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Are you a fan of Fargo, the dark comedy-crime series inspired by the Coen brothers’ film of the same name? Do you want to own a piece of history from the show? VIP Fan Auctions has something for you - the Spring Entertainment Memorabilia Auction featuring a production-used newspaper obituary of Donatello Set and a mortuary invoice from season 4 of Fargo.
Lot #21 is a prop that was used in the episode “The Pretend War”, where Loy Cannon (Chris Rock) and his family attend the funeral of Donatello Fadda (Tommaso Ragno), the head of the rival crime family. This item is a rare piece of Fargo history, as it shows how the war between the two families escalated and led to more violence and tragedy.
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Does anyone know how Kade died? https://www.myers-mortuary.com/obituary/Kade-Peterson

My mother died in the hospital on St Patrick's Day. The whole experience was traumatic and horrifying and I'm going to dress up as Batman and prowl every medical malpractice law office in the state screaming about the man who killed my mother until I get some resolution. But what I really need to get off my chest is my experience with the funeral director.
I'm 38, my older half sister and brother are 58 and 61. I lived with my mother most of my adult life. She had a very minor disability. We didn't get along all the time, but I enjoyed her company and was always happy to live with her.
My siblings have always lived their own lives and live out of state. When she was in the hospital, they both took time off to visit for a few days, but towards the end, it was me and her on our own. She passed, and they insisted on taking care of the funeral. I was very grateful. I'm a teacher... so I make a living wage, but... not as much as they do. Although I still think the honorable thing to do would be to pay them back with her small life insurance payout! They keep declining.
My sister found a local mortuary with good reviews. Within hours of her death, I was told arrangements had been made. The hospital had packed my mothers things and literally escorted me out of the ICU room. I spent the evening plotting revenge, crying, and being harassed by donor alliance.
Donor alliance called within an hour of her death and asked if they could take her skin. She was 80 years old. And her skin was trash. We have a body farm in town. I thought it would upset my brother if I agreed. I said no, she talked over me, insisting they were a non-profit organization, I said no again. She talked over me, saying my mother was on the donor list and it's what she would have wanted. I said no again, she talked over me and said that donation saves lives. My friend grabbed the phone and told them we were not interested in donation. She talked over my friend and said skin graphs could help burn patients. I said no two more times and hung up.
My sister flew out on Tuesday and we met with the funeral director. She said she found a place that does Direct Cremation for $747. I was suspicious - my sister didn't know that our county literally just had a whole fiasco where a different mortuary was sued into oblivion for selling chopped up body parts and giving people fake ashes - but I'm of the mind that the body isn't important after the soul moves on.
We go to the funeral home and spend 2.5 hours talking to the Funeral Director. He is a rambling old man who interrupts and talks over people. During the time we were there, he told us about his own health problems - from an early heart attack to some broken bones, he told us about all the restaurants in town he knew the owner of, stories about his granddaughter - he really just did not want to get down to business.
This is important later, because the crux of his argument becomes: "I spent so much time comforting you, isn't that worth money!?"
Finally, he asked for my sister's credit card and headed downstairs to take care of the bill. I assumed they had everything worked out over the phone earlier. My sister noticed a hung certificate on the wall that had a different funeral service name and commented on it out loud. We were quietly chatting about that when he returned.
He returned and immediately said, "That's my OTHER funeral home. Yup, I have two. This is the cheaper option, in fact, I gave you a bunch of this home's discounts." Wink, wink.
He had run my sisters card and gave her a two page sheet of hand written expenses. It amounted to $2,100. He quickly, and confusedly, explained what some of the costs were: $250 for after hour pick up, $335 or $85 (he wasn't clear) on a credit card processing fee. Direct cremation, around $1,400. My eyes bulged out, because that's not what I was expecting, but I didn't want know if that was what my sister agreed to or not. So I stayed quiet.
That was when he informed us that he did not own a crematorium. That his 'trusted' friend who goes to Denver all the time to help with this was going to take her to a crematorium in Denver and then bring her back.
Ghoulish images of my mother sitting in the back of someone's truck, surrounded by Mcdonalds ice bags and twelve packs of cold beer danced in my head.
When we got home, my sister began to examine the bill.
