Meg Nichols is a Mortuary Science student at North Shore Community College (expected graduation May 2025), a Licensed Apprentice Funeral Director / Embalmer in Peabody, MA, and a Going with Grace trained Death Doula (March 2024). Meg grew up in central Massachusetts and had a very close relationship with her grandfather, TJ. TJ owned a funeral home in St. Albans, Vermont, for over 40 years. Though he did not share specifics of the mortuary side of the business with a young Meg, he imparted his vast knowledge of entrepreneurship, self-sufficiency, and believing in yourself. Plus, practical tasks like how to make professional phone calls, manage a bank account, the importance of how you present yourself, and that chocolate shakes and french fries go great together. He passed in 1994 when Meg was 13, but his impression is everlasting. 

Meg received a degree in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in 2005 and has since pursued a career as a professional artist. There are threads of similar qualities throughout her career, whether from behind the lens or with a paintbrush -  a passion for storytelling, sharing stories, and preserving legacies. Meg is also committed to continuing these qualities through her work in death care.

In 2023, Meg decided it was time to explore the lifelong whisper to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps. Coincidentally, she just happened to meet the Program Coordinator for the Funeral Service Program at NSCC through a short-stint playing roller derby. Having kept in touch since they both realized their thrills were best found elsewhere, she felt it was time to reach out and join an info session for the program. Meg returned to school in the Fall of 2023 and simultaneously accepted an Apprenticeship at an established Funeral home in Peabody, MA. 

With her husband, parents, aunt, two dogs, and the Salem community's support, Meg will officially launch Community Death Care Services in January 2025 to provide a safe place for knowledge, education, and resources about death, dying, and the in-between. Her mission is to inspire people to complete their advance directives as a future parting gift to their loved ones and also address death-related anxiety in the pursuit of living life to the fullest.