November is an action packed month here at the museum.

While the world payed homage to our dearly departed during the first two days of the month, we at the National Museum of Funeral History celebrate Dia de los Muertos all across the year.

In this episode you'll learn why relatives use donuts and sugar skulls in their celebrations. And you'll learn the meaning of flowers and toys.

We also commemorate Veterans Day this week that includes free admission for veterans. 

In this episode Genevieve dives into the story behind Veterans Day and how it's different from Memorial Day.

And if you're a veteran, you get free admission to the museum through Veterans Day (11/11/23) when you show your ID.

Plan your tour today at nmfh.org.

November is an action packed month here at the museum.
While the world payed homage to our dearly departed during the first two days of the month, we at the National Museum of Funeral History celebrate Dia de los Muertos all across the year.
In this episode you'll learn why relatives use donuts and sugar skulls in their celebrations. And you'll learn the meaning of flowers and toys.
We also commemorate Veterans Day this week that includes free admission for veterans. 
In this episode Genevieve dives into the story behind Veterans Day and how it's different from Memorial Day.
And if you're a veteran, you get free admission to the museum through Veterans Day (11/11/23) when you show your ID.
Plan your tour today at <a href="https://www.nmfh.org">nmfh.org</a>.

The National Museum of Funeral History presents The Final Curtain Never Closes, a podcast that tells the stories about the people behind our final rite of passage.

This series is part of the museum's larger mission to build and maintain a love of history and enriched understanding of our industry.

Virtual tours are available 24/7, but we'd love to see you in person. Plan your visit at www.nmfh.org. 

And remember, any day above ground is a good one!

The National Museum of Funeral History presents The Final Curtain Never Closes, a podcast that tells the stories about the people behind our final rite of passage.
This series is part of the museum's larger mission to build and maintain a love of history and enriched understanding of our industry.
Virtual tours are available 24/7, but we'd love to see you in person. Plan your visit at <a href="http://www.nmfh.org">www.nmfh.org</a>. 
And remember, any day above ground is a good one!

The Final Curtain Never Closes

The National Museum of Funeral History presents The Final Curtain Never Closes, a podcast that tells the stories about the people behind our final rite of passage.

This series is part of the museum's larger mission to build and maintain a love of history and enriched understanding of our industry.

Virtual tours are available 24/7, but we'd love to see you in person. Plan your visit at www.nmfh.org. 

And remember, any day above ground is a good one!

The National Museum of Funeral History presents The Final Curtain Never Closes, a podcast that tells the stories about the people behind our final rite of passage.
This series is part of the museum's larger mission to build and maintain a love of history and enriched understanding of our industry.
Virtual tours are available 24/7, but we'd love to see you in person. Plan your visit at <a href="http://www.nmfh.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nmfh.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1674242839098000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1eUszxGGKNoJjKnYiXLWw6">www.nmfh.org</a>. 
And remember, any day above ground is a good one!

How NMFH Celebrates Dia de los Muertos Every Day

Genevieve welcomes NFDA spokesperson Alysse Worland to explore advocacy, education, and connection in funeral service. They discuss supporting last responders, developing future leaders, and helping families understand their choices through accessible resources and professional guidance.

During this episode, Genevieve and Alysse talked about Remembering A Life, NFDA’s consumer education initiative designed to support families before, during and after loss. It provides: 


Planning guides 


Grief resources 


Conversation cards for advance planning and grief 


Articles, blogs and podcasts addressing remembrance and healing


A tool to locate local NFDA-member funeral homes 


Remembering A Life empowers families with accessible, compassionate information so they feel less overwhelmed when making decisions.

Learn more about NFDA: https://www.nfda.org/

Learn more about Remembering a Life: https://www.rememberingalife.com/

Plan your visit to the museum today at nmfh.org and take a journey through over 30,000 square feet of fascinating history.

Subscribe to The Final Curtain Never Closes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Key Takeaways

1. NFDA advocates for funeral professionals and the families they serve, including efforts to secure recognition and protection for last responders during the pandemic.

2. Continuing education helps funeral directors strengthen their knowledge and meet licensing requirements, while leadership development and scholarship opportunities support those entering the profession.

3. Professional gatherings provide a sense of belonging, creating space to share experiences, discover innovations, and learn from colleagues.

