3. Robin Simonton, Executive Director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery

Green burial is a respectful disposition of the dead without undue burden on the living. It allows nature to take care of us like it has for thousands and thousands of years. For some, it can be a part of a beautiful celebration of life. For others, it's a little strange. Today, Anne Weston from the Green Burial Project, along with Joe Smolenski and Heather Hill from Renaissance Funeral Home and Crematory, talk all about green burial.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted by Joe Smolenski and is a production of Earfluence.

Have you ever thought about donating your body so scientists and students could learn more about anatomy, diseases, and how to take care of humanity? Gwendolyn Keith is the Program Coordinator of the Anatomical Gifts Program at Duke University School of Medicine, and she comes on to tell us all about how Anatomical Gifting works.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted by Joe Smolenski and is a production of Earfluence.

Have you ever wondered how to become a funeral director?  What's required for a job that seems to be part family therapist and part coroner?  On today's episode, host Joe Smolenski talks to Amie Sexton and Heather Hill, funeral directors at Renaissance Funeral Home and Crematory and recent graduates of the Fayetteville Tech Funeral Service Education program.

Fayetteville Tech Funeral Service Education
North Carolina Board of Funeral Service

Beyond the Obituary is hosted by Joe Smolenski and is a production of Earfluence.

Organ and tissue donation is something that you've probably heard about. Maybe you're listed as an organ donor on your driver's license. Maybe you saw that episode of Grey's Anatomy or another hospital show where someone's life was saved by an organ donor. But how does it all work? And what's the difference between organ and tissue donation. Taylor Anderton from Carolina Donor Services gives us the answers.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted by Joe Smolenski and is a production of Earfluence.

Today we’re going to dig deeper into the industry of death because there are many questions that most of us are afraid to ask but we’ve always been at least a little curious about. Joe Smolenski, Vice President of Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina and Renaissance funeral director Heather Hill come on to answer your questions about what life is like at the funeral home, and what exactly happens in a crematory.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted by Jason Gillikin (for this episode anyway) and is a production of Earfluence.

On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to get a better sense of who those people were who have passed on. What were some of the stories that define them?  We’ll hear from the people who loved them because they are so much more than a one-page obituary.

Today we’re doing something a little different, as we have the opportunity to talk to someone who is still with us in this life.

Rob Morrell is a retired physician from Raleigh North Carolina who has been fighting a terminal cancer diagnosis for almost 10 years. He’s not so sure how much longer he has, so he and his family wanted to be able to share his story – at least some of it anyway – on this podcast. Rob and his wife Maureen are parents to three adult boys and now four grandchildren. And today we’re joined by Rob, Maureen, and his son Michael, and we get to hear what the diagnosis was like for everyone involved, if there are any bucket list items – again for everyone – before Rob passes on, and how Rob hopes to be remembered.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted, edited, and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

Heidi Gessner is the palliative care hospital chaplain and bereavement coordinator at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill NC.  Today she talks about what a hospital chaplain does, her personal story on how she got into the industry, different ways people can grieve, and some of her favorite stories from her 17 years as a chaplain.

On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to share memories of loved ones who have passed on. We'll also hear from some people in the death industry - cemetery directors, therapists, clergy, and (like today's guest) hospital chaplains.

Heidi is also a life coach and is hosting a "Create Your Life Vision-Board Retreat" on August 24th.

If you'd like to get in touch with Heidi, she can be reached at heidi.gessner@unchealth.unc.edu.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted, edited, and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to get a better sense of who those people were who have passed on. What were some of the stories that define them?  We’ll hear from the people who loved them because they are so much more than a one-page obituary.

On today's episode, Jennifer Preston lost her son Owen to a glioblastoma in April 2017. Jennifer shares so many stories of the special person that Owen was, his strength, and the impact he left in touching so many lives as he was going through his battle with cancer at the Ronald McDonald House and New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

We also talked about how important a Child Life Specialist can be, a trip to Alaska the family took before Owen passed away, and the work that Jennifer and her husband Brian are doing now to help with cancer research.

Owen and Jennifer Preston

Jennifer mentioned one of the charities her family supports, Reelin' for Research, to raise money for UNC Children's Hospital.  Check out Owen's page and donate here.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted, edited, and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to get a better sense of who those people were who have passed on. What were some of the stories that define them?  We’ll hear from the people who loved them because they are so much more than a one-page obituary.

On today's episode, Sharon Delaney McCloud shares her baby daughter Macie's story, who tragically passed away from leukemia.

Sharon’s grief journey started with anger, and it wasn’t until she found help with a group called Compassionate Friends that she was able to channel that energy into something much more positive to the community. And Sharon wants to help even more than she already has, and we talk about what she’s working on later in the conversation.

You’ll also hear about how Macie’s family has been so blessed since her passing, it’s like there’s an angel looking down on them from heaven.

Blog Post from Sharon about Macie -https://optionb.org/stories/option-b-is-turning-your-battle-scars-into-badges-of-honor-h1colxrlw

Beyond the Obituary is hosted, edited, and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.

On this podcast from Renaissance Funeral Home in Raleigh North Carolina, we go beyond the obituary to share memories of loved ones who have passed on. We'll also hear from some people in the death industry - hospital chaplains, therapists, clergy, and (like today's guest) cemetery directors.

Robin Simonton, executive director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery in downtown Raleigh NC, is so passionate about the history of the cemetery and of the 25,000+ people who are buried there. On the show today, she talks about that history (and shares some amazing stories!), societal norms of funerals, the Death Letter Project which commemorates Oakwood's 150th anniversary, what exactly Green Burial is, and so much more.

In addition to being the cemetery director, Robin is a speaker and author, and co-wrote "Historic Oakwood Cemetery", which you can find at Quail Ridge or Amazon.

Historic Oakwood Cemetery Raleigh NC

Robin Simonton, Executive Director of Historic Oakwood Cemetery

Robin mentioned a few stories of people buried at Oakwood, including:

Bobby Crocker

Myrtle Hilton

Rachel Blythe

Burning Coal Theatre Company will be at Oakwood May 17th-19th, and you can find more information and buy tickets on their website!

Renaissance Funeral Home and Historic Oakwood co-host Death Cafe. For more information on what exactly Death Cafe is, and when and where to attend, check out the Renaissance Funeral Home Facebook Page.

Beyond the Obituary is hosted, edited, and produced by Jason Gillikin for Earfluence.