D6 – Let’s Explore End-Of-Life Doulas

I believe death and dying is a natural part of life and a sacred rite of passage which holds immeasurable opportunity for deeply meaningful, transformational experiences for both a dying individual and their loved ones. 

End-of-life is a precious time and deserves to be held gently with attention, care, and compassion. Unfortunately, our predominant culture often sterilizes the dying process and hides it away behind closed doors, leaving us feeling lost, confused, and overwhelmed when we are asked to face it, either ourselves or with someone we love.

Through the exploration of thoughts, feelings, hopes and beliefs about death and dying, I seek to collaboratively and compassionately support clients in identifying and meeting their unique emotional, spiritual, and logistical needs at the end of their lives. 

Linda Suhr grew up in the town of Napa and was a teacher for 25 years in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties and in Japan and Syria.  She and her partner spent three exciting and challenging years sailing the US East Coast and eastern Caribbean.  In the spring of 2016, they moved to Oakmont where Linda became his caregiver as he struggled with Alzheimer’s Disease.  After his death in the fall of 2017, she was inspired by her experience as his caregiver and trustee to help others.  Linda trained as an end-of-life doula who provides non-medical holistic support to those who are dying and their families.  She further studied all aspects of end-of-life organizing and began Autumn of Life Planning.  Linda helps clients organize their end-of-life documents and practical details – a task that many have put off completing.  By guiding them as they consider their quality of life and medical care wishes, Linda helps people find peace of mind.

As an end-of-life doula, Sarah provides support to those who are dying, and their constellation of caregivers. She approaches her work from an emotionally engaged and intuitively aware place, while also tending to the pragmatic essentials needed at the end of life. Sarah’s path to becoming a doula began in early childhood, but she resisted its pull until her forties. At the height of her consulting career supporting large-scale change management efforts in the corporate sector, the call to pivot to what is arguably the greatest change we each will undergo had become too loud to ignore. Sarah is humbled each day by those she encounters in her work and often marvels at the expansiveness of the human heart. Taking the path less traveled has helped her round out her own edges, too: exchanging achievement for fulfillment is among the best decisions of her life.