O.C.’s newest night out: talking about death over a pint or two at brewing co.
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If you visited Honey River Brewing in Anaheim last Thursday night you might have seen a pink hearse parked outside. And if you were curious enough to peer through one of the vehicle’s windows you may have spotted the pillow adorned with light-hearted words inviting a dearly departed one to climb on in.
The hearse set the tone for what was going on indoors — the first ever Orange County gathering dubbed “Drafts over Death,” a conversation that has been held several times in Los Angeles and San Diego counties since it was first introduced in 2019, but took a bit of time getting here.
One of our contributing writers, Eric Licas, covered the event for the Daily Pilot. He reported that about 50 people responded to the invitation to pull up a chair, have a beer and engage in the conversation many people simply avoid altogether.
Barbara McMurray, a death doula from Laguna Beach, was one of the event organizers. She recalled that when her father died at the age of 87, none of his relatives knew what he wanted in terms of his final rites, or how his remains should be taken care of. They were all left guessing and hoping they could make the right decisions on his behalf.
McMurray said Thursday that she wondered what people are thinking when they don’t face the inevitable and plan ahead by discussing their final wishes before the grim reaper calls.
“You thought you were never going to die if you didn’t talk about it, if you didn’t plan for it?” she posited. “That’s the one thing I would like people to understand. It’s healthy and it’s liberating to talk about what you want for your own death.”
McMurray is a member of the Orange County Deathworkers Alliance. They partnered with Meadow Memorials and the Death Network, a San Diego-based education and support collective, to host Thursday’s event. They were joined by Lisa Pahl, a hospice social worker who helped create a party game called the Death Deck, and Donnie Moore M.D., founder of San Diego-based Autonomy Health.
A lively conversation ensued, even as one of the evening’s key topics was medical aid in dying, which is legal in California.
Dr. Moore’s practice has specialized in palliative care and medical aid in dying. He spoke about the reason people seek his assistance with the latter.
“Their symptoms aren’t really the driving force behind it,” Moore said. “It’s wanting control, wanting agency, wanting autonomy over their body, really wanting to control their death the way they were in control of their life … Most of my patients are at a certain point of readiness. Where they stand in their condition, they’ve had a completed life, whatever that means to them.”
Another participant Thursday was Tim Ringgold, a music therapist and member of the O.C. Deathworkers Alliance Death. He suggested the reason that a reluctance to talk about death here more so than in other counties he’s observed (and perhaps why it took so long for Death over Drafts to come to the county) could be tied to a more ”performative” culture that “has a tendency to emphasize discussions about wealth and achievement while downplaying anything that might undermine the outward appearance of success,” Licas writes.
For complete coverage of this unique event, including the thoughts of others who there to learn about the freedom that can come from discussing death, you can find the story here.
MORE NEWS
• The Newport Beach Planning Commission on Thursday gave its unanimous blessing to the development of 132 townhomes at a site near John Wayne Airport on Dove Street that’s currently occupied by two office buildings. Next, the project goes before the City Council for consideration. In April, the same developers, Lincoln Property Co., were given the OK to build the Residences, a 100-condominium community at another office building on Quail Street, which is also in the airport area.
• A proposed 72-unit, three-story apartment complex and accompanying one-story clubhouse to be built on a 2.1-acre site at 8550 Warner Ave. was shut down by the Fountain Valley City Council, which would have had to a approve a zoning change. The site is currently home to an 18,782-square-foot commercial shopping center.
• The incoming superintendent of schools for Laguna Beach Unified, Don Austin, told the school board at Thursday’s meeting he considered the job at the district “a calling.” Austin is the educator named to the job before the ink was dry on the forced resignation letter from Jason Glass, who was given the boot by the board majority last month. The 3-2 vote approving Austin’s $450,000 (base salary) contract mirrored the vote taken when Glass was dismissed.
• This year’s Point in Time count of homeless individuals in Orange County showed an increase in both unsheltered and sheltered homeless people in San Clemente, the only south O.C. city not to show an overall downward trend, TimesOC reported. The San Clemente City Council is more than skeptical of the count’s accuracy and is disputing it. “Close your ears,” Mayor Rick Loeffler warned the audience during last Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “This is bull—.”
• A routine effort on Friday to empty what the Orange County Health Care Agency called an “onsite stormwater/condensation tank located in an area unrelated to the incident site,” led to the spillage of about 50 gallons of water at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, the location of the recent chemical crises, according to the Los Angeles Times, and testing was underway to learn whether or not the water contained any toxic chemicals.
• The city of Costa Mesa cut its ties with Priceless Pets last week after working with the nonprofit rescue group for eight years. Priceless Pets had received 60 days’ notice from the city on March 19 indicating the group’s inability to open a full-service animal shelter inside city limits violated the terms of a contract between the nonprofit and the city.
