Rebecca Galloway from Tulip Cremation interviews Barbara 

Barbara Karnes, RN, is considered by many to be the “godmother” of hospice, having written the popular and accessible hospice education book for families, “Gone From My Sight” back in 1985. The little blue book has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and continues to be a resource for understanding the dying process. After writing dozens of other similar books, Karnes is now an internationally respected speaker, educator, author, and thought leader on matters of end-of-life and a renowned authority on the dying process.

But Karnes experienced her own loss in September of 2023 with the death of her husband of 63 years, Jack Karnes, who was 89. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in May and was gone by September. She talked with us from her home in Vancouver, Washington, to share her experience because, as she says, “I figure even with all my end-of-life knowledge, if I’m experiencing this, then so is everyone else. And everyone else might not know that this is normal and that this is part of living. So I want to give people permission by just looking at my example. This is all sorting out life.” 

Click the link below to read the rest of the article:  

Barbara Karnes on What She’s Learned in the ‘School of Grief’

Resources discussed in this article: 

Gone From My Sight: The Dying Experience

ALWAYS OFFER, NEVER FORCE: Food At End of Life

My Friend, I Care: The Grief Experience