OC Virtual Death Cafe

The OC Virtual Death Cafe is celebrating two years of monthly meetings in October 2025! This Death Cafe was started by the dedicated, end-of-life doula, Linda Barnard. Eventually, Mel McClave accepted the invitation to take over hosting in October 2023 and presently hosts it on the first Tuesday of the month.

Do you have an interest in the subject of dying and death? Are you looking for a safe place to share your thoughts, ask questions, and hear what others say? At this Death Cafe, we welcome all opinions and topics, provided they follow a few rules that keep the discussions safe and accessible. You are certainly welcome to join us for quality conversations around dying and death.

The purpose of this Death Cafe is “ to increase awareness of death to help people make the most of their finite lives.” We use this time to discuss dying and death with no expectations, agendas, themes, or promotions.

Death Cafes are a worldwide phenomenon.  Jon Underwood launched and hosted Death Cafes in London from 2011 until his death from cancer in 2017. He modeled them after Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz’s “Café Mortale.” In 2012, Lizzy Miles hosted the first Death Cafe in the US in Columbus, Ohio.

Death Cafes and DeathCafe.com are hosted by volunteers and are always FREE to attend.  The guidelines that govern Death Cafes are the vision of Jon Underwood to keep the conversation welcoming and free from personal debate. Attending Death Cafes brings you into a space that allows for an exchange of ideas without the pressure of conforming.  Some Death Cafes ask for donations. Consequently, if you feel the need to donate, please donate directly to this Death Cafe, or directly to DeathCafe.com. 

Learn more about the Death Cafes hosted by Mel, here