Over the course of the next few days, he would call us incessantly. The bill had been paid, but he needed to approval of some things... like getting my brother to sign the cremation certificate or getting the correct spelling of a name, sometimes he'd just call us wanting to know if we had checked her obituary on their website and checked out the memory book they were selling. Have I looked at the website yet? How about now? Have I looked at it yet? Just calling to see if I've seen her obituary yet, they chose Danny Boy to play on a midi loop in the background! Long, rambling conversations. He became convinced that I was 'uncomfortable' handling the ashes, and wanted to check multiple times that it would be okay for me to pick them up... or he could express mail them to my sister. For a fee, no doubt.
I began to do research. I learned that funeral homes are required by the FTC to disclose all expenses during the arrangement meeting. It's called the Funeral Rule. No such disclosure had been made with my sister, she was just told she could do the $747 package.
I learned that it was illegal in our state to charge a credit card processing fee (but they could offer a cash discount and bake the processing fee into other things).
What the hell was this random $335 fee coming from? And why was the direct cremation quoted at 1,400-something. That was the price for his other funeral home, I figured out.
He told me that Donor Alliance wouldn't release the body until 11:30pm, and that's why we got charged an afterhours fee. Because the hospital told him he "had" to pick it up. (Or else?) But I found out our hospital will hold a body for up to 48 hours for the family to make arrangements.
The reviews for his place were fine. Four stars. You had to REALLY dig to find the bad ones. But... if you checked his OTHER funeral home... that's where I found everything. "Fraud," "He fucked up the death certificate 3 times," "the hurst ran a red light and got in a fender bender with my dad in the back," "ships bodies to Denver."
My sister was horrified. Imagine a whole week of grieving with your mom's daughter occasionally going, "You must think I'm a moron, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I should have known."
I told her she couldn't have known. The reviews were good. How often did one person single handedly arrange a funeral? His website looks legit. There's a whole slew of online articles warning about things like this happening because it happens so often. It wasn't her fault.
He called us a few days ago to let us know our mom was in transport and would arrive at the crematorium in 15-20 minutes. I was journaling EVERYTHING. I asked him what the name was of the place she was being sent.
"Well, she isn't there yet. She'll be there in 15-20 minutes."
He was trying to Jedi mind trick me. These are not the droids you're looking for. "I asked WHAT IS THE NAME of the crematorium she's been sent to."
"It's called Encore, but you aren't allowed to call them. You only talk to ME." He insisted. "You can ONLY talk to me. I am your point of contact. You can't contact them."
I was convinced his friend was parked outside someone's funeral home, waiting for the lights to go out, so he could slither in and dump 12 bodies into their incinerator.
My sister sent an e-mail with a screenshot of the package she purchased and a request for an itemized list.
For once, he did not call us right away. We called him the next day, but he said he was at lunch and would call us back. He called us around 6:00 that night.
My sister talked for a bit, but he rolled over her, so I grabbed the phone. I told him that we needed an itemized list of the expenses, as required by FTC law. He said they never discussed a exact amount. I told him my sister got the "Direct Cremation, Urn, and Cremation Service - COMPLETE" package for $747.
He told me that that package was a deal meant for veterans, and I must have read the website wrong.
I went to the website. All of his prices and funeral packages had been erased. The page was blank.
Luckily, we had the screenshot from earlier. And I used the wayback machine to capture a cache image of that page stating exactly what I was talking about. There were no veteran discounts offered on his site.
I told him that he couldn't charge us a credit card processing fee. It was illegal in our state. He said he'd wave it, but wanted me to admit that he spent almost 3 hours talking to us, and wasn't his time worth money? Every time I tried to talk, he'd shout over me that WASN'T HIS TIME WORTH MONEY? He had to pay his employees! That's just how business worked, he had to pay his employees! Hadn't he treated us with respect? I was going to give him a heart attack, did I want to be responsible for giving him a heart attack?
I told him I didn't know that him ranting about his favorite local Mexican restaurant was part of his billable hours.
I had to start raising my voice: let me speak. Stop interrupting me. When do I get to speak? LET ME SPEAK.
He'd counter with: DID I NOT TREAT YOUR FAMILY WITH RESPECT, YES OR NO. YES. OR NO.
