Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of the Friends of Mount Auburn A Healing and Meditative Landscape | Page 22

When Staff Becomes Client:
The Cemetery from a Different Perspective
By Rich Snow, Director of Information Technology
Coming from a family of artists, I have always
appreciated the beautiful and serene landscape of the
Cemetery in the midst of a busy urban area. And the
landscape of Mount Auburn attracted me to work here
as its Information Technology (IT) Director. Working
with computers can mean long hours in a cubicle under
fluorescent lights. Here at Mount Auburn, though, we can
stretch our legs in a lovely environment, also knowing that
our work helps families to commemorate their loved ones.
Last year, my wife, Diana Snow, succumbed to throat
cancer, likely caused by an earlier course of radiation for
tongue cancer in 2000. We were thankful for fifteen good
years in which Diana earned two Black Belts in Tae Kwon
Do and celebrated many happy occa-
sions with friends and family. It had not
occurred to us that we might want burial
space someday—I had always imagined
I would not be buried at all—or that
Diana would predecease me. But as she
weakened while undergoing treatment,
we came across a workbook put out by
the Funeral Consumer’s Alliance called
“Before I Go You Should Know,” avail-
able at http://funerals.org. This work-
book helps you generate notes for who to call and what to
take care of when your loved one passes on. It helped us to
open a discussion about what Diana’s wishes were around
her death.
Diana agreed that Cremation was an option, and as we
discussed it, we decided that a space at Mount Auburn
would be a nice memorial to her for her friends and me.
Tom Johnson from the Cemetery Sales team took me
around to a variety of locations and I picked one for
us both. Tom provided clear information in a calm and
20 | Sweet Auburn
compassionate way. I didn’t know then how soon we
would need to use it.
Cancer treatment is a whirlwind of schedules, driving in
traffic, drugs, visiting nurses, food and equipment drop-offs,
much of which occurs at home. Maintaining a schedule for
administering drugs and tube feeding is quite challenging.
As the requirements for her care threatened to become
overwhelming, Diana’s oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer
Institute recommended that we sign up for hospice, which
came on board in a matter of days. Unfortunately Diana
continued to decline, and she was gone in two weeks. Our
planning for a burial space and a memorial had been timely.
I can’t say enough about the caring and support that my
family and I received from everyone
at the Cemetery. When the time
came, Tom recommended a funeral
home in Belmont, which was ex-
tremely helpful. And everyone from
the front office down through the
grounds and interment crews were
right there to help and offer support
during the process of cremating the
remains and burying Diana. I am re-
ally proud of the work they do, and I
know that they provide the same level of care to all of our
customers and their families. Mount Auburn is a beautiful
historic place, a botanical garden, and an active Cemetery,
but just as much Mount Auburn is a family.
In July we hosted a send-off for Diana for her friends and
family and for the entire staff. After the Chapel Service we
shared a beautiful afternoon reception on Bigelow Lawn.
What a wonderful way for Diana’s many friends in each of
her life’s facets to celebrate her, together.