A friendly and relaxed environment has been created to discuss something that all of us will experience, but can be uncomfortable for many to talk about.
Sarnia's first authentic 'Death Café' is taking place on Sunday, May 25 at BackHome Coffee from 4 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.
It's a chance for people of all ages to come together in a laid-back setting to drink coffee or tea, eat cake and talk about death.
Spokesman Allan McKeown said the message is "talking about death wont kill you."
"Talking about death is difficult for a lot of people, there's a lot of fear around death and dying," said McKeown. "The whole point is to bring people together to talk about death and answer any questions they may have. If people are living with a fear of death and dying, it really detracts from their quality of life. You can't really enjoy your life if you have that fear hanging over your head all the time."
McKeown said the younger generation will also take something from the informal discussion.
"I think younger people are maybe the ones who have the most fear around death," he said. "We want people to come and just relax and talk about anything that's on their mind. We'll try and address those questions."
McKeown said a facilitator will manage the discussion. There's no set agenda and no business promotions or religious messaging.
"There may be professionals there who are grief counsellors or funeral directors who may show up," said McKeown. "No one is allowed to promote any business or anything like that."
The Death Café movement began in England in 2011 by the late Jon Underwood. Since then, almost 21,000 Death Cafés have been offered in over 90 countries.
Sarnia's Death Café is sponsored by the Unitarian Fellowship of Sarnia and Port Huron.
There is no registration fee but people are encouraged to pre-register by sending an email to deathcafesarnia@proton.me. It is hoped Sarnia's inaugural Death Café will be successful and become a regular community event.