Neptune Society of Northern California

“I was left with a feeling that because I was not killed by the N***s — because I survived — I had an obligation to make a dent in the world,” Dr. Westheimer once said.

Ruth Westheimer, s*x therapist known to millions as ‘Dr. Ruth,’ dies at 96 Her frankness on her long-running radio and TV call-in shows made her a go-to guide for tips on lo******ng.

In the next of our four-part webinar series Holidays & Grief: Finding a Way Forward, Neptune Society of Northern California is partnering with For Grief to present a free, online event on Fathers & Loss. In the virtual discussion, at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, June 11, grief experts will delve into issues around fathers and grief.
Register to listen here, or scan the QR code. If you register and are unable to attend, a link will be sent to you later so you can listen anytime.
tinyurl.com/dadsandgrief

can be a painful reminder of absence for those of us who have lost our mothers, or our children. Neptune Society of Northern California is partnering with For Grief to present a free, online event at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 7, in which grief experts delve into navigating Mother’s Day after loss, whether recent or distant.
Register to listen here. If you register and are unable to attend, a link will be sent to you later so you can listen anytime: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BiGm3VSxTq-gHFGI1-6zEg #/registration

Merry Christmas!

The holiday season can be hard when you have lost a loved one. Remember those who are mourning with compassion.

“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him,” his family wrote in a statement. “He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window and the sounds of beautiful music. But it was people — those he just met and those he knew for decades — who kept his mind and heart forever young. [He was] surrounded by his family as we told stories and sang songs until the very end.”

Norman Lear, TV Legend, Dies at 101 Norman Lear, who revolutionized American comedy with popular early-‘70s sitcoms “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son,” has died. He was 101.

Paul McCartney, on the last time he saw , who died on Nov. 29, 2001:
"He was very sick and I held his hand for four hours. As I was doing it I was thinking, ‘I’ve never held his hand before, ever. This is not what two Liverpool fellas do, no matter how well you know each other.’ I kept thinking, 'He’s going to smack me here.’ But he didn’t. He just stroked my hand with his thumb and I thought ‘Ah, this is OK, this is life. It’s tough but it’s lovely. That’s how it is.’ I knew George before I knew any of the others and I loved that man. I’m so proud to have known him. Still, as sad as it was, you take the great bit, which was that last time you saw him, and that’s what you remember. That and all the other lovely memories."

Harrison Archive George Harrison and Paul McCartney, 1995; screenshot from The Beatles Anthology. “We held hands. It’s funny, even at the height of our friendship — as guys — you would never hold hands. It just wasn’t...

"My mother was the glue that held our family together," son Chip Carter said of Rosalynn Carter.

The service was Jimmy Carter's first public appearance since he entered hospice care. He was with his wife of 77 years during her final hours.

"He never wants to be very far from her," Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander said. The trip to Atlanta was hard for the former president, but "this is her last trip up and it's probably his, too. He's determined."

Rosalynn Carter honored by family, friends and presidents, including husband Jimmy A gathering of first ladies and presidents joined other political figures in a tribute service. But a parade of speakers said her global stature wasn't what defined her.

Don't (only) take our word about how important it is to pre-plan your final wishes, what a gift it is to your family, both emotionally and financially.
"As costs go up, a lot of people just can't afford a traditional funeral," said Jimmy Olson, owner of Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Sheboygan, Wis. "Everyone needs to plan. Number one: You need to have a conversation with your family."

It's your funeral: Here's how to plan so your loved ones don't have to From burial to cremation to composting, what to know about options — and costs — when planning what to do with your or a loved one's remains.

Maintaining a place for the deceased in our lives can also mean continuing to draw on those relationships as sources of strength — to share our joys with the dead or feel their support in moments of sorrow.

Opinion | It’s OK to Never ‘Get Over’ Your Grief (Gift Article) Traditional mourning practices preserve a place for the dead among the living.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

In partnership with For Grief, Neptune Society of Northern Claifornia is offering two free webinars for anyone who is struggling with this holiday season. We hope you'll find solace in these discussions.

Through the end of November, Neptune Society of Northern California is raising funds to support Operation Gratitude in creating and shipping care packages to U.S. military veterans and deployed troops around the world. Join us in giving thanks for the service of U.S. military members, and for Operation Gratitude's efforts in brightening their day. https://giving.operationgratitude.com/team/385533

“Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place.”
- Rosalynn Carter,
1927-2023

Rosalynn Carter, compassionate and outspoken former first lady, dies at 96 Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Jimmy Carter during his one term as U.S. president and their four decades thereafter as global humanitarians, has died at the age of 96.

We honor you. Thank you for your service.

What awed him most about going into space, Frank Borman said, was his view of Earth from Apollo 8: “The contrast between our memories of the Earth and the color on the Earth and the totally bleak moon was striking.” It was an image, he said, that he would “recall till the day I die.”

Godspeed to Apollo 8 Commander Borman who, from a distance on Christmas Eve 1968, showed us how beautiful, how fragile and precious, our good Earth is.

