My Philosophy:

People matter to me. People live their lives as tales that are told. I believe good living is directly related to how we honor our life stories. As a funeral celebrant, my goal is to work with you to create a funeral/memorial service—a life celebration—that honors your loved one
 
With a heart of compassion that is based on years of study and travel abroad, I will work to create the following: 

  • A carefully crafted, culturally sensitive eulogy that is couched within the perfect montage of songs, poems and symbols that accurately reflects the life of your loved one. Together we will create a funeral-memorial service that is unforgettably special and personally meaningful.


  • With deliberate intentionality I seek to live with compassion and acceptance of all peoples, regardless of their race, religion or life-style. I seek to honor and respect all beliefs, traditions and worldview

My Background:

I grew up in a non-religious home. As a youth and young man I was an avid follower of Ayn Rand and her atheistic, capitalistic worldview. In my early twenties, however, I became a conservative Christian, going into the ministry for nearly twenty years. For thirteen years I lived in Papua New Guinea, working as a missionary. After that I worked for four years as the chaplain of an old fashioned, rescue mission for homeless people.

The last few years have found me some place in the middle of the previous extremes of life, gracing me, I believe, with a particularly non-judgmental heart of acceptance for everyone I meet.

My personal life is filled with a passion for reading, writing and the arts. Though I have more than five years of college under my belt, I continue to read with a studying mind, underlining every book I own, novels included! And I love the movies!

Beauty draws me. Whenever I am confronted with beauty I am awestruck. With my fellow celebrants of Celebrant USA, I am committed to "live the art of life."

My wife Laura is the love of my life and the six children we have between us are our pride and joy.