You Got The Last Laugh

Pranks that end in a death are not something I would usually post about. But a prank pulled off by a person who was dying made me laugh and cry at the same time, so I had to share. Norma Brewer, mother and grandmother, died last month at the age of 83. Norma had been in a wheel chair for over a year and her health was diminishing leading up to her death. During this time Norma decided that she would rather people get a laugh from her obituary rather than be sad. So without anyone knowing she had the following statement posted in the Connecticut Post days after her death:

“Norma Rea Flicker Brewer, a resident of Fairfield, passed away while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. She never realized her life goal of reaching the summit, but made it to the base camp. Her daughter, Donna, her dog, Mia, and her cats, came along at the last minute. There is suspicion that Mrs. Brewer died from hypothermia, after Mia ate Mrs. Brewer’s warm winter boots and socks.”

This strange obituary not only shocked her family but cause phone calls from friends wondering how her family could let her do something like this. Well sometime fiction is better than reality, and no one knew that better than Norma. According to her daughter “It was just typical mom. She always had stories, many of which were not true, but thought were funny.”

I must say I admire this woman. If I am lucky enough to be knowingly staring down death someday, I hope I can have the realization that I should do one last joke on everyone. It is easy to get caught up in the “woe is me” attitude when you are facing turmoil. But this woman was not only able to step outside that, but included her family and beloved pets into final words and imaginary moments. I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a tear in my eye and a smile on my face at the same time as I write this. Way to go Norma… You got the last laugh.

-Jiad

I found this story on Buzz Feed News. http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/this-grandma-pulled-a-final-prank-on-her-family-with-a-joke#.bdlqq9X9A