Notes from Orange County Death Café, April 16, 2025 Facilitated by Sara Williams
A write up of Orange County NC Death Cafe - April 16 2025
By Endswell
Notes from Orange County Death Café, April 16, 2025
Facilitated by Sara Williams
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
There are now 6 Death Cafes in Durham and Orange counties:
• 1st Thursday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: Orange County Death Café, Endswell FH, 407 Meadowlands Dr., Hillsborough, moderator: James McKelvey. Registration at https://endswellfuneralhome.com/news-and-events/
• 2nd Monday of the month, 5:45-7:45 p.m.: Hillsborough Death Café, 903 Eno Street, Hillsborough, facilitated by Neidra Clark. To register contact Neidra at neidra@mindspring.com.
• 3rd Monday of the month, 9:30-11:00 a.m.: Daylight Death Café, Seymour Center, Chapel Hill, facilitated by John Chase. To register contact the Seymour Center front desk, 919-968-2070.
• 3rd Wednesday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: Orange County Death Café, Endswell FH, 407 Meadowlands Dr., Hillsborough, facilitated by Sara Williams. Registration at https://endswellfuneralhome.com/news-and-events/
• 4th Monday of the month, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Southwest Durham Death Café, Southwest Regional Library, Shannon Road, Durham, facilitated by Kathy Rudy, Ph.D. No registration needed.
• 4th Thursday of the month, 1:30-3 p.m., LGBTQ+ Death Café, Seymour Center, Chapel Hill, facilitated by Tsyr Han Chow. No need to register at this time.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Endswell Lunch and Learn Information Sessions are now regularly scheduled for the 3rd Thursday of the month. Virtual information sessions will be held May 6 from 2:00-3:00 and June 3 from 6:30-7:00. For more information, please call 919-907-9777.
Endswell Monthly Movie / Speaker series returns May 13 at 6:30 p.m. with a documentary film, “Live and Let Go.” Created by Jay Niver of Pittsboro, who will answer questions about his father’s decision to end his life during a terminal illness and the making of the film.
Orange County Department on Aging will host a two-part workshop on The Conversation Project on May 6 and May 27 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill. Register at 919-968-2070.
Veronica Beattie will hold a shrouding workshop at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on May 16.
The Reemergence of Green Burial and DIY Funerals at Durham’s Main Library from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on May 24.
FCA Biennial Conference ("The Cost of Goodbye: Confronting Funeral Poverty in Our Communities") will be held June 26-29 in Raleigh! Registration is now open + more details at https://funerals.org/
CONVERSATIONS:
- CBS “Eyes on America” clip featuring this Death Café.
- People have been getting mailings encouraging them to buy funeral insurance.
- What is death? Body? Consciousness? Last words of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs: “Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!”
- Camp ReLeaf, a service of Duke Home Care and Hospice, is a grief day camp for kindergarten through eighth graders who have experienced a loss from death.
- An estimated 9 million Americans have experienced a near-death experience (NDE).
- YouTube video on 60 Minutes report of psychedelics mitigating fear of death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqnPVZUzDPc
- Memory loss, Advance Directives for Dementia, Medical Aid in Dying, Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking, and Dr. Stanley Terman’s work to create an ironclad AD for Dementia.
Resources:
Articles:
Jansen, Charlotte. “My parents holding hands after their assisted deaths: Martin Roemer’s most personal photograph,” https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/apr/16/parents-holding-hands-assisted-deaths-martin-roemers-most-personal-photograph?CMP=share_btn_url
Pink, Daniel. “Why not attend your own funeral?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/14/living-celebrations-attend-own-funeral/
Books:
King, Evie. Ashes to Admin: Tales from the Caseload of a Council Funeral Officer. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/14/living-celebrations-attend-own-funeral/
YouTubes:
MAID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_jJahBl_d4
VSED: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baaB9aDVVxg&t=137s
Website:
Advance Directive for Dementia: https://compassionandchoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Dementia-Tool-Fact-sheet-01-30-24.pdf