Doug McCleary: Celebrant, Officiant, Musician

My primary focus in serving others is as an officiant/celebrant for memorial and funeral services. You might ask "why would anyone make a career out of officiating at funerals?" In my case it's because I am passionate about helping grieving families begin healing...and nothing gives me a greater sense of doing what I'm "meant to do" than helping people at such a difficult time of transition and loss as the death of someone they love. For me, it is more than a "career," it is a "vocation"--which carries the sense of being "called" to something. This is truly my calling in life.

While my background is that of a Christian minister, my memorial and funeral services are not necessarily religious (unless, of course, the family specifically requests that). For me, the main focus is celebrating the life and memory of a loved one with empathy, humor (when appropriate), warmth, and a true connectedness with all attending guests. A memorial can be held at a funeral home, a church, a fraternal hall...even a city park. It can be formal, or informal. I am able to fit in and help in any and all situations from the traditional funeral to the informal gathering of family and friends which can use someone to keep things moving and focused. In my years of celebrant ministry, I've honored loved ones under fir trees, beneath the "moose" head of a local moose lodge, in living rooms and backyards, retirement homes and riversides, funeral homes and school gymnasiums. Any and all are appropriate.