End of Life Chicago Death Doula Updates

Change is on the way (...but isn't it always)

End of Life Chicago began in December 2019, just before the world changed in ways

Watercolor icon like a library with a book.

none of us expected. From our first Death Cafés at the Oak Park Public Library to masked bedside visits and virtual gatherings during the pandemic, we adapted alongside our community. We met people at kitchen tables and hospital bedsides. We held space in libraries, in Zoom rooms, and sometimes in silence. Through it all, you, our friends, families, and colleagues, walked with us.

When in-person gatherings became possible again, we returned to the library. Being able to connect without the barrier of masks and without the heightened fear of “outsiders” was a relief for everyone. We are deeply grateful for the resilience, flexibility, and care shown by our community during those uncertain years.

Now, here we are in the late summer of 2025. Our mission remains the same: to support those facing dying and death and those who love them. But our reach and our ways of serving have grown. Since Jen’s move from Oak Park to Miller Beach in 2023, our work now extends into Northwest Indiana, connecting two regions with shared needs and values.

As the great Bob Dylan said, “Times they are a-changin’.” These are changes we welcome and we are excited to share them with you.

-Jessica