Newman, Ellen

Ellen Newman is a compassionate and creative Celebrant with more than two decades of experience co-creating rituals and ceremonies around life’s milestones, most recently honouring end of life.   She has repeatedly found herself holding space for others at the crossroads of their lives having served as a childbirth educator and doula, a Unitarian Universalist chaplain, and currently, as a licensed funeral director.  Ellen has a special interest and passion for family-led death care and natural burial.  She has served on the Board of the Green Burial Society of Canada, and as a consumer advocate with Community Deathcare Canada, working with the regulator in Ontario to change their communications around natural burial and family-led death care.  Ellen has also served as a Sacred Circle dance facilitator and ran Croning workshops honouring women at the age of wisdom.  She can confidently weave elements across cultures, faiths, philosophies, and perspectives to create unique, meaningful, and beautiful end-of-life ceremonies.  In her spare time, you’ll find her crocheting, gardening, or out on the water in her neon green kayak.