CRIME
• Jamshid Ghomi, 63, a dual U.S-Iran citizen who lives in Newport Coast, was arrested last week and charged with illegally supplying Iran’s nuclear and military establishments with U.S. computer technology in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. On Thursday, a federal court judge denied Ghomi bail.
COURTS
• Laguna Niguel resident Justin Derek Jennings, 41, was sentenced Monday to 108 months in federal prison for shooting a semi-automatic rifle at a O.C. Sheriff’s Department helicopter on March 9, 2024. Jennings pleaded guilty to the charges last August.
• Melissa Lynn Beisel, 41, has been charged with murder and a felony count of assault on a child with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in the death of her toddler son in Placentia last Sept. 22, City News Service reported. Beisel, a Fresno resident, did not make a plea at her arraignment Tuesday; it was was rescheduled for June 30 in the North Justice Center in Fullerton.
PUBLIC SAFETY
• There’s a high rip current and high ocean drowning risk at the beaches this week: A beach hazards safety warning was issued Tuesday by the National Weather Service that will be in effect until Thursday evening. The highest surf was expected at south-facing beaches, according to the NWS.
• A 69-year-old transient pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in Newport Beach, officials said Thursday. Police responded to the collision about 4 p.m. Wednesday in the 3400 block of Irvine Avenue, near Bristol Street, police said.
SPORTS
• With 2026 FIFA World Cup matches set to get underway in L.A. Friday, 5,500 soccer fans — out of 32,000 people who applied — were given seats in Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine’s Great Park Monday to watch the only public training of the U.S. men’s national team, The Times reported. “[The] environment and facilities are crazy. It’s more than we expect,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said of the venue. “We are so grateful.”
• In columns by Eric Sondheimer, Katie Stith of JSerra was named The Times’ high school softball coach of the year for 2026 while JSerra’s Liliana Escobar was named softball player of the year.
• Newport Harbor High’s Natalie McCarty finished her high school track career May 30 by setting an Orange County record in the girls’ 300-meter hurdles in her final race as a Sailor. She clocked in at 41.74 seconds, placing third in the race in the CIF State track and field championships at Buchanan High in Clovis.
• Huntington Beach High’s baseball team beat Cathedral Catholic to claim the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I championship Saturday, while their counterparts at Newport Harbor High walked away with the Division II championship with its victory over Bakersfield Christian.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Clovis Hung, 15, will collect his bachelor’s degree in history from UC Irvine’s School of Humanities on Sunday, the youngest person to ever do so. As if that’s not impressive enough, by the time he’d enrolled at UCI at the age of 13, he’d already earned five associates degrees from Fullerton College. Check out this feature on Hung for more about his varied interests and ambitions.
• Kay Nakauchi retired earlier this year after nearly seven decades (!) working for the Huntington Beach Union High School District, where she was a stenographer, administrative secretary, executive secretary and certificated personnel secretary. Daily Pilot reporter Matt Szabo caught up with her on a recent day when she visited the district office for this interview.
• The 61st Anniversary Queens’ Rose Gardens Ceremony was held Friday in Huntington Beach, where the reigning Miss Huntington Beach, Gabrielle Samiy, planted a rose bush, “Remember Me,” that she selected for the garden. Also honored with memorial rose bushes were the late June Dugmore and Lee Love Ghione, both of whom were past presidents of Huntington Beach Sand Dollars and passed away earlier this year.
• Apple TVs hit series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” starring Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer, is putting a spotlight on the many charms of Fullerton, including Fullerton College, which hosted the cast and crew for a few days of shooting.
CALENDAR
• The Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, June 13, at the Balboa Yacht Club, 1801 Bayside Drive, Corona del Mar. This year’s featured vessel is the tall ship Spirit of Dana Point, operated by the Ocean Institute. Admission is $10 per person. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted free. A BBQ lunch and beverage service will also be available for an additional cost. More details can be found at newportbeachwoodenboatfestival.com.
• North OC YoungLives is planning its annual pancake breakfast and maker’s fair for 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 20, at Harbor Light Church, 1734 Orange Ave., Costa Mesa. Adult tickets are $15; children 10 and under eat free. Proceeds will go toward helping teen parents and their children attend summer camp. For more information or tickets, visit northocyounglives.com.
• UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art has announced its upcoming exhibition, “Staging California in Early Hollywood,” will open June 26. This exhibition, which runs through Oct. 4, marks the consolidation of all UC Irvine Langson Museum programming under one roof at its Costa Mesa location, 3333 Avenue of the Arts. To learn more, visit ocma.art/exhibitions.
KEEP IN TOUCH
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