Debra Gorman

I believe I have been uniquely called to assist individuals as they embark on life’s final journey.

My experience as a hospice nurse affirms that my heart is in tune with the needs of the dying as well as their loved ones.

My own unfortunate experience surrounding my mother’s death and funeral compels me to assist as many as possible toward a more satisfying lasting memory.

Although a home or family-directed funeral is not for everyone, everyone deserves to know their options. It would be my honor to help facilitate your personal plan. 

Please find Press Release below

Press Release

 ‘Death midwife’ helps families care for their own dead'

If you’re facing the need to plan a funeral for a loved one, consider a home  or family-directed funeral as an alternative to the modern American funeral.

According to Debbie Gorman, Des Moines, Iowa, home funerals are a new trend in death-care options. They allow a family to create a meaningful funeral that celebrates the life of their loved one without the constraints that a funeral home presents.

The home funeral trend was started by baby boomers, the same generation that brought back natural childbirth and moved hospice care into the mainstream.

“Just as baby boomers insisted on a return to the notion that birthing babies was a natural process to be fully experienced, so it is with death,” Gorman said. “If we truly get it that death is inevitable, we can benefit by planning and taking some control over a process that ultimately is out of our hands.”

Gorman is credentialed to help families who wish to have a home funeral. She calls herself a death midwife or home funeral guide, and said that the new movement returns to an old practice. Her business, Grace for your Journey, focuses on educating consumers about their funeral rights and choices. She claims it is possible to turn a heartbreaking event into one filled with meaning, ceremony and even beauty.

Families who have chosen home funerals say the process feels like a final gift to their loved one and the act of service helps with their grief. Those who are dying and choose a home funeral report a great measure of comfort knowing that loving hands will continue to attend them after death.

“It seems only natural that a home funeral would follow a hospice death where a loved one was tenderly cared for at home”, says Gorman. 

Gorman is also a Certified Celebrant/Funeral Officient, for those who wish to personalize a life celebration that  truly reflects the personality and lifestyle of the deceased. She will take the time necessary to listen to the stories families share  about their loved one,  then write and deliver (if desired) a eulogy and collaborate with the family to create a ceremony that is as unique as the one being celebrated.

"There are many misconceptions about death care that prevent the dying and their loved ones from making informed choices," Gorman said. "It is my passion to inform people of their rights and options while dispelling many of the myths surrounding death care".  For example, in only rare cases does the the law require a body to be embalmed, although many consumers don’t know that. Embalming does not preserve the body for a lengthy time. Families also can build their own caskets or purchase them from any vendor they choose.

Gorman is one of a few pioneers in a movement that she predicts will be common in a few years. She hopes to educate consumers and help families who wish to participate fully in caring for their dead while potentially saving thousands of dollars. 

She acknowledges that family-directed funerals are not for everyone , “But,” she says, “everyone deserves to know their options.”

Gorman received her training from Jerrigrace Lyons, founder of Final Passages, a model project offering education for personal and legal rights concerning home or family-directed funerals. Lyons has participated in hundreds of home and family-directed funerals.  Her work has been featured in the PBS documentary, A Family Undertaking (available from Netflix), and in the national and regional media