Melissa

Certified Tutor

I'm a licensed funeral director and (non practicing) embalmer in Texas, Washington, and Oregon;
sidekick Kermit #grieftherapykermit is a Certified Therapy Dog that has served over 500 families by my side.

Myself and 5 brilliant colleagues are pioneering the first not for profit Funeral Home and Conservation Burial Park for People and Pets, the first of many achievements coming for The End Foundation.

I have worked in death care since 1996, and darkened the halls of a Mortuary School first in 2002.

I began to question the status quo vocally in 2015 online and crafted the online identity known as The Modern Mortician. My starting mission was to lift the veiled hood on the cloak of death, and my current mission is not far from that. Be transparent, honest, open minded- and be a guide to those seeking a meaningful end of life exit.

Over the last decade I have been privileged to work closely beside the founders of multiple green burial spaces. I was the first funeral director in Texas to facilitate Alkaline Hydrolysis for a client in a state where that selected form of disposition still isn't a legal option. I've also had the honor of participating in a laying in ceremony for Composting-Natural Organic Reduction. Over the years I have tested and worked with many funerary products, and have revealed predatory products like the Mushroom Burial Shroud. Through my years of curiosity and persistence, through heartache and resistance, I have an intimate knowledge of all eco friendly forms of disposition, overall.

I am a professional and public resource, an educator, an advocate, an industry disruptor.

I am empathetic, broken, compassionate, and thoughtful.

I am here to help the consumer, not the shareholders and corporations.

I believe openly talking about death and dying helps destigmatize the topic.

I believe people and pets deserve the same care and respect in death they should be afforded in life.

I believe honesty and transparency in the care of our dead, old practices and new, is a healthy way for people to come to terms with death and dying and fear it less.