Written and curated by PMA staff, this page seeks to elevate news relating to the mission and vision of PMA. Posts are organized newest to oldest.
The PMA Blog
In 2019, when Washington state was the first to legalize human composting, few could have predicted how quickly this innovative disposition method–or method for handling a dead body–would gain traction. Five years later, we've seen remarkable progress in both public acceptance and industry development. On December 14, 2024, the Seattle Times wrote the article titled “5 years after its legalization in Washington, human composting takes root.”
People's Memorial Association strongly supports HB 1065 - 2025-26 Concerning family burial grounds. As Washington's leading advocate for funeral choice and consumer rights, we believe this bill provides residents with an important, affordable alternative to traditional funeral services.
PMA In the News
By Brendan Kiley, Seattle Times contributor and Pacific NW magazine writer. Published Dec 14, 2025
As the COVID-19 death toll mounts, faith leaders are grappling with a heart-wrenching question: How do you conduct a funeral in the midst of a global pandemic?
"Over the past two weeks, increasingly strict social-distancing rules — culminating in Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order on March 23 — have sown confusion and consternation among families, cemeteries, faith leaders and funeral directors over a fundamental question:
What to do with our departed loved ones in a new era of enforced isolation?"
Up until recently, when a loved one died, the family would plan a funeral. Family and friends would gather, comfort one another, hug, cry on each other’s shoulders and share in the ever-so-crucial grieving process. But COVID-19 has changed all of that. On today’s episode of Tuesday People, Mitch Albom welcomes guest, Nora Menkin, Executive Director of the People’s Memorial Association and the Co-op Funeral Home in Seattle, WA.
The American way of death adapts to social distancing.
PMA Executive Director was invited to speak on-air with John Richards on the Morning Show. PMA is the sponsor of KEXP's annual Death and Music event. This year, in celebration of PMA's 80th anniversary, Nora shared a brief history of the organization, how it supports its 72,000 living members, and why there is a need for a group like PMA in the funeral industry.
