A lot has changed within the funeral industry. Dan McGraw, a fourth generation business owner of Gill Brothers Funeral Service & Cremation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, talks with Anne about what those changes entail.

For more information:

Gill Brothers Funeral Service & Cremation

952.888.7771

This episode was hosted and produced by Anne Morehouse, original music created and performed by Caileen Viehweg.

:45 Dan McGraw on Gill Brothers & the funeral industry history

3:10 Embalming and the Civil War

4:12 Gill Brothers had the first female licensed embalmer in the State of Minnesota

5:00 How to become a licensed mortician

6:24 How Dan got his start in the business

8:00 Cultures and funeral traditions

15:08 The difference between a traditional funeral and celebration of life

17:35 Laws surrounding death

19:15 Recent green body disposition options

20:50 Joe McGraw - 5th generation business owner

26:00 Obituaries and obituary scraping

29:13 Why Visitations

31:25 Dan's Advice: Involve the entire family in your funeral preplanning

Megan Feller shares her experience and the lessons she learned following the death of her mother, Stephanie Feller.

This episode was hosted and produced by Anne Morehouse, original music created and performed by Caileen Viehweg.

To learn more about Stephanie Feller's journey, you can read about them here from LocalTies Magazine:

Living a Great Story, January 2020

A Year Through COVID-19, December 2020

The Silver Linings, August 2021

Stellar Fellar, May 2024

:08 Stephanie's cancer journey, resilience and positivity

1:43 Megan shares about the time leading up to, then learning of her mom's cancer diagnosis

2:55 Cancer treatments

4:06 Stephanie's strategy for life

5:32 COVID-19's impact

7:43 Plans for moving forward

10:24 Megan's mom's celebration of life

11:56 The importance of a support network

13:17 Legacy, gratitude and how to cope

15:39 Megan's tip for moving on with grief

For anyone with assets and belongings, children and/or pets, an estate plan is a great idea. Join us as we talk with Andy Lehner of Lehner Law Office, LLC about how to get started, the different options and what happens if we don't set up anything before we die.

This episode was hosted and produced by Anne Morehouse, original music created and performed by Caileen Viehweg.

Contact info for today's episode:

Andy Lehner, owner and primary attorney

Lehner Law Office, LLC

816 Dodd Road, Suite A

West St. Paul, MN 55118

651.222.9829

lehnerlawoffice.com

 Creating Your Estate Plan

    :31 Andy Lehner Intro

  1:15 Wills/estate plan basics

  2:08 Estate plan definition

  2:23 Beneficiary designations

  2:45 When should people start planning an estate?

  4:41 How long does it take to create an estate?

  6:28 Health care directives as part of an estate plan

  7:28 How and where to begin

  8:35 How estate law attorneys help to establish goals & values

  9:39 Case example

11:44 Why language matters for clarity in legal outcomes

13:00 Online will templates

15:29 Planning and administering by choosing your own

17:27 If NO PLANS Minnesota (+ most states) has a law of intestacy

18:19 Difference between wills and trusts

18:40 Wills are a court driven process - probate

19:24 Living trust – a legal entity that does not involve

20:30 A will or trust is dependent on an individual’s goals,

21:56 Emotions like grief and loss coupled with assets play

22:45 What is included in an estate plan

24:23 Attorneys and established professional relationships

25:10 Andy’s tip

25:30 The historical death rate among humans

25:40 The reality is we 100% will need to make a decision

25:50 Why this is important

27:57 Credits

There is nothing like turning to locally owned and operated florists when paying tribute at a funeral or celebration of life. Susan Masko from Bachman's shares with us creative floral sympathy arrangements, etiquette tips, and other gift ideas.

For more information:

Bachman's (612) 861 - 7311

bachmans.com and store locations

This episode was hosted and produced by Anne Morehouse, original music created and performed by Caileen Viehweg.

  :40 Bachman’s Susan Masko Introduction

1:05 What is Bachman’s?

1:45 How the internet has changed the floral industry as it pertains to funeral and celebrations   of life

3:10 Talking with a person versus ordering online for floral orders

5:35 Trends in funerals and celebrations of life

6:22 How cremation has changed the floral business

7:55 Ideas to pay tribute

10:40 The process for ordering flowers for funerals / celebrations of life

12:23 Anne’s personal flower story

13:00 Things to keep in mind when ordering flowers

13:33 Lanterns as a gift idea

14:13 Susan's Tip: the importance of choosing a trusted partner

15:00 Shop Local

Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care (MNHPC) representatives Leigh Hartenberg and KaLee Mohrman discuss the differences and definitions of hospice and palliative care, the evolution of end-of-life care and the need for early planning with regular updates in advanced care directives.

More information can be found on the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care website: mnhpc.org

:01 Leigh and KaLee introductions

2:00 Why advanced care planning?

