She is a founding member of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's End-of-Life Doula Council, and the Conservation Burial Alliance.

​She is the author of several home funeral and green burial books, including Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, environmentally sustainable green funeral practices and The After-Death Care Advocate Handbook, which includes titles previously published individually such as Essentials for Practicing Home Funeral Guides, Building Bridges Along the Death Care Continuum: Advocating for home funerals in hospitals, hospices, and care facilities, and the Planning Guide and Workbook for Home Funeral Families. She is a contributor to The Future of the Corpse, a collaborative book written with Columbia University's DeathLab. She has published articles and been interviewed for pieces that can be found in various news outlets, magazines, podcasts, and blogs, including Natural Transitions, American Funeral Director, FuneralOne, Funeral Business Advisor, Newsweek, PhillyVoice, the New Yorker, the New York Times, The New Republic, DeathTalk, EOL University, The Wall Street Journal, and many others. Webster is also responsible for content and maintenance of various death care websites through SideEffects Publishing, Inc.

Lee has developed several cornerstone courses for professionals and lay people seeking to learn more about green funerals and burials, including Green Funeral Service, Doulas and After-Death Care: Bridging Both Worlds, and Hospice and Home Funerals In-Service Series. Also co-taught with Holly Blue Hawkins through Redesigning the End is the 12-week online Green Burial MasterClass that covers the technical and ethical aspects of natural burial. She also assisted with instruction at the Gamliel Institute supporting David Zinner and Holly Blue Hawkins in teaching Jewish and Green: Cemetery Management for the 21st Century. All four courses are the first of their kind. She guest lectures and teaches frequently at colleges, universities, life-long learning programs, including OSHER at Dartmouth College, OLLI at UNH, Dartmouth's Aging Resource Center, and mortuary schools.