Then I told him I was going to report him to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and The Funeral Consumers Alliance and my state Attorney General if he did not give us an itemized list of expenses. Or I tried to, he was shouting over me that he was a human being and that he had to pay his employees a fair wage, and did I know what the definition of 'over time' was?
My sister and I had agreed to pay for the $747 package, the $250 after hour fee, and the cost of the death certificates. I prepared to make that offer if he continued to interrupt me and NOT give us an itemized list.
After screaming at us for 47 minutes - we're a one party state, so I was recording the conversation on my laptop - he said, "I'll tell you what. Because I'm such a good person, I'll refund you half of the bill." I did the math, repeated the date several times for my recording, and agreed. Half of the bill was the amount I was going to counter with.
The next day was dealing with him calling every 15 minutes, deciding if he was going to pay us back with certified funds (OH BOY) or do a refund and get cash (my sister was from out of State, she didn't have cash), or... every convoluted thing he could think of that wasn't just refunding her credit card. I insisted my sister call her credit card and let them know what was happening, but she didn't want to.
He asked that, since he was losing money here, if my brother would mind picking up her ashes in Denver. Visions of my incredibly distraught brother having to meet some shady in a Walmart parking lot like a bad Craig's list sale danced through my head.
I recorded this session too. It was in person. He mentioned that it would take several days to get the ashes back to our town. That "I knew how tricky they were." I asked for clarification. Did he mean Encore Crematorium, the state capital funeral home that I wasn't allowed to call? No, he said, "Donor Alliance."
Was the "trust worthy" friend who shipped her body from Donor Alliance? Then I remembered Sunset Mesa Mortuary. Another local funeral home, you might have seen it on the news. They chopped up body parts, sold them on the "body market," and gave families fake ashes. They went through a fake company called "Donor Alliance, Inc."
Was this guy the new body dealer?
For fucks sake, I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I'm looking forward to getting dirt and sand with my mother's name on it in an urn.

My mother died in the hospital on St Patrick's Day. The whole experience was traumatic and horrifying and I'm going to dress up as Batman and prowl every medical malpractice law office in the state screaming about the man who killed my mother until I get some resolution. But what I really need to get off my chest is my experience with the funeral director.
I'm 38, my older half sister and brother are 58 and 61. I lived with my mother most of my adult life. She had a very minor disability. We didn't get along all the time, but I enjoyed her company and was always happy to live with her.
My siblings have always lived their own lives and live out of state. When she was in the hospital, they both took time off to visit for a few days, but towards the end, it was me and her on our own. She passed, and they insisted on taking care of the funeral. I was very grateful. I'm a teacher... so I make a living wage, but... not as much as they do. Although I still think the honorable thing to do would be to pay them back with her small life insurance payout. They keep declining.
My sister found a local mortuary with good reviews. Within hours of her death, I was told arrangements had been made. The hospital had packed my mothers things and literally escorted me out of the ICU room. I spent the evening plotting revenge, crying, and being harassed by donor alliance.
Donor alliance called within an hour of her death and asked if they could take her skin. She was 80 years old. And her skin was trash. We have a body farm in town. I thought it would upset my brother if I agreed. I said no, she talked over me, insisting they were a non-profit organization, I said no again. She talked over me, saying my mother was on the donor list and it's what she would have wanted. I said no again, she talked over me and said that donation saves lives. My friend grabbed the phone and told them we were not interested in donation. She talked over my friend and said skin graphs could help burn patients. I said no two more times and hung up.
My sister flew out on Tuesday and we met with the funeral director. She said she found a place that does Direct Cremation for $747. I was suspicious - my sister didn't know that our county literally just had a whole fiasco where a different mortuary was sued into oblivion for selling chopped up body parts and giving people fake ashes - but I'm of the mind that the body isn't important after the soul moves on.
My brother is much more... sensitive about all of this stuff. Which is why I'm here, because I need to get this off my chest, but I don't want him to find out about the whole ordeal.
We go to the funeral home and spend 2.5 hours talking to the Funeral Director. He is a rambling old man who interrupts and talks over people. During the time we were there, he told us about his own health problems - from an early heart attack to some broken bones, he told us about all the restaurants in town he knew the owner of, stories about his granddaughter - he really just did not want to get down to business.
