About Us

Experienced. Credentialed. Leaders.

Lily Buerkle

Co-Founder

Lily Buerkle is an experienced mortician and funeral director licensed in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

After arranging hundreds of funerals, cremations and burials, Lily has become a green burial resource locally and a sought-out speaker in the community, helping to prepare families for end-of-life changes. She is particularly passionate about green burial and empowering families in their funeral decisions – and loves saying “yes” to families yearning to honor loved ones in unconventional ways. Lily is co-founding Willow Green after years of listening to bereaved families asking for better environmental options and will join the company full-time as both a funeral director and chief operating officer to lead the company’s funeral staff. She holds a certificate in thanotology from the Art of Dying Institute. Lily earned her baccalaureate degree in international trade from Georgia Southern University and is a graduate of the Mortuary Science program at the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in Virginia.

Adrian Gardner

Co-Founder

Adrian Gardner is Willow Green’s co-founder, lead investor and managing member.

After retiring from a 30-year legal career and managing both public agencies and private business organizations, Adrian was inspired to help launch the company after hearing Katrina Spade’s viral TedTalk about natural organic reduction – human composting. At the time, he was dealing with his mom’s terminal diagnosis and he found it unacceptable that no suitable green death care options were available in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. Today, after joining forces with the renowned DMV funeral professional, Lily Buerkle, Adrian is leading the company’s legislative work and building-out its core business infrastructure – including its finance, risk management, personnel and regulatory functions. Adrian has become a deathcare professional and is now certified by the Cremation Association of North America as a crematory operator and natural organic reduction operator. He’s also a graduate of Harvard Law School, the Kennedy School of Government and Northeastern University.

Leadership in DMV Deathcare

We led the charge to legalize water cremation and human composting in Maryland.

Lily and Adrian join Governor Wes Moore as he signs the Maryland Green Death Care Options Act on May 9, 2024.

Adrian and Lily prep to meet with bill sponsor.