4. Supporting funeral professionals includes acknowledging burnout, encouraging self-care, and maintaining connections with people who understand the demands of the work.

5. NFDA’s Remembering A Life initiative helps families explore funeral planning and remembrance, while membership standards emphasize ethics and professional accountability.

Genevieve welcomes NFDA spokesperson Alysse Worland to explore advocacy, education, and connection in funeral service. They discuss supporting last responders, developing future leaders, and helping families understand their choices through accessible resources and professional guidance.
During this episode, Genevieve and Alysse talked about Remembering A Life, NFDA&rsquo;s consumer education initiative designed to support families before, during and after loss. It provides:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
Planning guides&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Grief resources&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Conversation cards for advance planning and grief&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Articles, blogs and podcasts addressing remembrance and healing
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
A tool to locate local NFDA-member funeral homes&nbsp;
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
Remembering A Life empowers families with accessible, compassionate information so they feel less overwhelmed when making decisions.
</li>
</ul>
Learn more about NFDA: <a href="https://www.nfda.org/">https://www.nfda.org/</a>
Learn more about Remembering a Life:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rememberingalife.com/">https://www.rememberingalife.com/</a>
Plan your visit to the museum today at <a href="https://nmfh.org">nmfh.org</a> and take a journey through over 30,000 square feet of fascinating history.
Subscribe to The Final Curtain Never Closes on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-final-curtain-never-closes/id1664936967">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4x8VZuVdq5UQtnrY2b1IJS?si=b1c6ae4a9c744e0a">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your <a href="https://www.nmfh.org/haunting-stories-of-the-museums-hometown/">podcasts</a>.
Key Takeaways
1. NFDA advocates for funeral professionals and the families they serve, including efforts to secure recognition and protection for last responders during the pandemic.
2. Continuing education helps funeral directors strengthen their knowledge and meet licensing requirements, while leadership development and scholarship opportunities support those entering the profession.
3. Professional gatherings provide a sense of belonging, creating space to share experiences, discover innovations, and learn from colleagues.
4. Supporting funeral professionals includes acknowledging burnout, encouraging self-care, and maintaining connections with people who understand the demands of the work.
5. NFDA&rsquo;s Remembering A Life initiative helps families explore funeral planning and remembrance, while membership standards emphasize ethics and professional accountability.

Behind the Care: NFDA’s Role in Funeral Service

Genevieve talks with UK historian Helen Frisby about her book Traditions of Death and Burial, tracing British funeral customs from 1066 to 2000, the shift from community rituals to private funerals, post‑COVID direct cremation, and the rise of school‑based death education.

Buy Helen's book Traditions of Death and Burial (https://a.co/d/0b4mNANM)

Plan your visit to the museum today at nmfh.org and take a journey through over 30,000 square feet of fascinating history.

Subscribe to The Final Curtain Never Closes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Key Takeaways

1. Helen’s work at the Centre for Death and Society and University of Bristol focuses on the history and folklore of death, funerals, and cemeteries.

2. Her book arose from an unexpected invitation and became an accessible survey of English death and burial customs from the Norman Conquest into the modern era.

3. A rushed, unsatisfying cremation for her grandmother motivated Helen to study how funerals can better reflect the dead and support the living.

4. She discusses the growth of direct cremation in the UK and the concern that families may miss important opportunities for ritual and processing grief.

5. Helen highlights new UK primary‑school death education aimed at ages seven to nine, helping children understand death as a real, permanent part of life rather than only media drama.

Genevieve talks with UK historian Helen Frisby about her book Traditions of Death and Burial, tracing British funeral customs from 1066 to 2000, the shift from community rituals to private funerals, post‑COVID direct cremation, and the rise of school‑based death education.
Buy Helen's book Traditions of Death and Burial (<a href="https://a.co/d/0b4mNANM">https://a.co/d/0b4mNANM</a>)
Plan your visit to the museum today at <a href="https://nmfh.org">nmfh.org</a> and take a journey through over 30,000 square feet of fascinating history.
Subscribe to The Final Curtain Never Closes on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-final-curtain-never-closes/id1664936967">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4x8VZuVdq5UQtnrY2b1IJS?si=b1c6ae4a9c744e0a">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your <a href="https://www.nmfh.org/haunting-stories-of-the-museums-hometown/">podcasts</a>.
Key Takeaways
1. Helen&rsquo;s work at the Centre for Death and Society and University of Bristol focuses on the history and folklore of death, funerals, and cemeteries.
2. Her book arose from an unexpected invitation and became an accessible survey of English death and burial customs from the Norman Conquest into the modern era.
3. A rushed, unsatisfying cremation for her grandmother motivated Helen to study how funerals can better reflect the dead and support the living.
4. She discusses the growth of direct cremation in the UK and the concern that families may miss important opportunities for ritual and processing grief.
5. Helen highlights new UK primary‑school death education aimed at ages seven to nine, helping children understand death as a real, permanent part of life rather than only media drama.

