Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Jon Underwood, founder of the Death Cafe movement
Jon Underwood, founder of the Death Cafe movement which has grown to 51 countries worldwide, died suddenly on Sunday, June 25 from acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells. The news was reported today by his family on the Death Cafe website.
His wife Donna Molloy wrote, “As you all know the objective of Death Cafe is helping us all ‘make the most of our finite lives’. With shocking poignancy on Sunday 25th June we experienced the finiteness of life at its most brutal. And more specifically the finiteness of the life of Jon Underwood, founder of Death Cafe, dad to two truly amazing children and my husband. He was 44.”
“Comfort is very hard to find right now, but there is some in the fact that, through his work helping people come to terms with the idea of death, Jon was uniquely and unusually aware that life is short and appreciated his life fully, reflecting on this through daily practise…. He lived every day reflecting very consciously on the fact that none of us know how long we have and focussed completely on being present in, and making the most of every minute….”
“Through his life he helped tens of thousands of people all over the world to regularly come together, drink tea, eat delicious cake, and take time out to remember what really matters. I don’t think it’s an over statement to say he has single handedly started to change cultures around death and end of life awareness, not just in the UK, but across the globe.”
The objective of the Death Cafe is “To increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” It’s all about an interesting, unstructured conversation – open and free-flowing with no specific agenda.
Jon Underwood was influenced by the ideas of Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who started holding Cafe Mortel events in France and Switzerland. He held his first Death Cafe in the basement of his home in London in September 2011, facilitated by psychotherapist Sue Barsky Reid, Jon’s mother.
Sue Barsky Reid and Jon’s sister Jools Barsky plan to continue his Death Cafe work, as Jon requested. More than 4,800 Death Cafe events have been held worldwide since Jon Underwood’s first gathering. For information on how to hold a Death Cafe in your community, review the information at www.DeathCafe.com.
The first Death Cafe west of the Mississippi in the United States was held by death educator Gail Rubin in Albuquerque, New Mexico in September 2012. The next Albuquerque Death Cafe will be held on Saturday, July 15 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Gail Rubin’s home. For more information and to RSVP, visit the ABQ Death Cafe webpage.
Gail Rubin, CT, is author and host of the award-winning book and television series, A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die, Hail and Farewell: Cremation Ceremonies, Templates and Tips, and KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die.
Rubin is a Certified Thanatologist (that's a death educator) and a popular speaker who uses humor and films to get the end-of-life and funeral planning conversation started. She "knocked 'em dead" with her TEDx talk, A Good Goodbye. She provides continuing education credit classes for attorneys, doctors, nurses, social workers, hospice workers, financial planners, funeral directors and other professionals. She's a Certified Funeral Celebrant and funeral planning consultant who has been interviewed in national and local print, broadcast and online media.
Known as The Doyenne of Death®, she also hosts A Good Goodbye Internet radio show and produces Mortality Minute radio and online video spots. Her YouTube Channel features more than 400 videos!
Rubin is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, Toastmasters International and the National Speakers Association New Mexico Chapter. Her speaking profile is available at eSpeakers.com.
Gail Rubin has been interviewed about funeral planning issues in national and local broadcast, print and online media. Outlets include The Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Kiplinger, CBS Radio News, WGN-TV, and local affiliates for NPR, PBS, FOX, ABC-TV, CBS-TV and NBC-TV.
Sign up for a free planning form and occasional informative newsletter at her website, AGoodGoodbye.com.