Festival Schedule (Subject to Changes)

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The 5th annual Before I Die New Mexico Festival will take place in-person and online with four days of death-positive conversations and experiences October 30 to November 2, 2021, in Albuquerque and at www.BeforeIDieNM.com.

The Festival has entertaining and educational elements, including field trips to funeral homes and cemeteries, speakers and panel discussions, hands-on workshops, Death Cafe conversations, and more. A small donation is requested to register for in-person and online Festival events. Every registrant will receive a KN95 Festival face mask and other goodies.

Online sessions will be professionally coordinated by GatheringUs, which provides in-person and virtual memorial services and online memorial pages. The 2020 Before I Die Virtual Festival was successfully held totally online and resulted in more than 27,000 YouTube video views to date.

Your Donation is Your Registration

Saturday, October 30: In-Person Events at Strong-Thorne Mortuary Reception Center at Daniels Family Funerals & Cremation, 1100 Coal Ave. SE

9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Tour Strong-Thorne Mortuary, built in 1923. Conducted by Josh McManigal, Director of Operations, Park Lawn Corporation

10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.  “Abraham Lincoln’s Impact on Modern Embalming” with Josh McManigal, Director of Operations, Park Lawn Corporation. This presentation will cover the history of modern embalming, which took off in the United States during the Civil War. You’ll learn how the huge number of deaths during the war, President Lincoln’s assassination, and the funeral procession that took his body across the country influenced death care in America for the following century. This presentation will include a virtual visit to Lincoln’s Tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.

11:30 to 1:00 p.m. Death Cafe conversations and lunch

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. “Who Will Speak for You? Medical Surrogacy Questions Answered” with Althea Halchuck, EJD, CT, Final Exit’s Surrogate Consultant and Death Maven™. During this presentation, you will learn why your husband or child might not be the best choice to make end-of-life decisions for you when you can’t. Learn what personality traits to look for in choosing an effective surrogate to ensure your EOL wishes are honored. Learn language to assert your authority to honor an advance directive and practical ways to ensure a peaceful death.

3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. “How to Make an Altar Honoring Deceased Loved Ones”

You will leave this hands-on workshop with a small, take-home altar you’ve created (materials supplied). You can use the altar as a focal point to express grief and to honor and seek connection with your deceased beloveds. Feel free to bring photos and memorabilia. The workshop is facilitated by Annie Mattingley, author of The After Death Chronicles: True Stories of Comfort, Guidance, and Wisdom from Beyond the Veil (Hampton Roads 2017). She also facilitates workshops addressing grief and after-death communication. The first 30 minutes of this session will be shared virtually, as Annie speaks about why one would create an altar. During the hands-on portion, another session will be carried online.

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Virtual Event) “How to Heal Hearts: Grief Recovery for Adults and Children” Join Jade Bock, Executive Director of the Children’s Grief Center, and Heather Leigh, Grief Recovery Specialist, for an enlightening session.

October 30: Evening Virtual Event on Zoom

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. “Not Planning to Die with The Kominsky Method,” presented by Gail Rubin, CT, The Doyenne of Death® and coordinator of the Before I Die New Mexico Festival. In this new video clip-illustrated talk, laugh and learn about planning ahead for end-of-life. All video clips come from the Netflix series, The Kominsky Method.

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Sunday, October 31: In-Person Events at Strong-Thorne Mortuary Reception Center at Daniels Family Funerals & Cremation, 1100 Coal Ave. SE

9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Death Cafe Conversation

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. “Estate Property Distribution and Downsizing” with Karen Hyatt, EstatePros LLC

12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. “Everyone has an Estate: Learning What Legal Documents You Need” with Lisa Cosper, Attorney with Morris Hall PLLC

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. “Their Stuff, Our Stories” Going through our loved one’s possessions is emotionally stressful. Join in this conversation with Show & Tales founder Martie McNabb and Karen Hyatt, founder of EstatePros.

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. “What You Need to Know about Body and Organ/Tissue Donation” panel discussion about how to arrange for anatomical donation, questions about free cremations, and the need to have a Plan B. Speakers joining the conversation virtually are Alex Smith, Lab Manager of the Forensic Investigation Station at Colorado Mesa University (a “body farm”) and Jonathan Boyd, Director of Education, American Association of Tissue Banks.

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. “Accessing Medical Aid in Dying in New Mexico” with Barak Wolff, MPH, Board Chair of End Of Life Options New Mexico, and NM State Representative Debbie Armstrong. They’ll discuss the new law that supports terminally ill people’s options for a peaceful death and answer questions.

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. “Grumpy, Cranky, Fussy: The Unspoken Symptoms of Grief” with Todd Van Beck, Funeral Educator, Consultant and Historian. Grief can take many forms. On this first day of Children’s Grief Awareness Month, learn how to recognize and react to grieving people.

12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. “The Art and Craft of Excellent Obituary Writing” with Petra Lina Orloff, founder of Beloved

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. “Behind the Scenes in the Prep Room” with Monica Torres, LFD, LE, Desairologist & Cosmetic Reconstructive Specialist, NXT Generation Mortuary Support (pre-recorded presentation)

3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Virtual Death Cafe Conversation

November 1: Evening Event in Person

7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. “Millennial Morticians with ABQ Brews” at Tractor Brewing Wells Park location, 1800 4^th St. NW. A panel of 30-something funeral directors share their views on modern undertaking and new trends in death care.