For most living in the industrialized world, the death of a loved one means paying a funeral company for embalming or cremation, and in most cases, seize the body as soon as possible. Until recently, however, it wasn't always this way. Throughout most of human history, the families of the deceased were responsible for post-death chores and rituals. Today, many people are repulsed by the mere thought of undertaking a dead body, but not Russell Davidson.

Russell Davidson, 50, witnessed his wife,Wendy also 50, pass away on April 21, 2017. When the "absolutely wonderful, truly remarkable, much loved, respected, fearless and brave" Wendy lost her 6 year battle with ovarian cancer, she was at home, surrounded by her husband and son, just as she had wished. She had also requested that her body not be handled by a mortuary service; she desired to have her body taken care of by her loved ones.

"Wendy never liked the word coffin." -Russell Davidson

Bittersweetly, she passed on her own terms, as she chose to resist chemotherapy and radiation and do her "own research," which her husband believed to lengthen her life "by a very long time."

On the night of her passing, Davidson ceremonially cleansed his wife's body and dressed her in a "lovely flowery summer dress," before placing her in a wicker "cocoon" woven with organic cotton. Wendy's cleansed body rested in the handmade catafalque for nearly a week.

Later that night, the man situated his wife and her casket on to their bed, where he slept next to it for six nights.

After weeping for hours, Davidson explained that on the first night he "had a good read and went to sleep." Upon waking up the next morning, he said "There was nothing that upset me about being in a room with a dead body." Contrary to what most might think of this, the presence of the lifeless body was "really comforting" to the man.

At the end of the week, the Davidson's held a small at-home vigil for Wendy, where both religious and non-religious friends and family gathered to remember her. The next day, April 27, Russell and his sons drove the body to the crematorium, after informing the police about what they were going to do of course.

"We found so much comfort from it... We were saying 'How could we let some stranger just take Wendy off and put her in a fridge." -Russell Davidson