WHAT IS GREAT RIVER?
Great River, located on 150 acres just outside of the city of Mosier, Oregon, is focused on nature conservation and plans to provide an environmentally sustainable, “green” cemetery and outdoor education center. This cemetery will encompass the full circle of life*, not just the point of passing.
Great River will be a peaceful, final resting place that embraces grief and enables solace, as well as a place where children play and are inspired to wonder and learn. A place where children develop a healthy understanding of death from studying ecology on the land and familiarity with natural burials.
Great River future natural burial area facing north toward Pahto / Mt. Adams.
Great River’s green cemetery will be a place where people can rest in beautiful, natural surroundings. A place where the deceased will not be forgotten because people enjoy visiting. A place where people might share a family picnic while visiting a loved one. A memorial place where family members might have attended youth camp. A place that helps the living, honors the dead, and conserves the natural beauty of the land. A place that is both a green, natural cemetery and an outdoor education center.
Great River will offer families affordable, meaningful, and environmentally responsible burial sites, services, support, & education. Diverse future burial sites will be nestled between wild-flower slopes, meadows, and Oregon White Oak, Ponderosa Pine, & Doug Fir forests. This wild place is home to hundreds of species of native wildflowers, and animals like elk, deer, bear, eagles, hawks, coyote, bobcats, and grey squirrels. Great River has views of Mt. Hood, Mt Adams, the Columbia River, forests, orchards, and vineyards. If you love the Pacific Northwest and the Gorge, this peaceful, serene place feels like home. Wheelchair accessible paths and interpretive signage will be present in some areas.
WHAT IS GREEN/NATURAL/TRADITIONAL BURIAL?
A natural burial and remembrance ceremony in the family cemetery in Springtime.
A natural burial is profoundly simple and meaningful. It is the way we were buried before modern cemetery practices became the norm. The deceased's body (not embalmed) is placed in a simple wooden or woven biodegradable casket, or wrapped in a cloth shroud and placed in a grave. The native trees and wildflowers benefit from the gift of our bodies given back to the earth. We also plan to offer burial and scattering of cremated remains. When we open, we will be licensed by the Oregon Cemetery & Mortuary Board and plan to be certified by the Green Burial and Conservation Burial Councils.
Green Burial Live-Streamed for International Participation
WHO WE ARE
Suzanne wright baumhackl, Co-founder
Suzanne left her 25 year Brand Management & Marketing executive career in San Francisco to start a marriage, a family, and Solstice Wood Fire Cafe in the Gorge in 2006. Now, she, her husband Aaron, two sons, and the restaurant are flourishing in Hood River, Oregon.
After Suzanne attended her grandmother Emily’s burial service and several other memorial services, she had a suspicion that people might seek more natural, intimate, and purposeful end of life celebrations and environmentally sound burial practices. Her passionate quest for answers guided her toward Orphan Wisdom School, where she is a graduate scholar.
Founding a ceremonial center and green burial site is her purposeful path to guiding people towards conversations about loving, living well, dying wise, and befriending grief.
Suzanne is a caring & connected community member who wants to serve the living while honoring the dead... in nature, in ceremony, and with deep reverence.
russell hargrave, Co-founder
Russell Hargrave lives in Mosier, Oregon with his wife and two children. He enjoys the outdoor life, his job, and particularly raising a family. The rugged beauty of the land beckons him to play outdoors every day, as he and his brother did growing up on a small farm. However, when his younger brother died unexpectedly 10 years ago, he was unprepared for the grief.
With the anguish from his brother’s death still palpable, Russell became faced with the question of where his mother, he, and his wife would be buried. After realizing they could continue to be a part of this beloved land, Russell became passionate about creating a lasting, natural place that could connect the living and dead.
Russell’s career includes extensive experience in leadership, innovation, and business, working as an executive for high technology companies, and for the state of Oregon. He is a successful entrepreneur, having co-founded two locally based companies.
WHAT YOU CAN Do - GREAT RIVER WILL OPEN IN Spring of 2022
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