Our culture often treats relationships with animals differently than it does relationships with humans. Actually, people sometimes feel more joy with the unconditional love of an animal friend, and more pain and grief over their loss, than they do with their human counterpart. My own experience of death of a parent and of my dog within a month of each other, and community responses around those two deaths, brought this insight homeand set me on the path of Animal Chaplaincy.
Animals are complex beings with feelings, thoughts, needs, desires, and unique personalities. Animals have reasons for their presence in our lives, as well as their own purpose in life. Our animals teach, heal and help in many ways. They communicate with us all the time, but often we don't understand. It's up to us to figure out the message.
Through intuitive animal communication, I can help you understand what your animal friend is trying to tell you. Learning what they have to say can lead to a deeper, more fulfilling relationship. If your animal friend is stressed, sick or injured, or is near the end of life, animal Reiki offers a holistic support system to help reduce stress and bring balance. When it is time to grieve the loss of a loved animal friend, I am available to help you honor your feelings and move toward healing.
Life's journey takes each of us through many relationships and transitions, with animals, work, family, spirituality, and our inner selves. Each of these passages is a process. As an Interfaith Minister, I provide a compassionate grounded presence to help people and animals navigate the bumps in life's path, using intuitive deep listening, meditation practice, animal Reiki, grief counseling, and listening for messages from nature.
Please explore this site and contact me to learn more or to schedule a consultation.
Every prominent world faith speaks of our special relationship with animals
and our responsibilities for their stewardship.
Pet Loss Grief Support Groups are available across the country. Go to the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (ALPB.ORG) to find a group near you
Rev. Nancy Schluntz, interfaith chaplain, passed into spirit life on December 21st (Winter Solstice), returning to the seven sister stars from whence she came. She now runs barefoot through the fields of yellow flowers, side by side with canine and feline companions, sprouting tail and feathers, and springing into flight. We honor her and bless her and thank her for the blessing of her life and her love. She will be missed by friends, family, and the many people whose lives she touched during her years of service in our community.
Following a brief illness that she regarded as a premonition of her impending death, Nancy devoted her final days to those nearest and dearest to her, and tended to "loose ends" so these would not be a burden on her family. She suffered from Ovarian Cancer (Silent Killer of Women) and died while Gregg, Gwen and Sean grieved at Oakland Kaiser Hospital at 7 PM carried aloft by prayers and energy from her community.
She was born January 6, 1944 in El Centro, Colombia, the second of two daughters born to Dorothy Mae and Harry Warren. The family later was transferred to Talara, Peru and to Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. Nancy gladly referred to herself as an "oil brat." The Warren family settled in Austin, Texas, where Nancy met Gregg Allan Schluntz at UT where Nancy worked as the Department of Biology Secretary. They were married in 1965. The Schluntz family, with Nancy's daughter Gwen, moved to Oakland, California for Gregg's Navy service during the Vietnam War. They later settled in Hayward where their son Sean was born.
Nancy was an "island of quiet wisdom" for her family, and taught each of her grandchildren about the stars and to howl at the moon, about rocks and animals, taking them on nature walks to point out the leaves and plants and helping them find ways to get really dirty. She will be remembered for her healing work with animals and their human caretakers, helping foster communication between them and especially in helping families grieve the passing of their animal companions into the spirit life. She authored several books, sermons and articles such as; Leaves in My Hair (Insights and Poetry), Animals on Reiki, Hand in Paw, and was still working on a children's book, Tales of Tyson the Cat and her spiritual autobiography, Dialogues Along the Path.
Previous to her Chaplaincy work (graduate of the Chaplaincy Institute Seminary; Berkeley, CA), Nancy served as Executive Director of the Family Emergency Shelter Coalition, Hayward, CA, for 13 years. During that time she guided the agency through development of two transitional housing facilities, implementing mental health and employment services, and expanding housing services for the homeless families with children served by the agency.
Nancy remained active until the last few months of her life counseling through her own service and Website and was especially fond of working at Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward. She was also active with the National League of American Pen Women, League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women. She was a frequent moderator of candidate forums and voter education panels for the League, and in the past portrayed Cherokee principal chief Wilma Mankiller for the AAUW Women in History project.
Nancy is survived by her husband of 53 years, Gregg; daughter Gwen Amy Miller, son Sean Jacob Schluntz; daughters-in-law Elizabeth Schluntz and Karen Watkins, son-in-law Allen Miller, grandchildren Katy Gwen and Logan Schluntz; Max, Sam and Gregg Miller; and Haley and Harry Watkins and her sister, Linda Anne Keese of Texas. (Gregg's son; Nancy's stepson, Jeffrey Steven Watkins passed in 2016).
The family requests that gifts in memory or in lieu of flowers be made to the human services or environmental nonprofit agency of your choice.