3:39 Recommended time to begin conversations surrounding advanced care planning

8:32 Difference between hospice and palliative care

11:50 How the philosophy of hospice care has changed

14:00 The goal of hospice care

14:06 What does futility care entail?

16:00 Hospice care is not giving up

18:40 Support for hospice patients and their caregivers

20:39 How does one choose which hospice program to use?

23:05 Hospice professionals - a calling

24:25 What to ask in an informational interview with hospice providers

25:25 Advance care plan or hospice conversation first?

29:05 Can a person change their health care directive change?

30:20 Benefits and risks of interventions listed in directive

30:42 How often to review and update health care directive

31:30 Talking with your physician and/or specialist

33:42 Resources and support at MNHPC

36:30 TIP - reach out to hospice as soon as you know you have no further treatment options

For many, food is an important day-to-day life experience. Yet when planning a funeral or celebration of life, the refreshments or meal provided oftentimes isn't reflective of the life of the person being remembered. Today, Antigoni Sander, Director of Catering for Hightop Hospitality (a restaurant, retail, catering, and event venue company in the Twin Cities) shares tips and trends as it pertains to end-of-life events.

This episode was hosted and produced by Anne Morehouse, original music created and performed by Caileen Viehweg.

Contact info for today's episode:

Antigoni Sander, Director of Catering, Hightop Hospitality: [email protected]

Green Mill Catering

Deco Catering

Sterling Catering

Kafe 421 Catering

Catering Tips - Hightop Hospitality

  :25 Welcome Antigoni Sander, Director of Catering

  :40 What is Hightop Hospitality?

 1:25 Suggestions for planning food for a funeral reception/celebration of life

 2:44 Why talk about it? How can food be reflective of a person’s life?

 5:24 Trends in funerals/celebrations of life from a catering perspective

 7:30 How to plan for guest count

 8:11 The menu planning process

 8:34 Budgeting for food and catering

10:49 Planning by religion, cultural menus and family recipes

13:57 Anne’s experience

15:00 Antigoni’s example for bringing a favorite food to the table 

15:39 Creating a memorable event with food

16:25 Take mental notes by asking questions

17:00 Eco-friendly events

18:20 The benefit of planning ahead 

20:51 Antigoni’s advice: Delegate catering to a trusted person.

23:25 Be your own advocate - speak up if there is anything you want done differently.

24:45 Antigoni invites people to reach out, even in advance.

Sometimes ideas come from a place of not knowing. From a devastating loss, to a hope that something positive may come from a regret, this is a story of a paradigm shift in how we might think about end of life planning, and why it's important.

Original music by Caileen Viehweg

Resources: mnfuneralplanning.com

As more people are not affiliated with a church, one trend for funeral receptions or celebrations of life is to look at non-traditional venue options.

One popular space in the Twin Cities is The Hutton House, located in Medicine Lake, a first tier suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I spoke with Nicki Gavin from The Hutton House about their recommendations regarding what people should consider when seeking an end-of-life event venue.

:28 Introduction to Nicki Gavin from The Hutton House

1:11 Where is The Hutton House?

1:25 Who do the Hutton House serve?

1:53 What should people look for when considering a venue?

2:00 Asthetics

3:25 Location - Where are your guests coming from? What should be considered when hosting a service and the reception venue?

5:45 Details - What do we need to think about when selecting food, flowers, AV needs and the timing process?

8:50 Capacity - When selecting a venue, how should one think about guest count and their experience?

12:00 Timing - Who - professionally - should people align with when planning a funeral reception or celebration of life?

https://thehuttonhousemn.com/

Social media platforms: @thehuttonhouse

As we contemplate how our personal decisions impact the planet, there is an end-of-life option available in nine protected forests across the country. Tori Nonnemacher from Better Place Forests talks with us about what a Better Place Forest is, the option it provides and her own personal experience that led her to this unique business.

This episode was hosted and produced by Anne Morehouse, edited by Parker Morehouse, original music by Caileen Viehweg and logo/artwork by Joel Morehouse.

:30 Tori Nonnemacher introduction

:56 What is Better Place Forests?

1:48 What is a memorial forest?

2:50 Why do people choose Better Place Forests?

4:06 How do people select a tree?

5:07 How much do Better Place Forests memorial trees cost?

6:08 Why should people choose Better Place Forests (as opposed to other options)?

7:03 What happens if lightning strikes my tree?

8:38 What would Better Place Forests do if there were a forest fire?

9:20 What brought Tori to Better Place Forests?

12:00 How does the forest affect people who are grieving?

13:22 Are there more Better Place Forests in Minnesota and/or the rest of the country?

14:09 Can people select any forest, are there any rules for placement?

15:04 Visiting forests across the country.

15:30 What is there to do in the area when visiting the St. Croix Valley forest location? How should people prepare for their visit?

18:06 How can people reach Better Place Forests with questions or to schedule a tour?