Our Funeral Director and Founder
Claudia Windal, OSF Owner/Licensed Funeral Director
Claudia comes to funeral service with a long history of working with people in need through a variety of ministries.
Immediately out of high school, she entered the novitiate of the Dubuque Franciscan Sisters (Iowa) and became a registered nurse. Upon completion of her BA degree, she followed her call to become a priest as she became a member of the Episcopal Church and began her seminary education.
As an RN, Claudia continued to work with underserved individuals and families in various emergency departments and in 1982, she began working with people living with HIV/AIDS. So great was the fear of HIV infection along with the inaccuracies of means of transmission of the virus, that our HIV+ clienct were often left alone in a small ER cubicle and denied the option of someone with them while they waited to be seen and/or for treatment. The reality of the rationale behind the prohibition of visitors, was that many staff members didn't want "Them, the fags" anywhere the staff and/or other patients!
Claudia's introduction to burials of those who died from complications of HIV/AIDS was frequent requests for her to accompany the partners and/or biological family members to the funeal home to make arrangements. Initially, few funeral homes would consent to embalming these bodies and insisted instead, on cremation.
Many local priests and ministers wanted nothing to do with the funeral or burial of anyone whose death was attributed to AIDS. Partners, family members, and others were stigmatized because they had a close relationship with a "Queer" and ministers and priests from most mainline denominations would not preside for a funeral.
Claudia's understanding and compassion took her to many bedsides of young men and women dying from complications of HIV/AIDS. She treated each of these mourners with kindness and compassion and after 20 years in this ministry, she realized the great toll it was on her as 4 or 5 men who had been at many of the funerals were now the persons being buried! This sense of loss, grief, respect, non-judgement and compassion is what has grounded Claudia in opening and operating Franciscan Funeral Services.
She has been a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota since 1985 and has served a number of congregations as rector, priest in charge, and most recently, as priest in residence at St. James on the Parkway where the funeral home has an office.Today she is one of a team of several priest serving Church of the Advent in Farmington, MN.
Claudia professed perpetual vows in the ecumenical Order of Servant Franciscans in November, 2008 and maintains an Associate relationship with her previous Dubuque Franciscan community.
Funeral service is not only Claudia's passion but a ministry providing opportunities that are important to family members in caring for their loved ones.