What History Reveals About How We Mourn

Honnalora Hubbard, regional manager for Cold Spring's Southeastern Division, joins the show to introduce National Cremation Placement Day, a new nationwide initiative launching October 17, 2026, the inaugural year and the 150th anniversary of cremation in the United States.

Cold Spring, a 127 year old family owned company behind granite work at the Vietnam Wall, the World War II Memorial, and the 9/11 site in New York, created this turnkey program to help families finally lay cremated remains to rest.

The conversation covers what to do with inherited urns, how to find a participating cemetery, the emotional weight of abandoned cremated remains, and personal stories from both Honnalora and museum director Genevieve about keeping loved ones close before choosing a permanent place for them.

Plan your visit to the museum today at nmfh.org and take a journey through over 30,000 square feet of fascinating history.

Subscribe to The Final Curtain Never Closes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Five Key Takeaways

1. National Cremation Placement Day falls on the third Saturday of October every year, with the inaugural event set for October 17, 2026, timed to the 150th anniversary of cremation in the United States.

2. An estimated 25 million urns remain in homes across the country, meaning anyone holding onto a loved one's ashes is part of a very common experience, not an isolated one.

3. Families can find participating cemeteries through mycoldspringusa.com or by searching Cold Spring and National Cremation Placement Day, and locations can be sorted by state.

4. Permanent placement does not mean permanent loss of flexibility. An urn placed in a niche can later be moved if a family relocates, so comfort now and flexibility later are not mutually exclusive.

5. Abandoned cremated remains are a real and painful issue in the funeral profession, often happening because families were never educated that cremation requires a second decision about final placement.

Honnalora Hubbard, regional manager for Cold Spring's Southeastern Division, joins the show to introduce National Cremation Placement Day, a new nationwide initiative launching October 17, 2026, the inaugural year and the 150th anniversary of cremation in the United States.
Cold Spring, a 127 year old family owned company behind granite work at the Vietnam Wall, the World War II Memorial, and the 9/11 site in New York, created this turnkey program to help families finally lay cremated remains to rest.
The conversation covers what to do with inherited urns, how to find a participating cemetery, the emotional weight of abandoned cremated remains, and personal stories from both Honnalora and museum director Genevieve about keeping loved ones close before choosing a permanent place for them.
Plan your visit to the museum today at <a href="https://nmfh.org">nmfh.org</a> and take a journey through over 30,000 square feet of fascinating history.
Subscribe to The Final Curtain Never Closes on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-final-curtain-never-closes/id1664936967">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4x8VZuVdq5UQtnrY2b1IJS?si=b1c6ae4a9c744e0a">Spotify</a>, or wherever you get your <a href="https://www.nmfh.org/haunting-stories-of-the-museums-hometown/">podcasts</a>.
Five Key Takeaways
1. National Cremation Placement Day falls on the third Saturday of October every year, with the inaugural event set for October 17, 2026, timed to the 150th anniversary of cremation in the United States.
2. An estimated 25 million urns remain in homes across the country, meaning anyone holding onto a loved one's ashes is part of a very common experience, not an isolated one.
3. Families can find participating cemeteries through mycoldspringusa.com or by searching Cold Spring and National Cremation Placement Day, and locations can be sorted by state.
4. Permanent placement does not mean permanent loss of flexibility. An urn placed in a niche can later be moved if a family relocates, so comfort now and flexibility later are not mutually exclusive.
5. Abandoned cremated remains are a real and painful issue in the funeral profession, often happening because families were never educated that cremation requires a second decision about final placement.

How NMFH Celebrates Dia de los Muertos Every Day

The Final Curtain Never Closes

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