Life, Legacy & Stories Beyond The Grave

Every time I visit New York City, including my recent trip in September, I never miss a stop at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, on Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets in Midtown Manhattan, directly across from Rockefeller Center. Dedicated in 1879, it is the largest Neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral in North America. What many visitors don’t […]

On a recent visit to Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, Westchester County, about 25 miles north of New York City, I went looking for its most popular spot, Section 25. Section 25 is likely visited more than any other part of the cemetery, thanks to the prominent names buried in and around it. Baseball […]

I’d been told that one of the best views of the Manhattan skyline is from the highest point of New Mount Carmel Cemetery in Queens, near the Brooklyn border. Mount Carmel is a Jewish cemetery that opened in 1906, with more than 85,000 burials across about 100 acres. When I arrived, I walked to what […]

King Harald V of Norway died on August 28, 2026, in Oslo, at the age of 89. The country lost a deeply popular monarch who had reigned since 1991 — over 35 years — making him Europe’s oldest reigning monarch at the time of his death. King Harald V was no ordinary king. He successfully […]

On September 4, 2026, Carolyn — surname withheld by request — became the first person in Australia to be laid to rest in a mushroom coffin. She was in her 70s. Her husband said the choice reflected her lifelong values: a commitment to giving back, to others and to nature alike. The coffin, known as […]

Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80. She was known as a prolific and skilled songwriter throughout her career where writing was actually the foundation of her success before she became a performer. Dolly wrote “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” and co-wrote thousands of songs over her career, spanning country, […]

The funeral for Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard took place on Tuesday, August 4, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin on a warm summer afternoon. Photo’s from my trip in 2019 to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.  Having been involved in many funerals throughout my lifetime, including countless processionals and recessionals, I can say that Glen’s […]

A funeral hearse from Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada with a custom TIMESUP license plate has been drawing a lot of public attention in the Maritimes.      

On my walk through Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx last year, I made a point of visiting the renowned Jazz Corner. There I found the grave of Miles Davis, along with the final resting places of several other legendary jazz musicians. It was one of the most memorable parts of my visit. A recent New […]

As Europe endures record-breaking heat, funeral homes are receiving an overwhelming number of calls. Every few minutes, the phone rings with news of another death and another grieving family asking the funeral director, “Do you have room for one more?” A funeral director in Paris, France, recently described the heartbreaking reality: “We’re facing a really […]

Satellite imagery appears to show extensive damage to the Gaza War Cemetery. However, the cemetery has suffered damage on previous occasions as well. Israeli shells struck the three-hectare cemetery twice during the 2000s. Damage caused by an Israeli airstrike resulted in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission receiving £90,000 in compensation in 2006. During the 2008–2009 […]

On a recent trip to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, I visited Dartmouth Memorial Gardens and paused to read the powerful message etched in stone by MADD Canada. The memorial also highlighted the staggering number of lives lost to impaired and reckless driving. MADD Canada is a charitable, grassroots organization dedicated to ending impaired driving and supporting […]