This lecture explores the history of burial and funeral practices in the United States, from traditional customs to the wide range of options available today, including green burial. The presenters will examine the emotional, logistical, and financial dimensions of end-of-life choices, comparing common practices while considering environmental impact, cost, and personal values. Members will also learn how early pre-planning can reduce stress, minimize family conflict, and empower individuals to make meaningful decisions that reflect their personal, cultural, and environmental values — supporting a more compassionate approach to death.

Laura Faessel, manager of Penn Forest Natural Burial Park, holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Slippery Rock University, where she studied burial practices across five cultures, sparking her passion for green burial and caring for the dead.

Deanna Mance began her career as an artist, arts educator, and administrator at several cultural institutions. She later combined creativity with end-of-life care, becoming a life enrichment coordinator, death doula, and founder of Pittsburgh Community Deathcare. Today, she serves as assistant manager at Penn Forest Natural Burial Park.

Members will view the works in the French Moderns: Matisse / Renoir / Degas exhibit and attend the associated Gallery Conversation. Encompassing realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, symbolism, Fauvism, cubism, and surrealism, this exhibit exemplifies the avant-garde movements that defined modern art in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and that continue to awe art-goers today. This is not a docent-led tour, but rather an opportunity for OLLI members to experience the exhibit together.

Upon registration on our site, you will receive an email with the link to purchase a ticket on the Frick Museum website. Tickets may also be purchased upon arrival, if available.  

Fee: Adults: $20, Seniors (65+): $18, Museums for All (EBT card holders): $2, Frick Museum Members: Free

Location: 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Travel is on your own; parking for the museum is free in their lot. Enter the parking lot from Reynolds Street.

Meeting location: Members will meet in the Grable Visitors Center to purchase or pick up their tickets. Please note that the Visitors Center does not open until 10 a.m. 

Members may choose to dine at The Café at the Frick after the museum visit.