Rachel Essig

GBC Treasurer & Executive Director of River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon

Rachel Essig is the Executive Director of River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. River View Cemetery is Portland’s oldest endowment care cemetery and has been offering natural burial and funerals since 2009 and is a certified funeral home and hybrid cemetery by the Green Burial Council. Rachel’s background is in habitat protection through Metro Regional Government’s land acquisition bond program. She became a cemeterian when Metro assigned her to manage fourteen historic cemeteries in their park’s portfolio. She’s presented at the ICCFA Annual Convention, the Cemetery Association of Oregon, Kates Boylston, California Funeral Institute and to the Oregon legislature. She’s a member of the Cemetery Association of Oregon’s legislative committee and is a current Green Burial Council board member. Rachel is working on a dedicated natural burial meadow within River View Cemetery. Rachel is motivated by providing a place for reflection and by serving everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, or economic condition.