The Ordinary, Extraordinary Cemetery

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Love is in the air! OR buried beneath the soil! Join Jennie and Dianne as they visit Layton Cemetery in the town of Blackpool in Lancashire, England and Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina. Both of these cemeteries hold the remains of star-crossed lovers and their stories are retold in this episode. We are very grateful to Deborah Contessa Hargreaves and Jennifer Aaron for allowing us to use their writings for this episode.  Come along as we share these ordinary, extraordinary love stories just in time for Valentine's Day!

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Jennie and Dianne talk with special guest Deborah Andres. Deborah has dedicated two decades of her life to the funeral profession with an enduring mission to elevate death care to serve grieving families with empathy and professionalism. She spent 5 years at Ang Chin Moh Group, one of the most established funeral services providers in Singapore. Prior to her stint in Asia, Deborah spent over 14 years with the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) in the United States where she rose to the position of Vice-President of International Relations.  A Canadian national from Montreal, Quebec, Deborah has a Bachelor of Science (Police Technology) degree from the John Abbott College. Fluent in English, Spanish and French, she is a member of the International Federation of Thanatologists Association (FIAT-IFTA), American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Executive Global Network (EGN).

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In this episode Jennie and Dianne travel back in time to experience June 25, 1914 in Salem, Massachusetts. On that day the worst fire Salem has ever known swept through much of the city destroying homes, churches, businesses and even part of its first and oldest cemetery, The Old Burying Point. They also "stop by" the grave site of one of the three victims who died as a direct result of the devastating inferno. Listen along as they visit these ordinary, extraordinary cemeteries and hear the story of how Salem proved how a community can rise again from its ashes.  

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Jennie and Dianne virtually visit the gravesites of the first 10 presidents of the United States of America. They also share a bit of each of their inaugural  addresses based on what was happening at the time each of these men took the oath of office. By examining each of these addresses, we learn a little about each of these men and how they helped to shape America from it's infancy as a brand new country.  For our American listeners, we hope this episode inspires you as a citizen, and for our listeners in other countries, we hope this gives you some idea of what it means to us to be American.  

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Jennie and Dianne are joined by Ryan Seidemann and Christine Halling of the Louisiana Cemetery Task Force to discuss what happens to cemeteries and their permanent residents when natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes strike. They share their experience and expertise on planning strategies  once they know a storm is about to hit and how they handle recovery and restoration in the aftermath. 

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In this episode Jennie and Dianne pay a visit to the Old Burying Ground, also called the First Congregational Church Cemetery, in Kittery Point, Maine where lie the bodies of six sailors who lost their lives in a wintery sea accident in 1876. It is a tale of woe and one of a community joining together to do what they could to see to it that these men were not forgotten after their tragic deaths. 

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Join Jennie and Dianne as they read select and rather juicy poems from The Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. These poems are written from the perspective of those buried in the cemetery of the fictional town of Spoon River. Meet husbands and wives who drive each other crazy, the madam of a brothel who must pay regularly to support the public school, the tragic story of a young woman whose "virtue" is stolen and dies a tragic death at the hands of the doctor who was only trying to help and how it all drove her father to his own grave. Happy listening and happy new year! 

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Merry Christmas! In this episode Jennie and Dianne make a brief stop at the graveside of Louisa May Alcott and then retell one of her Christmas short stories, Tilly's Christmas. We wish you a very merry Christmas!

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Jennie and Dianne travel back in time to explore the Arctic and the North Pole with three explorers who are buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. Will they meet up with the jolly man in red on their journey? They also tell the story of how Wreaths Across America began and how you can become a part of something that has become an annual tradition for many American families. Join them once again as they explore another ordinary, extraordinary cemetery!

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Dianne and Jennie learn the story of Hanukkah and how it parallels to the American Revolution through the war heroes buried in Chatham Square Jewish Cemetery in New York City, New York. They will share the stories of Gershom Mendes Seixas, Jonas Phillips, Haym Salomon, and several others who felt that their desire to be free to live as their laws and religion dictated were worth fighting for in 165 B.C.E as well as in 1770's and 1780's North America. Happy Hanukkah!

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