Orange County Death Cafe JUL 16 2025

Notes from Orange County Death Café, July 16, 2025

Facilitated by Sara Williams

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

There are now 7 Death Cafes in Durham and Orange counties:

–1st Thursday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: Orange County Death Café, Endswell FH,
407 Meadowlands Dr., Hillsborough, moderator: James McKelvey. Registration at
https://endswellfuneralhome.com/news-and-events/

–2nd Monday of the month, 5:45-7:45 p.m.: Hillsborough Death Café, 903 Eno Street,
Hillsborough, facilitated by Neidra Clark. To register contact Neidra at
neidra@mindspring.com.

–Back in Action: 2nd Saturday of the month, 2-4 p.m., Death Café Noire, Durham
South Regional Library, facilitated by Traci Hathaway.

–3rd Monday of the month, 9:30-11:00 a.m.: Daylight Death Café, Seymour Center,
Chapel Hill, facilitated by John Chase. To register, contact the Seymour Center front
desk, 919-968-2070.

–3rd Wednesday of the month, 6:00-8:00 p.m.: Orange County Death Café, Endswell
FH, 407 Meadowlands Dr., Hillsborough, facilitated by Sara Williams. Registration at
https://endswellfuneralhome.com/news-and-events/

–4th Monday of the month, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Southwest Durham Death Café,
Southwest Regional Library, Shannon Road, Durham, facilitated by Kathy Rudy,
Ph.D. No registration needed.

–4th Thursday of the month, 1:30-3 p.m., LGBTQ+ Death Café, Seymour Center,
Chapel Hill, facilitated by Tsyr Han Chow. To register, contact the Seymour Center
front desk, 919-968-2070.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

–Endswell Lunch and Learn Information Sessions are now regularly scheduled for the 3rd Thursday of the month. For more information, please call 919-907- 9777.

–Endswell Monthly Movie / Speaker series returns July 24 at 5:45 p.m. with Departures, an award-winning (including the 2009 Oscar for best foreign film) Japanese film. Registration at https://endswellfuneralhome.com/news-and-events/

–Writing the Obituary Workshop with Sara Williams, Endswell, July 27 at 2:00-3:30, register at https://endswellfuneralhome.com/calendar/obituary- writing-workshop-with-sara-williams/

–Dying on Our Own Terms: Medical Aid in Dying Panel, Aug. 13 from 6:00 to 8:30, Durham Main Public Library.

–Endswell Monthly Movie / Speaker series, Matt Zemon, Psychedelics for Living and Dying, Aug. 26 from 6:30-8:30. Register at https://endswellfuneralhome.com/calendar/august-26-speaker-series-matt- zemon-psychedelics-for-living-and-dying/#rsvp-now

CONVERSATIONS:

-Need for facilitators to back up the local Death Café facilitators with an aim to handle a Death Café independently as they are needed. If you have interest in training, call Anne Weston, 919-489-9759.

-Advance Directives as part of the necessary documents to prepare before you are incapacitated.

-Professional Organizations to provide HCPOA services, https://aphadvocates.org/ and https://nahac.com/

-Adult guardianship in NC, https://www.nccourts.gov/help-topics/guardianship/guardianship

-Death doulas

-Why are we so uncomfortable about the subject of death?

RESOURCES:

Books:

-Doughty, Caitlyn

From Here to Eternity – LINK

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes – LINK

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? – LINK

-Kenney, John. I See You’ve Called in Dead – LINK

-Ostaseski, Frank, and Rachel Remen. The Five Invitations – LINK

-Yalom, Irvin. Staring at the Sun – LINK

Films:

–Cabrini, Angel Studios. Watch on Amazon, Fandango, Apple TV

Television:

–Dying for Sex, Hulu, 8 episodes.

YouTube:

-Doughty, Caitlyn. Ask a Mortician. https://www.youtube.com/@AskAMortician