Videos

  • NHFA YouTube Channel (For an extensive list of NHFA videos available on our YouTube channel, go here)
  • Passing Through Our Hands Home funeral body care demonstration video by Donna Belk and Sandy Booth of TexasHomeFunerals.com 2011 (1 hr .5 min.)
  • Post-death Care at Home A series of videos showing home funeral body care by Canadian Integrative Network for Death Education ad Alternatives 2013
  • Tending to Their Own with Beth Knox
  • Leon’s Home Funeral by Karen Van Vuuren
  • Home Funerals by Olivia Bareham
  • Introduction to Home Funerals A short introduction to Home Funerals and how families have a choice in how they care for their loved ones after death.  6-13-07 (4 min.)
  • Home Funeral for an Infant by Olivia Bareham, a film where David and Emma honor their stillborn son Darrius with a home funeral. By Olivia Bareham 2011 (4 min.)
  • The Art of Natural Deathcare by Katelyn LaGrega. A film raises awareness of an alternative way in which families can care for their loved ones at the time of death. (27:38)
  • Lucille's Movie by Olivia Bareham, a film of an Asian American woman who describes the home funeral for her mother. "Death be something not to be feared. It's a lovely way for Mama to be, to have fun and gaity as well as the somber, serious part. A beautiful piece of love." By Olivia Bareham 2011 (2:40 min.)
  • In The Parlor: The Final Goodbye by Heidi Boucher, ITP shares the intimate story of three individuals who with the support and guidance of their families and communities were cared for after their deaths. Three unique individuals with very different circumstances are portrayed in a thoughtful, quiet manner to give the viewer an idea of what family directed death care might look like. (2:16)
  • Death, DIY is a thoughtful video about why spending time with our dead is healing, with Nancy Ward and Holly Pruett. https://soundcloud.com/thinkoutloudopb/doing-death-your-own-way is a 24 minutes feature on NPR affiliate discussing this home funeral.
  • Home Funeral Merilynne Rush discusses the culture of avoidance/fear/denial, embalming, making death sacred again, how cremation is not environmentally friendly, and more. 9-25-12  (20 min.)
  • Gabriel’s Home Funeral Gabriel Gelbart and his husband, Mitch Metzer were in the process of creating a hospice in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, when Gabe died suddenly at 52. Sacred Crossing Guides and over 200 people from the community came together to honor Gabe with a home vigil and funeral on his beloved Anam Cara land. 10-21-2014 (4:38)

The Interview Subjects: Matching Names to Faces

NHFA members are vocal advocates for home funerals in their communities and on the world stage. Here are just a few who have made the news, from local newspapers to the New York Times, either by writing articles, being interviewed, or by simply educating journalists who write the published articles. Congratulations and thank you for spreading the news! 
Row 1 (l-r) Olivia Bareham, Char Barrett, Donna Belk, Jim Bates, Sarah Crews
Row 2 (l-r) Amy Cunningham, Esmerelda Kent, Elizabeth Knox, Peg Lorenz, Jerrigrace Lyons
Row 3 (l-r) Rochelle Martin, Susan Oppie, Holly Pruett, Merilynne Rush, Josh Slocum
Row 4 (l-r) Claire Turnham, Karen van Vuuren, Lee Webster, Sara Williams, Cassandra Yonder

Documentaries

  • A Family Undertaking - This video explores the complex psychological, cultural, legal and financial issues surrounding the home funeral movement
  • The Most Excellent Dying of Theodore Jack Heckelman - A heart-warming full length documentary video of the courageous dying of a man determined to die consciously, directed by his sites, Nancy Jewel Poer
  • Beyond Goodbye is a shorter version of the film “Remembering Josh” which records the life of a young man as he was remembered at his funeral early in 2011
  • Dying Wish is a video about the story of a courageous physician facing his final days by Karen Van Vuuren