How Sunset Planning Came To Be

Me and my dad, Rick Welty, in 2013 when I was beginning my Portland massage business. He was always an advisor, investor and cheerleader in my business and he’d be so proud of this venture, too!

When my dad died in 2023, I became the executor of his estate and, even though he had done quite a bit of planning, it was still one of the most heartbreaking, frustrating and challenging 18 months of my life. Repeatedly, I would think, “I wish someone would hold my hand through this. I know I am not the first person to ever navigate this.”

I realized, having been with my dad, grandmother, grandfather, and son when they died, I began to realize that I was a person who could be with the dying. I was a person who was able to sit with suffering and grief, advocate and educate in the medical system, and help navigate the complicated paperwork trails of living and dying. I began volunteering at a local hospice and decided to train as a death doula.

It was life changing, to say the least. The units that spoke to me the most were the planning, paperwork and closing up affairs. I decided that one way to serve people who are dying or grieving was to be the person who supported them through the labyrinth of bureaucracy that surrounds end-of-life planning and executor duties.

Through my own planning, my personal navigation of grief and my doula studies, I discovered that the planning I did for my own end-of-life has deeply impacted my experience of being alive. I feel more present and clear in my life, knowing far better the people, work, activities and experiences I want to have in my life before I die. Planning has become a great gift to me now, I want to share it!