Mortician Diaries: The Dead-Honest Truth from a Life Spent with Death

by June Nadle

After 50 years in the funeral business, 80-year-old grandmother/undertaker June Knights Nadle has seen it all — at least all of what goes on before, during, and after life’s ultimate challenge. In Mortician Diaries, she combines equal doses of charm, humanity, humor, and reality to tell it like it is on this taboo subject. A kind of Prairie Home Companion set in a mortuary, the book features memorable stories of regret — “I wish I had kissed him on the morning he had the accident” — and renewal, as the lesson of facing life’s last great event is learned, or not. Some of the accounts here are funny, some sad. Some are haunting in their strangeness as they reveal the many ways in which people cope. Along the way, the reader is drawn into Nadle’s own life story as an unconventional woman who devoted herself to the dead and to those they left behind.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Death, Biography

212 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2006

Reviews

[jay walker · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like Hallmark published it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not what I expected. I guess I was thinking it would be funny/scary/what-have-you tales from a mortician, instead it was some heart-wrenching tales used to illustrate several basic topics the author wanted to get across (have a dialogue with those close to you about death, live for today, etc) I really enjoyed it, and yes I cried several times through-out.

Mrs. Nadle is a fascinating woman, and I am glad she published this book to share some of her life.

Quotes and such I liked:
pg. 17
"I remembered a Mark Twain saying, ' Let us endeavor to so live that when we die even the undertaker will be sorry.'"

pg. 52 (although it has been said many times before...)
"Funerals are for the living, not the dead."

pg. 133 (these two sentences had me crying -- this is so very true)
"I now know that there are some deaths we never get over. We only learn to live with them."

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very touching and well-written book encouraging the living to make a dialog with death, in order to accept it as a normal part of life. Both funny and heart-breaking. It really helped me better grasp the ideas of funerary traditions and the importance of accepting the reality of that which we all fear. We can only heal, when we are ready to face the reality that those we love as well as our selves will one day be gone and that life goes on now and after. Highly recommended.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I now have a completely different look on death and how the planning of what to do with a person's remains after they die can affect their whole family and friends. This book is a real eye opener about making sure you get the things done in life that you want to and that you let the people in your life know how you really feel about them. They could be gone tomorrow and you'll never have the chance to make amends if that is what you want to do.



The author grew up on a small farm in Idaho and death was nothing out of place there. When she got older she decided to go into mortuary services school since there weren't many other options for women at that time period. She has worked in many funeral homes, both small and large ones. This book is a collection of stories that she encountered along the way. There are stories of people that plan their own funerals, to ones that the deceased parents didn't realize until it was too late that they needed to make amends with their own children.



It is very moving and touching and at times I wanted to cry, but luckily I was able to hold back. I did have to put the book down a couple times to think about the section of the book that I had just read. Don't worry about there being anything really gory in it, the worst part of that is at times there are discussions of what a body looked like after death, nothing obscene.

[Maria (Ri) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprising little book. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting, something more akin to Stiff by Mary Roach perhaps. What it actually turns out to be is a touching memoir of a grandmotherly type retired mortician recounting stories of grief, love and bits of humor from her long career. It made me think of my own mortality and what I'd like done when I die (organ donation, cremation and whatever type of funeral service would most serve those who survive me). It made me value my current relationships a bit more and recognize that there really is only this moment. Overall, a satisfying and touching read.

[Trisha DeBoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read. This. Book. Seriously, though, it's 135 pages filled with stories that "demystify" what happens a bit. It's not a "how to" book or anything, but considering our culture's denial of death, this is a good book to start thinking about death in less "out there" ways. The author speaks about her care of families in the midst of grief, and talks a bit on how she has hopes in the face of what is often perceived as just a pit of deep dark blackness. I have only had this book for a few weeks and I've already loaned it out three times. Each person has liked it, even though it was not what any of us expected.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mortician Diaries was a beautiful book. Simple, short and poignant, June Nadle's stories really make you think about what is important in life.

Some of the stories left me in tears, some were simply moving and others were even comical.

This book was one of a friend's top 20 books that stuck with her. I'm glad she shared that list as I likely wouldn't have stumbled upon Mortician Diaries on my own.

However you may feel about life and death, give this book a try. It isn't morbid. Mortician Diaries is a celebration, and the pure love and compassion of June Nadle shines through on every page.

