Service Providers

Updated 8/6/24

Bluestem encourages individual and family participation in planning for end of life. You may wish to work with a local funeral home, a death doula, a home funeral guide, a Chevra Kadisha, or family and friends. You may prefer to be wrapped in a family quilt or to build your own pine box. You may appreciate the convenience of a cardboard casket purchased online, or to select from the biodegradable caskets provided by local makers, available onsite at Bluestem, or provided by a funeral home. Talk with Bluestem staff to learn about the many ways you can celebrate your loved ones.

All materials placed in the ground must be biodegradable. All ashes interred at Bluestem are removed from urns and amended, prior to being placed directly into the grave. Contact us for more information.

Funeral Homes

The death care professionals listed below have provided Bluestem families with compassionate care and service. They are all familiar with green burial at Bluestem.

Endswell Funeral Home
Hillsborough
www.endswellfuneralhome.com
Veronica Penn Bartoo Beattie
[email protected]
Hunter Beattie
[email protected]
919-907-9777

Final Passages Transport Service
Durham
https://finalpassagetransport.com/
Raven Coleman
(919) 492-5017

Hall-Wynne
Durham
https://www.hallwynne.com
Michael O'Connor
919-688-6387 Durham
919-693-5191 Oxford

Lowe Funeral Home
Burlington
www.lowefuneralhome.com
Kelly Garner
[email protected]
336-633-9818

Renaissance Funeral Home
Raleigh
https://rfhr.com
Heather Hill
[email protected]
727-599-1448

Home Funeral Guides,
Death Doulas & Grief Support

Sara Williams
Shrouding Sisters
www.shroudingsisters.com
(919) 623-0051

Dana Brinson
Consulting Betwixt
www.consultingbetwixt.com
[email protected]
(919) 647-4448

Jane Dornemann
Peaceful Crossings
www.peacefulcrossingsdurham.com
[email protected]

Lara Struckman
Deeply Rooted Ritual Grief Care
https://www.deeplyrootedritual.com

Holly Anne Lux-Sullivan
Heartwood Death Doula & Bereavement Care
heartwooddeathdoula.com

Growing Thru Grief
Community Grief Support Group
www.growingthrugrief.org
[email protected]

Grief can be an all-consuming journey. There is no single, right way to grieve. We always encourage reaching out for support. In addition to the local professionals and groups above, you may find the following helpful:

The Grief Recovery Method
Fetzer Institute's Grief Resources
Compassionate Friends grief support groups for those who have lost a child, their families, and friends
Kate Bowler's Grief Resources
Duke Health Grief Support Services

For urgent emotional support, always dial 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

For non-crisis emotional support, the NC Peer Warmline can be reached at 855-733-7762.

Both of these lines are staffed by trained professionals who can connect you with further support. They are free, private, and available 24/7. Find more information about them here.

Caskets & Shrouds

John Jull (caskets & trays)
Aldergrove Woodworks
Roxboro, NC
[email protected]
(919) 748-7240

Sarah Lasswell (caskets & trays)
Moss and Thistle Farm
Union Mills, NC
www.mossandthistlefarm.com
[email protected]
(678) 994-2988

Custom casket made by Sarah Lasswell

Chad Byrne (caskets)
Custom Wood Caskets
Pittsboro, NC
(415) 377-5616

Pat and Ray
The Art of Dying Shrouds
Hillsborough, NC
https://www.artofdying.earth
(919) 672-4700

Shrouded House
Asheville, NC
https://www.shroudedhouse.com/

Funerary Artisans Collective
https://www.funeraryartisanscollective.org/

Local Flower Farms & Shops

Aldergrove Flower Farm
Located in Roxboro
https://www.aldergroveflowerfarm.com/
[email protected]

Bluebird Meadows
Located in Hurdle Mills
https://www.bluebirdmeadows.net
[email protected]

Fireside Farm
Located in Efland
https://www.firesidefarm.com
[email protected]

The Flower Patch
Located in Hillsborough
https://www.flowerpatchhillsboroughnc.com/
(919) 732-3928

Mighty Tendril Farm
Located in Cedar Grove
https://www.mightytendril.com
[email protected]

Flowers from Aldergrove Flower Farm

Life Celebrants & Ministers

Debra Brazzel
Life Celebrant
www.debrabrazzel.com
[email protected]

Allen Brimer
(Bluestem Council Steward)
Presbyterian Minister
[email protected]

Rev. Dr. Tammerie Day
Religious Naturalist
tammerie@gmail.com

Linda Seligman
Unitarian Universalist community ministry
Soto Zen practitioner
[email protected]

Local Music Makers

Jennifer Evans
Hymns and Spirituals
[email protected]

Dave Deming
Banjo and Flute
[email protected]

Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small
Old Time, Bluegrass, Gospel, and Classic Country
watkinsandsmall.com
[email protected]
(540) 391-0353

J.V. Hudson
Bagpiper
https://www.j-v.info
(919) 730-8870

Drum for Change
[email protected]
(919) 696-0883

Local Engraver

Ron Bartholomew
Durham Marbleworks
https://wakemonument.com/
(919) 489-2134