KC End of Life

05/19/2026

Our blog can be found here: https://kcendoflife.org/blog-and-resources/f/softening-pain-at-the-bedside-how-doulas-use-guided-meditation

05/17/2026

Get to know our partner Barb Byrne and how she uses her talent as a glass artist to create beautiful keepsakes for families and friends with loved ones who have passed.

1. Can you share what drew you to creating glass art and jewelry using cremains, and what this work means to you on a personal level?

I first became interested when a fellow glass atist - actually a glass blower - told me that he was involved in creating memorial art for a new website that was offering that service. I checked out the website, and the artwork was awesome. However, creating such a piece for someone you would never meet seemed a little too impersonal for me, although I'm sure that many artists would prefer no direct contact with the families. I struggled a bit with how I might be able to do the work in a more direct way. Then my Dad passed away. I received a small urn of his ashes and I began working with a design that I could make for myself. Even though I didn't actually create a piece with his ashes for some time, I felt very drawn to determining what types of designs might be most appropriate for this type of work. I created many pieces using a special powder that simulated the look of cremains, so that I would have a number of pieces to show to potiential families.

After my mom passed away, I was drawn to create a "memory box" piece. I fused my parents wedding photo and a more recent photo of them to the glass insert of the memory box, I infused Dad's cremains into a small red heart and Mom's cremains into a small pink heart and attached both hearts to the top of the box. I keep several small things that belonged to them in my memory box. So yes, this work has a very special meaning to me.

05/16/2026

05/15/2026

Love and grief take many forms. Including joy and laughter. 💜

05/12/2026

Informal gatherings use candid conversation to normalize anxiety about dying