Beautiful.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautifully written book. I think it's a great read for anyone, whether currently dealing with the loss of a loved one or not. The author breaks the book up into different short stories of instances of death that she's dealt with personally and professionally, which makes it for an easy quick read, that you can put down with easy bookmarking if needed. I felt deeply for the book and the people in it, within only minutes of beginning it. The only complaint I have about the book, is that I wish it was longer. I could've kept reading it for days.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #23 for 2012 - I really enjoyed this short book, written by a former mortician. She told several stories of "interesting" deaths that she has dealt with as well as shared her insights and personal experience with healing in the event of the death of a loved one. Very interesting and easy to read.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

June has been a mortician for years which gave her a variety of experiences with death and seeing the different ways people have approached the planning for their own death and the services of those they loved. This book made me laugh, cry, and say "ah-ha!"

[Anyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

you might think this would be gruesome, but in fact this was a really interesting diary from a wife & mom who spent her career as a mortician. Sure it's all about how people died and what happens in a funeral home, but she manages to pay beautiful homage to each and every client.

[Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent little book filled with short personal stories from the author's experience as an embalmer/funeral director for over 50 years. The author demonstrates that not every death is experienced the same way and that not everything is always so clear cut and dried.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written and touches on the subject of what happens after we die. She blends her side of the story in so well with what is going on around her in the funeral home and it just mesmerized me. I couldn't put it down and read it cover to cover as quickly as I got it!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easy read, and it made me think.

[Loving Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book its so inspiring :)

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written book and not at all what I thought it would be. This book has changed the way I look at death.

[Brevin Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! I recommend it to everyone.

[Christian Dorny]

Mortician Diaries is a series of stories from the life of mortician June Knights Nadle. Through the book’s five chapters, Nadle tells 25 stories, designed to help readers laern to, as she puts it, “[engage] in a dialogue on death.” The stories she tells help readers to acknowledge death, embrace their grief, overcome tragedy, learn from mistake, and celebrate our lives. Nadle accomplishes this wonderfully. Her 25 accounts show how people need to deal with death, and how to move on. From a mother who can’t accept the loss of her baby to a mortician who had to bury her husband, Nadle takes on a variety of tones. Every story ties in to the overarching theme of accepting death and celebrating life. Throughout the book, Nadle remarks several times that “funerals are for the living.” The same goes for her stories. Her stories don’t talk about the deaths of people, they talk about how people learn from grief. If you don’t have the will to hear about tragedy or loss, then this book is perfect for you. It presents tragedy in a place and in a way that shows that one has to tackle these themes head on. The writing is also on point. Each story feels like it is being told personally, one on one (which it is, really). This makes each one a bit more personal to us. Truly, Mortician Diaries does what it sets out to do. It tells us all a few stories, to make us think a bit harder about how to live life and celebrate it once it is gone.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had expected more tales ... not reflections on mortality and repetitive life lessons. A bit of the grossness of the whole "these people in this culture live like this and isn't it marvelous to witness such different kinds of people?"

[Annamarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of anecdotes of a mortician with 50+ years of experience. Some of the stories are humorous, some sad-all create dialogue and lessons about death and dealing with death while living.

[Marta Bare · Rating 2 out of 5]

eh. Just so-so. Very short & very dated. Much better books are out there.

[Thomas Newton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I was looking for.

The book was nothing more than an X-Ray of very short unrelated stories. I was looking for a complete book to read.

[Violin Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

over all wasnt bad but the one story i have no idea how she lived with the questionable ethical and moral situations ..

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Practical advice, inspirational experiences shared, and some "crazy" events!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quick book I read a few pages at a time before I went to bed. I liked how June wove her personal life in with her professional life as she wrote this book. This book was a peak into the happenings of the life of a mortician and those lives that they cross paths with.

[Lindsay Merrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected; I expected something a little bit thrilling, a little bit creepy, a little bit about embalming and bodies and so forth. Instead, it was a nice diary of sorts discussing death and grief through the eyes of a mortician. Some of the stories were really beautiful, some thought provoking, and some quite sad. The author is a fascinating person. In all, I thought the book was effective and worth reading. It's a quick read.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all of her stories but one. From a mortician's standpoint, if all her stories are true, I cringed at one for moral and ethical reasons and was extremely amazed she included it in the book. I will leave it up to you to figure out which one on your own.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick little compendium of life lessons written by someone who witnesses the end of human lives every day.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, did give me some things to think about. It's something I would recommend but you definitely have to be in the right state of mind.

[Elaine]

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