A Path Home

Today we hear another conversation from Cortez Island in British Columbia. Rick Bockner shares the story of how friends and community came together around the death of his daughter, Rose. Rose had struggled with her mental health for years and subsequently died from a drug overdose. She was also a fierce advocate for her son with special needs. We hear how her friends, her parent's friends and the deathcare collective came together to bring her body home and give her the natural burial she would have wished for.

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Today Sarah shares her conversation with De Clarke following the sudden death of her beloved husband, Jonathan Knowles. De was faced with many challenges that she had to navigate in order to provide the natural burial Jon wanted in the midst of the shock and grief of his unexpected death. 

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Moreka Jolar shares the story of attending to her mother at the end of her life. Her mum, Maru, lived an unconventional life so it was no surprise that she chose to die in a rather unconventional way as well. Her spirit of generosity shone throughout her life and included helping her 8 year old granddaughter come to terms with her death.

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Today, Sarah talks with India West, a farmer, willow casket weaver and natural burial advocate in Indiana. India made the funeral arrangements for their mother after her sudden death, followed by caring for their father at the end of his life and honoring his wishes to be buried in the conservation burial ground he was instrumental in developing in the state of Indiana. See the links below to view (and order!) India's handcrafted willow caskets and the Warren Prairie Sanctuary.

https://www.riverstyxwillow.com/

https://www.instagram.com/riverstyxwillowfarm/

https://www.warrenprairiesanctuary.org/

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On today’s episode I have a conversation with Noba Anderson, a resident of Cortes Island in British Columbia, Canada. Cortes has an active Community Death Care group that has provided death care education, helped greatly with navigating the paper trail that accompanies a death, and generally supports people to know their rights regarding home based funeral care. Noba shares her experience of tending to her dear friends, Kristen Scholfield-Sweet and John Shook, as they died in their home and the natural burial that followed. 

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Updated audio as of 12/10/2025. On this episode we hear from death and grief doula, Joslyn Roadstrom, who shares with us the many ways she meets her grief five years after her son, Israel, died in the hospital just a couple of months shy of his second birthday. You can find and follow Joslyn on Instagram at sacredroaddoula. She posts helpful videos and offers one on one grief support. 

https://www.instagram.com/sacredroaddoula/?hl=en

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On today’s episode I have a conversation with Naomi Hayter on Cortes Island in Western Canada. The community-led deathcare group on the island provided the circle of support and logistical guidance that Naomi needed to get through the death of her life-partner, Doug, not long after she had tended to her mother’s dying and death in a faraway city. Naomi shares how the after-death care and the green burial they provided for Doug was a real eye-opener and a transformative experience for her. 

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On this episode, Sarah Crews has a conversation with Isabel Knight and Winx Gall as they reflect on the work they did while serving on the Board of Directors for the National Home Funeral Alliance. You can download the Home Funeral Guidebook, that they were instrumental in creating, at the link below.

https://www.homefuneralalliance.org/

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On this first episode of Season 6, Sarah talks with Csenge Kolozsvari who, along with her four year old daughter, traveled from Montreal to her home village in Hungary to accompany her father on his dying journey. She shares the intimate and personal details of being present to her father's needs during his final weeks. Csenge is an artist and bodyworker. You can reach her here:
https://www.thebreathing-room.com/en/home
And she mentions this book, Die Wise, by Stephen Jenkinson in our conversation:
https://orphanwisdom.com/shop/die-wise/

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On this episode Sarah has a conversation with Ed Nelson and his son, Erick Nelson. In February of 2023 Ed's brother Brent died from throat cancer. He had mentioned to Ed that he wanted a natural burial. Erick arrived in Kansas a couple of days before the scheduled burial and participated in an anointing ceremony with his dad, honoring his uncle. 

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