HOME RESERVATIONS & DONATIONS THE SANCTUARY AND THE LAND WHO WE ARE EVENTS CONTACT US PRIVACY POLICY
This project is the brainchild of Dr. Diana Cunningham and Michael Murphy, who had the vision ten years ago of a sacred place where people could have the opportunity to have a native tree planted next to their burial plot at a legal and licensed conservation/restoration burial preserve. A tree planted at a grave is an ancient practice going back at least 20,000 years, and fulfills an archetypal human need to leave behind a lasting legacy and “live on” over centuries.
By 2019, we became a non-profit with a Board of Directors who continue to guide us in numerous ways today.
Our Board of Directors of the The Friends of Cathedral Trees Sanctuary
Dr. Diana Cunningham, Board President and CEO, Ashland Oregon
Doctor of Classical Homeopathic Medicine and Naturopathic Practitioner (ret.);
Author, Restoring America: Everyone’s Guide to the Revolution In Natural, Conservation, and Restoration Deathcare (2025)
The Natural American Way of Death (2026)
Mr. Michael Murphy CFA, Secretary and Treasurer, Ashland, OR. Chief Financial Officer
Financial expertise in donor funds and non-profit corporations; agroecology, licebsed Permaculture Design Consultant, and arboriculturist
Dr. Barry Vissell, MD. Santa Cruz, CA. Shared Heart Foundation, Heartfullness expert, author.
Holistic Psychiatrist/ Shared Heart workshop facilitator/ Grief counseling
Joyce Vissell, RN. Santa Cruz, CA. Nurse Counselor/Shared Heart workshop facilitator/Grief counseling, author.
Our Advisory Board
Ms. Michelle Thelen, MFCC, MSW. Ashland, OR.
Kaiser Social Worker (retired); Community advisor
Ms. Tammie Donnelly, Mt. Shasta, CA.
Environmental Activist, Consultant
Ms. Mahkosazana Fletcher, Rogue Valley, OR.
Community children’s advocate (ret.) and Medford Baha’i youth advisor; Inclusiveness and Diversity interest
Below, Our family in 2024 : Michael Murphy, Diana Cunningham, Rose Murphy-Cunningham, and Gwyn Murphy-Cunningham at their Ashland, Oregon home, with native black oak tree in background
