Making Plans for One of Life’s Certainties

There are few things in life that are absolutely certain. One of the certainties is that each of us will, one day, die. When a loved one dies, family members are asked to make many decisions quickly, while grieving. Planning for this eventuality can be uncomfortable, but one of the greatest gifts we can give our loved ones is to plan for our own death. In this session we will consider both spiritual and practical information, covering topics from “where to start” to “pre-planning your own funeral service.”
The Rev. Lisa Neilson is the Vicar for Pastoral Care at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, where she has served for four years. She is responsible for managing Pastoral Care ministries including care for those in the hospitals; for those experiencing grief, loss, or other pastoral needs; as well as planning funerals. Before arriving at St. Martin’s, she served in College Station, TX as Campus Missioner for Texas A&M University and Blinn College. Her education includes a bachelor’s degree in political science from Syracuse University where she was also enrolled in the Reserve Officers Training Corps. After graduation, she was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army and served on active duty for nine years as an Army logistics officer. She then worked in management for BSNF Railway in Chicago and Fort Worth. She earned her master’s degree in divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2016.