When my great aunt died many years ago, I told my mother "Don't let them take her body until I get there." I didn't know why, but it was important to me to be able to see her in her room and share some time with her and my mother before she was taken away. I hold that time as a precious memory.

In 25 years of professional life I have been helping people make empowering choices concerning their health care, specifically in women's health and childbirth. My work as a home birth midwife for many years gave me the privilege of working very personally with families during a major life transition. I also worked as a hospice nurse, caring for the dying person and the family. Through these experiences I have witnessed the benefit of walking through, rather than around, profound emotion. I want to share the knowledge and the gift of caring for your own dead rather than having the body taken away and cared for by strangers.

In some cultures and religions it is believed that it can take up to three days for the spirit to fully leave the body. Others have specific rituals or traditions for care of the deceased immediately after death. I want to help people care for their own loved one during this time if that is right for them and what they desire. Just as I believe that birth can take place in the home and be an intimate family experience, I believe that home visitation or home funeral can be the best way for individuals or families to engage in the process of caring for and saying good-bye to their loved one.

I have a B.A. in Humanities and Women's Studies from Michigan State University and a B.S. in Nursing from University of Michigan. I have done volunteer health care work in Central America and speak fluent Spanish. My husband and I have raised two children and have one grandchild.

If you feel that caring for your loved one at home after death is something you'd like to consider, I would be honored to speak with you.