Frank Borman, Astronaut Who Led First Orbit of the Moon, Dies at 95 He commanded the 1968 Apollo 8 mission that carried three astronauts farther from Earth than anyone had ever traveled. He later led Eastern Airlines.

Kate Bagnati picked up the rotary phone's receiver, dialed a number, and started talking. “Hey mama, I miss you," she said. Bagnati's mother died about a year ago.

"Wind phones" are “a means by which to have the conversations you didn’t get to have ... and know that the wind will carry them to the source that needs to receive them,” said Rev. Deborah Rundlett, pastor at the historic Ridgebury Congregational Church in Ridgefield, CT, which recently set up a wind phone, one of dozens around the country.

'Connected by love': In Ridgefield, an old rotary phone helps people cope with grief In Connecticut and across the United States, ‘wind phones’ provide spaces for people to hold one-way conversations with their loved ones who’ve died.

"When a loved one is dying and we get to be by their side, it is a double luckiness — lucky that we got to have the love at all, and lucky, which is not everyone’s luck, that we get to say goodbye. Even so, accompanying a loved one as they exit life is one of the most difficult and demanding experiences you could have."

How to Say Goodbye: An Illustrated Field Guide to Accompanying a Loved One at the End of Life “If you don’t know what to say, start by saying that… That opens things up.”

For the fourth year, Neptune Society of Northern California is raising funds in support of Operation Gratitude through the end of November. If you would like to donate, please click the link below. Donations go directly to Operation Gratitude and are used to create and ship care packages to U.S. military and deployed across the country and around the world!
https://giving.operationgratitude.com/team/385533

“Most of us have small, sad places in our hearts. My father felt deeply but kept his feelings to himself. Or rather, being a writer, he let them escape in his writing. And so such sadnesses as there were put on cap and bells and emerged as Eeyore.”
-- C.R.Milne

NSNC staffers, including Fairfield Service Manager Amanda Kostenko, Sacramento Service Manager Savannah Hall, and Regional Service Manager Brian Adams, along with their friends, families and dogs, took part in the community awareness walk for the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention. You can learn more here about the efforts of AFSP to support people who are struggling: https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=cms.page&id=2071&eventGroupID=9AA117B3-F522-BB6D-359D1AA2D75A7958&cmsContentSetID=88FE98C1-DDB2-887E-9ABEC377E2B94CAC

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

September marks National Preparedness Month, an annual opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies that could happen at any time.
For us, *every* month is National Preparedness Month! Ensure your loved ones are protected from future emotional and financial burden. Get your free planning guide here:

Home - Neptune Society of Northern California Affordable cremation planning serviced by one of the most trusted cremation providers in the US. Offering 12 locations in Northern California.

He’s somewhere on the ocean now
A place he oughta be
With one hand on the starboard rail
He’s wavin’ back at me.
- Jimmy Buffett, "The Captain and The Kid"

Opinion: Jimmy Buffett was one of a kind | CNN Ryan White, author of a biography of Jimmy Buffett, hails the “Margaritaville” musician as “one of the more fantastic characters ever to wander through the popular culture.”

Our office created a display as part of our month-long support of Operation Gratitude. Families we serve are encouraged to write a note that will be sent to deployed troops to let them know we're all thinking of and supporting them. 🇺🇸 ❤️💙

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. In supporting the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, we are walking to honor our grandparents, our fathers, our mothers, the families we serve, and the more than 6 million Americans who suffer from .
Please join us, the Alzheimer's Association, and your community in the fight to by donating or signing up to walk:
http://act.alz.org/goto/NSNCWalnutCreek

NSNC Walnut Creek service manager Kelly Wylie brought baskets of treats to our friends at organizations and care facilities in the community – Contra Costa Public Health Dept., John Muir Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy, Concord Royal, Bayberry, and Generations Healthcare. Thanks so much for all you do! 🧺🍬

Buddhist monk Haemin Sunim on the power of self-care: “Be good to others, but don’t forget that you have a responsibility to be good to yourself.”
His 5-step plan to give yourself the gift of self-care this holiday season:
1. Breathe.
2. Accept.
3. Write.
4. Talk.
5. Walk.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/well/mind/self-care-buddhism-monk-meditation-stress-anxiety-calm-Haemin-Sunim.html

Our team is proud to partner with Operation Gratitude throughout November for the second consecutive year, fundraising and holding a letter-writing drive. We hope you’ll stop by our office join us in sending notes of thanks to U.S. veterans and deployed troops. We created and decorated this special “mailbox” for your letters, which we’ll deliver to Operation Gratitude to send at the end of the month.
If you’d like to donate, click here: https://giving.operationgratitude.com/fundraiser/3536804
If you donate, or are a veteran or veteran’s spouse, we have special discounts this month.

Walnut Creek service manager Kelly Wylie brought goodies to the staffs at Bayberry, Carlton, and Oakmont care facilities. Those smiles are what we're here for!

Our Walnut Creek folks couldn't find a leprechaun, so they delivered goodies themselves to the devoted healthcare heroes at VITAS Innovative Hospice and local care facilities.