Luan Murray is an impassioned mortician from Wollongong who has worked in the funeral industry for more than 30 years. On any given day, she will be prepping three to twelve dead bodies. Her approach involves sanitizing, deodorizing, preserving and restoring each one. Murray cares deeply about doing her job well. She has been a tireless advocate for providing solace to families forced to mourn the loss of family members.
Murray’s fascination with death started as a child. That early curiosity, she says, led her to choose a career in design — and it’s been key to cultivating her empathetic approach ever since. She knows that understanding death and having compassion are key components to any mortuary profession.
The Emotional Toll of Mortuary Work
She understands that her responsibilities go further than just the technical art of embalming. Beyond the legal duties, it is extremely valuable service to those left behind, taking care of their emotional needs in a trying time. That’s difficult work,’ she says. Honestly, graciously, in a world where conversations about death and grief often elude us, I like having this conversation.
The imperative of her work—as a clinician, educator, and researcher—has increasingly pushed her into the tragic frontier. Unfortunately, not everyone dies a good death. Many deaths are quite awful, tragic and traumatic,” says Murray. Though the work is emotionally heavy, it’s rewarding to her to help families have the hardest goodbyes possible. She closes with, “My mission is to make the world a better place and to serve my family in that order.
Her experience has made her a powerful advocate, and life’s fragility gives her an unusual perspective on how to maximize it. In her reflections, she writes about how it “deepened my understanding of the fragility of life…” She brings home the reality of death and pushes us to live each day like the gift we’ve been given.
The Art of Embalming
Murray’s day-to-day work is about showing off detailed, artistic procedures in embalmings. She wants you to know that a lot of the work happens “from the inside out.” Her priority becomes keeping the body intact for viewing and burial. She gives attention and thought to every person’s personal taste while getting them ready for their last send off.
When we get a trauma case in, we request pictures from the family. This enables us to figure out whether it’s actually worth our time to even try to rehabilitate that individual,” Murray says. That personal touch is important, particularly when families want to reflect the deceased’s wishes or personality. If a young woman has died and really liked winged eyeliner, then of course we go with that,” she continues.
On the cultural side, Murray touches on themes of preference and acceptance of burial practice. “They’ve been active in Sydney cemeteries 1800 or thereabouts. Other religious communities favor aboveground burials, like Catholics and Maronite Christians. This practice allows for families to be buried in a single space, fostering a multigenerational legacy. The depth of her understanding of traditions and customs informs her on how to serve families in ways that best meet each family’s unique needs.
Breaking the Taboo
As crucial and life-affirming as her work is, conversation around death and funerals still feels largely taboo in our society. She said, “Most of the rest of the population doesn’t want to talk about funerals and burials and what happens when you die. “It’s kind of a little bit of a taboo topic,” muses Murray. She wants to help people make peace with this reality by encouraging honest and compassionate conversations around death.
Murray’s perspective on death serves to normalize the experience and invite families to become more present with their grief. Through sharing her story and knowledge, she helps to make loss and acceptance more common topics of discussion.
