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My brother, Tim Simonsen of Littwiller-Simonsen Funeral Home in Ashland, taught me that the rituals around death and dying are the most important for the families and friends, not the expectations of the funeral directors.  He has always been willing to work with the wishes of family.  For example, for years he was the only funeral director willing to work with the Jewish community since they sit with the body 24 hr/day, not something most funeral homes will do.  Along that same line, when a family wanted to keep their loved one's body at home for as much of the process as possible, he accomodated them and worked closely with the providers involved.  More recently, he is the only Southern Oregon funeral director to pursue Green Burial Certification and has taken steps to insure families can utilize this option as well.

Judy Simonsen

posted 4 years, 2 months ago
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