Death Rituals Series: Funeral Decisions Every Family Should Talk About with Genevieve Keeney-Vazquez, Part 2

Journeying through death and grief is on the table today!

In part 2 of this 2 part conversation, we are once again joined by Genevieve Keeney-Vazquez. Genevieve is a U.S. Army veteran who began her career as a medic, serving on military death response teams before transitioning into the funeral profession. She’s now the President and CEO of the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston. Genevieve holds degrees in psychology and mortuary science, as well as a master’s in nonprofit and association management — and she’s dedicated her career to helping people better understand death, grief, and remembrance. 

In this episode, Ashley and Genevieve dig deep, contending with the nuances, contradictions and lived realities of grief. Together, they explore the role that religion and funerals play in comforting the living while honoring the dead. From death photography to Jazz Funerals, Genevieve walks us through the different customs and traditions that help us process loss, and what these rituals teach us about how we grieve. 

Recorded just days after the death of her own mother, Genevieve generously opens up about her own grief journey, affording us a rare look into the magnitude of grief in motion, the contradictions and ever-evolving feelings that accompany it, and the healing that happens when we discuss this topic with an open mind and an open heart.

Listen to the full episode, out now on your favorite podcast platform. 

Learn more about The National Museum of Funeral History.

Listen to The Final Curtain Never Closes.

Follow The National Museum of Funeral History on Instagram.

Read The History of American Funeral Directing by Robert W. Habenstein and William M. Lamers.

Learn more about INELDA.

Explore the Association of Death Education and Counseling.

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