BLUESTEM CONSERVATION CEMETERY
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Akalema Pherribo
July 21, 1957 - August 11, 2022   

Last spring the fields at Bluestem were newly planted with native grasses and wildflowers. The hiking trails had just been flagged for clearing when on a Saturday afternoon, we met up with a brother and sister who loved to hike in nature. Over several hours we talked about their plans for retirement and growing a chapter of GirlTrek, a hiking program for women and girls. We also shared our plans for growing Bluestem Community and invited them to return whenever they could.
In August, we were notified that the brother had suddenly died and wished for a green burial at Bluestem. Working with his family and Chavis Parker Funeral Home, we were able to honor Akalema Pherribo's final wishes. His sister, Seletha Pherribo, and his family, have graciously shared the slideshow of Akalema's service as visual storytelling to help educate others about green burial as an option. Friend Dave Deming provided the tribute below. 

Akalema at Bluestem   


CHECK BACK FOR SLIDESHOW OF THE SERVICE

If you knew Akalema Pherribo, you liked him, and what’s more, you felt liked by him. When he beamed that smile of his at you and asked how you were doing, he truly wanted to know. He paid attention to everyone around him. He had the rare gift of making hundreds of people feel heard and seen. I worked with him for 18 years and sensed that personal regard from our first conversation.

Akalema’s smile was a blessing I came to expect. He was a beaming force field of appreciation, and the job, no matter how tedious, would be alright because we two would see it through, and laugh about it afterwards. That’s just how it was to be cast in the light of his “ordinary” attention. 


 As intense as his powers were as a “People Person” he was just as adept at being alone. In his long years as a bus driver, he dealt with the downside of split shift work by getting out in nature and reveling in it. He’d walk all over town mile after mile. He was a self-taught photographer of exceptional skill and you could see that those three hour jaunts between shifts were a way for him to gather up the Joy of Being. He’d celebrate the rare snowfall with extraordinary shots.

 It’s so easy to play it safe and keep to the known. Akalema jumped into the unknown. Out in the world he traveled to England, Italy, China, and Hong Kong. He was bold and curious and just standing next to him you felt bolder and more curious. It was the Akalema Effect.

 Now, for his final journey he’s chosen to lie in Nature, right at the edge of the woods, looking out onto a vast field of wildflowers, alongside trails built by birdwatchers and bus drivers. His inviting smile beaming in our memories, has lost not an iota of its force nor light. 
Dave Deming 
Bluestem thanks Akalema's family and friends for their generous presence and the privilege of being a part of his final act. 
All photography by Kallyn Boerner. 

Picture

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Bluestem is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization, EIN 86-2188559. All donations are tax deductible.
  • HOME
    • The Land
    • A Place for Everyone
    • Why Bluestem
    • The Bluestem Story
    • Bluestem News
    • FAQs
  • Community
    • Who We Are
    • Bluestem Meditations
    • Bluestem Conversations
    • Friday Workdays
    • Events
    • Newsletter
    • Building Community
  • Green Burial
    • Principles
    • Planning for Burial
    • Burial Costs
    • Burial Areas
    • Conservation Burial
    • Remembering Loved Ones
    • One Family's Story
    • Service Providers
    • Articles & Resources
  • Visit
    • Map
    • Explore Bluestem
    • Walking Tours
    • Birds at Bluestem
  • Donate
    • Building Bluestem
    • Make A Gift
  • Contact