On the evening of Friday, Sept 29, 2023, Jim and Doralyn Moody made their deliberate final exit together. They had been married for 68 years.
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On a personal level, they were my grandparents. Their house was my home and my homecoming.
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On a practical level, Jim and Doralyn were members of the group Choice and Dignity, an end-of-life advocacy group.
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Caption: Their choice to end their lives on their own terms was anticipated and met with support from the family.
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But not without a deep and aching sense of loss.
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In these images, I explore the process of cleaning out their house and documenting the scars of our family's 50-year occupation...
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Caption: ...as well as the process of mourning their loss through an informal memorial service.
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This is part one of an ongoing project.
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The second part of this series, called "Self-Deliverance," focuses on elderly or terminally ill individuals that have made the choice to end their lives through assisted or medical suicide.
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If you or a family member would like to participate, please reach out to me at lisajospencer@gmail.com
Lisa Spencer is a photographer and writer based in Winchester, MA. She specializes in documentary storytelling. Award-winning and internationally published, her work has been featured several books (Mozambique Mosaic, 2012...