Published Articles
2023 - May - Gazette - Med-KNIT-ations
Med-Knit-ations
There was a lot going on in my world one day a few weeks ago. My 92-year-old father was in the hospital with heart issues, and I had two presentations to make that day at the local...
Thursday, May 25, 2023
2023 - April - Gazette - Bereaved Mother's Day
Bereaved Mother’s Day
I used to dread Mother’s Day. Of course I was always very grateful for my mother and wanted to celebrate her. But during the years when my husband and I were dealing with fer...
Thursday, April 27, 2023
2023 - March - Gazette - Going Home
Going Home
“Going home is powerful.”
F. Glenn Fleming, Koch Funeral Home funeral director and supervisor, shared these words at a recent community presentation for those interested in preparing f...
Thursday, March 30, 2023
2023 - March - CDT - Helping Hands - Programs to Move Grief to the Outside
One of my roles with Koch Funeral Home’s “Helping Grieving Hearts Heal” program is to create safe places to give people an opportunity to move their grief from the inside to the outside. Each time ...
Thursday, March 16, 2023
2023 - March - CDT - Good Life - A Grief Education and Support Series
A Grief Education and Support Series
I could see some of the participants holding back tears as we began introductions at the grief education and support group. The invitation was to share their n...
Sunday, March 12, 2023
2023 - February - Gazette - Organ Donation
Organ Donation
Full circle moments sometimes surprise us.
Breanne Radin Yeckley is a funeral director at Koch Funeral Home who, during her college years, played soccer at Gannon University in Eri...
Friday, February 24, 2023
2023 - February - Learning to Live: What's Your Story?
Fully-Alive and Soul-Fed Storytelling
It was a cold, rainy night last week when ten people arrived at my house and began mingling around the snack table. After 30 minutes of small-talk we moved in...
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Previous Posts
2023 - January - Gazette - Choices in the care of the deceased
Choices in the care of the deceased
I received a call from the daughter of a 96-year-old woman who had died. The daughter was looking for someone to officiate at her mother’s funeral service,...
2023 - January - Town & Gown - Loss, Grief, Gratitude and Humor
Loss, Grief, Gratitude and Humor
When I was invited to write a piece for the Pink Zone insert, I wondered what I could say to be helpful. I have never had breast cancer or been treated with c...
2022 - December - Gazette - Resolutions or Intensions
Resolutions or Intentions
I’ve never been a person who is drawn to making New Year’s resolutions. Primarily because if I want to make a change in myself, I’ll make the change when I realize I want...
2022 - December - Gazette - 2nd Annual Luminaria Memorial Display
2nd Annual Luminaria Memorial Display
Last New Year’s Eve, I picked up my parents from their local retirement community and took them for a drive in search of a very special light show. As i...
2022 - November - Gazette - What Really Matters
What Really Matters
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” As we begin this holiday season, I invite all of us to contemplate these words from writer Annie Dillard. How do ...
2022 - November - CNN - Dogs know just when we need them most ...
We're grateful to Madeline Holcombe with CNN for including Koch Funeral Home and Monroe, our grief therapy dog, in her story about how dogs impact grief. Thank you, Madeline! Read more here.
2022 - November - Town & Gown - Funerals Provide Support and Help Us Heal
Funerals Provide Support and Help Us Heal
We shared stories about this veteran’s life, listened to his favorite music and said a prayer. After leaving the funeral home, we gathered at the gravesid...
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