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Who is

Clear Mourning?

Our mission is to shift the culture surrounding grief and to hold space for those who have experienced a tragic loss.

Everyone person should have the opportunity and freedom to grieve their loss.

Our Roadmap

To Support our Mission

Awareness

SOCIAL CHANGE

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Creation of Symbol of Grief

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Community Awareness Programs

Innovation

ACTION 

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Mourning Wear Merchandise

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Clear Mourning Yoga

Support

HOLDING SPACE

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Grief Support Facebook Group

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Scholarships for the Bereaved

Sarah’s Story

In 2016, we lost our amazing and beloved daughter, Marley, when a drunk driver struck our family car. Three months later, my grief grew, when my 62-year-old father died of a broken heart.

As a person in mourning, experienced hospice social worker, and change agent, I have experienced America’s broken culture around those who are mourning. Families with whom I work echoed the same sadness and frustration.

One cold day in the month of January immediately following our tremendous losses of my two-year-old daughter, and my dad, I tried to get dressed.

I wanted to start my day and be a mother to our son. What I found instead is no clothing in the world felt appropriate.

All of my choices felt like a pathetic costume. I decided I needed a symbol. An external way of acknowledging my pain and broken heart, a notice to my community and loved ones, and a way for me to feel legitimate in my costume.

This is how Clear Mourning was born.

To promote positive social change and provide grief support for those who have experienced traumatic loss, Clear Mourning created a symbol to be worn; a way to fill the void in our culture where mourning dress was deserted.

Women no longer wear veils and black or men armbands to self-identify as a person in mourning. Our grief apparel allows those grieving to express themselves, feel validated in their grief, and be offered a softer spot within their community.

The symbol for Clear Mourning, a broken heart, will be as culturally visible and identifiable as a pink ribbon or yellow band bracelet.

Clear Mourning will use proceeds from Marketplace sales to provide financial assistance for services to those who suffer from traumatic loss.

Survivors of traumatic loss are often left to their own devices as there are few “safety nets” in our society to support the time it takes to grieve, fill family roles that have been abandoned suddenly, and deal with unanticipated financial strains left behind. My family and I have felt these barriers and strive to support survivors in other, holistic, ways of grieving. Clear Mourning will use proceeds to pay co-pays, mental and physical health support, child care, massage, and acupuncture.

Clear Mourning cannot speed up the healing process or fix the grief. Clear Mourning is designed to allow survivors the freedom to grieve – this is the cultural shift.

Meet the Board

Sarah Peterson, LCSW | President & Founder

Sarah is the founder of Clear Mourning as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). After losing her young daughter and father in 2016, and feeling like society wanted to rush through the grieving process, Sarah set out on a mission to shift the culture around grief. Everyone is #Freetogrieve

Marlis Beier, MD | Vice President

Marlis knows the power of transitions to change and heal. After 20 years as an Ob/Gyn, MS ended her adored practice. Her passion shifted to hospice, where she met her close friend Sarah. We share the drive to make our culture able to use grief to connect to each other.

Brion K. Hanks | Secretary

Brion became a Hospice volunteer with Partners In Care after losing his brother to pancreatic cancer and hearing what a wonderful addition hospice volunteering had been to his Mom’s life. Brion volunteers with Camp Courage and that’s how he met Sarah. The common bond of grief brought them together, and he enjoys witnessing that bond between kids. Camp Courage is “unique, and rewarding for volunteers to see kids thriving.”

Carol Palmer, RN | Treasurer

Carol graduated Bend High & went immediately to nursing school. She worked a variety of disciplines in nursing, including at the women’s prison, a school for the blind, labor & delivery & hospice.  She is the local chapter leader for Compassionate Friends, the grief group for parents who have had a child die, so Clear Mourning is a perfect fit, and she is honored to be on the board.

Join the Free to Grieve Movement

Join the Free to Grieve Movement

Help us shift the culture of grief by signing up to hear about the latest news, resources, workshops, and initiatives from Clear Mourning. With your help, we can make a more compassionate and understanding world.

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