"When I die, if the word 'thong' appears in the first or second sentence of my obituary, I've screwed up." --Albert Brooks
An "unusual" discovery
A 74-year-old woman was transported to a Nebraska mortuary last week after staff at The Mulberry nursing home in Waverly pronounced her dead.
Two hours later, as the Butherus-Maser & Love Funeral Home began preparing her for funeral arrangements, an employee noticed something odd — the woman was still breathing.
The employee called 911 and first responders took Constance Glantz of Lincoln, Neb., to a local hospital. She survived for a few more hours and then died.
"This is a very unusual case. I've been doing this 31 years, and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before," Lancaster County Sheriff Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said during a press conference.
An autopsy has been conducted, but results could take several months to be released.
FMI: Click here.
Preserving those we love
When a beloved pet dies, memorialization options used to be pretty basic: burial, cremation or taxidermy. Since the pandemic, however, those with means have been expanding the ways that deceased pets are honored.
Some families are opting for bone articulation, a process where the bones of a pet are cleaned and then assembled into a preserved skeleton. Others are hiring artists to create sculptures for their pets' ashes or paintings of their animals along with sentimental objects. One Florida company even uses cremains to create crystals that are then utilized to generate unique images.
FMI: Click here.
Farewelling
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NOTABLE OBITS
* NFL offensive linemen Larry Allen, who spent the majority of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, died. Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013. He was 52. (Schuyler Dixon, The Associated Press)
* Journalist T.D. Allman, who reported from more than 80 countries, died at 79. He also had a second career as a book writer, covering Florida and American foreign policy. (Adam Nossiter, The New York Times)
* Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who shot one of the most famous photos of all time, died at 90. Anders was orbiting around the moon when he looked back at his home planet and took the image which became known as “Earthrise." (Brian Murphy and Frances Vinall, The Washington Post)
* Erich Anderson, an actor who appeared in more than 300 TV episodes, 50 theater productions and 20 feature films, died at 67. He was also a prolific writer of episodic television scripts. (Eva Hartman, Los Angeles Times)
* Charlie Audet, a World War II veteran of a storied combat parachute battalion, died at 105. He is believed to be the last surviving member of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion paratroopers who made the first U.S. military combat parachute jump during the war. (Bryan Marquard, The Boston Globe)
* Brigitte Bierlein, the former head of Austria’s Constitutional Court, has died. Bierlein was also the country’s first female chancellor in an interim government. She was 74. (The Associated Press)
* Former rugby star Rob Burrow, who raised funds and awareness after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, has died. He was 41. (The Associated Press)
* Actress Jeannette Charles, 96, who made a career out of looking like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, died. She chronicled her life and career in the 1986 memoir, "The Queen and I." (Sam Roberts, The New York Times)
* Christophe Deloire, 53, head of the media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (also known by its French acronym RSF), died. In his 12 years at RSF, Deloire negotiated to free imprisoned journalists around the world and offered refuge to reporters under threat. (The Associated Press)
* Richard Ellis, 86, an author, artist and marine conservationist, has died. He helped to design the life-size blue whale that hangs in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (Harrison Smith, The Washington Post)
* Logan “Stan” Garner, a train coordinator for movie and TV productions who often played a train conductor on film, died at 83. He worked on over 300 feature films, TV episodes, movies of the week and music videos. (Pat Saperstein, Variety)
* Hurricane expert Paul Hebert, whose namesake "Box" remains a well-used forecast tool, died. The pioneering meteorologist was one of the first specialists hired at the National Hurricane Center. He was 91. (Claire Grunewald, Miami Herald)
* Artist and book illustrator Nonny Hogrogian has died at 92. In the more than 60 books she worked on, Hogrogian shared Armenian stories and experiences. (Brian Murphy, The Washington Post)
* Parnelli Jones, 90, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1963, died. He was the first driver at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to qualify at over 150 mph with a four-lap average of 150.370. (The Associated Press)
* Bob Kelley, the longtime publisher of the Kelley Blue Book, died at 96. The Kelley Blue Book is considered an "indispensable resource for consumers and the auto industry." (Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times)
* British doctor and TV presenter Michael Mosley, 67, died. Mosley popularized the 5:2 diet, which involves intermittent fasting, and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2002 for the BBC miniseries "The Human Face." (Zoe G. Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter)
* Actress Janis Paige, who was best known for her starring roles in the Tony-winning 1954 musical “The Pajama Game" and the 1957 movie musical "Silk Stockings," died at 101. Later in life, Paige appeared in the daytime soap operas "General Hospital" and "Santa Barbara." (Gina Piccalo, Los Angeles Times)
* Former HBCU football coach Doug Porter, the oldest living College Football Hall of Famer, has died. He was 94. (The Associated Press)
* Mark D. Ross, 58, the rapper best known as Brother Marquis of 2 Live Crew, died. The Miami hip-hop group was the first to receive a “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label on an album due to its sexually explicit lyrics. (Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times)
* Artist Remo Saraceni, 89, who was best known as the inventor of the giant piano, died. The invention was prominently featured in the 1988 film "Big." (Ximena Conde, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
* Dutch photographer Bertien van Manen has died at 89. Her photographs about daily life were featured in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and in art galleries around the world. (Michael S. Rosenwald, The New York Times)
* TV producer Jac Venza, the former head of cultural and arts programming for the PBS flagship station WNET-TV, died at 97. He was known for introducing the programs "Live From Lincoln Center" and "Great Performances." (Sam Roberts, The New York Times)
* Chet Walker, 84, a basketball Hall of Famer and former Bulls forward, died. He was known as "The Jet" for his speed. (Chicago Sun-Times)
FAMOUS DEATHS IN HISTORY
On June 10, actor Spencer Tracy (67), singer/pianist Ray Charles (73) and Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe (88)
On June 11, author Robert E. Howard (30), actress/civil rights activist Ruby Dee (91) and actor John Wayne (72)
On June 12, civil rights activist Medgar Evers (37), mystery novelist Carol Higgins Clark (66) and actor Treat Williams (71)
On June 13, Macedonian king Alexander the Great (33), bandleader/songwriter Benny Goodman (77) and journalist Tim Russert (58)
On June 14, Vice President Adlai Stevenson I (78), Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges (86) and science fiction/fantasy author Roger Zelazny (58)
On June 15, President James K. Polk (53), singer/actress Ella Fitzgerald (79) and radio host Casey Kasem (82)
On June 16, English physician John Snow (45), actor George Reeves (45) and NFL running back Brian Piccolo (26)
On June 17, singer/actor/writer Kate Smith (79), Nobel Prize-winning chemist Donald J. Cram (82) and fashion designer/heiress Gloria Vanderbilt (95)
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"I am not afraid to die." --Emma Abbott
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Lucianmilasan, KLKN TV, YouTube, the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, Facebook, The New York Times, ABC News, CNN, Apple News, The Wall Street Journal, the Dead Talks podcast, Julia Kadel, Unsplash, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Variety, Miami Herald, The Hollywood Reporter, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times, Ron Szalata, On This Day, Playback.FM, Britannica: This Day in History, Time and Date, Wikipedia, "The Life and Professional Career of Emma Abbott" by Sadie E. Martin, "Last Words of Notable People: Final Words of More Than 3,500 Noteworthy People Throughout History" by William B. Brahms, Song of the Lark and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
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