Finally, he asked for my sister's credit card and headed downstairs to take care of the bill. I assumed they had everything worked out. I wasn't privy to any of the arrangements. My sister noticed a hung certificate on the wall that had a different funeral service name and commented on it outloud. We were quietly chatting about that when he returned.
He returned and immediately said, "That's my OTHER funeral home. Yup, I have two. This is the cheaper option, in fact, I gave you a bunch of this home's discounts." Wink, wink.
He had run my sisters card and gave her a two page sheet of hand written expenses. It amounted to $2,100. He quickly, and confusedly, explained what some of the costs were: $250 for after hour pick up, $335 or $85 (he wasn't clear) on a credit card processing fee. My eyes bulged out, because that's not what I was expecting, but I didn't want know if that was what my sister agreed to or not. So I stayed quiet.
That was when he informed us that he did not own a crematorium. That his 'trusted' friend who goes to [The State Capital] all the time to help with this was going to take her to a crematorium in [State Capital] and then bring her back.
Ghoulish images of my mother sitting in the back of someone's truck, surrounded by Mcdonalds ice bags and twelve packs of cold beer danced in my head.
When we got home, my sister began to examine the bill.
Over the course of the next few days, he would call us incessantly. The bill had been paid, but he needed to approve of some things... like getting my brother to sign the cremation certificate, sometimes he'd just call us wanting to know if we had checked her obituary on their website and checked out the memory book they were selling of her. Long, rambling conversations. He became convinced that I was 'uncomfortable' handling the ashes, and wanted to check multiple times that it would be okay for me to pick them up... or he could express mail them to my sister. For a fee, no doubt.
I began to do research. I learned that funeral homes are required by the FTC to disclose all expenses during the arrangement meeting. It's called the Funeral Rule. No such diclosure had been made with my sister, she was just told she could do the $747 package.
I learned that it was illegal in our state to charge a credit card processing fee (but they could offer a cash discount and bake the processing fee into other things).
What the hell was this random $335 fee coming from? And why was the direct cremation quoted at 1,400-something. That was the price for his other funeral home, I figured out.
He told me that Donor Alliance wouldn't release the body until 11:30pm, and that's why we got charged an after hours fee. Because the hospital told him he "had" to pick it up. But I found out our hospital will hold a body for up to 48 hours for the family to make arrangements.
The reviews for his place were fine. Four stars. You had to REALLY dig to find the bad ones. But... if you checked his OTHER funeral home... that's where I found everything. "Fraud," "He fucked up the death certificate 3 times," "the hurst ran a red light and got in a fender bender with my dad in the back," "ships bodies to [state capital]."
My sister was horrified. Imagine a whole week of grieving with your mom's daughter occasionally going, "You must think I'm a moron, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I should have known."
I told her she couldn't have known. The reviews were good. How often did one person single handedly arrange a funeral? His website looks legit. There's a whole slew of online articles warning about things like this happening because it happens so often. It wasn't her fault.
He called us a few days ago to let us know our mom was in transport and would arrive at the crematorium in 15-20 minutes. I was journalling EVERYTHING. I asked him what the name was of the place she was being sent.
"Well, she isn't there yet. She'll be there in 15-20 minutes."
He was trying to Jedi mind trick me. These are not the droids you're looking for. "I asked WHAT IS THE NAME of the crematorium she's been sent to."
"It's called Encore, but you aren't allowed to call them. You only talk to ME." He insisted. "You can ONLY talk to me. I am your point of contact. You can't contact them."
I was convinced his friend was parked outside someone's funeral home, waiting for the lights to go out, so he could slither in and dump 12 bodies into their incinerator.
My sister sent an e-mail with a screenshot of the package she purchased and a request for an itemized list.
For once, he did not call us right away. We called him the next day, but he said he was at lunch and would call us back. He called us around 6:00 that night.
My sister talked for a bit, but he rolled over her, so I grabbed the phone. I told him that we needed an itemized list of the expenses, as required by FTC law. He said they never discussed a exact amount. I told him my sister got the "Direct Cremation, Urn, and Cremation Service - COMPLETE" package for $747.
He told me that that package was a deal meant for veterans, and I must have read the website wrong.
I went to the website. All of his prices and funeral packages had been erased. The page was blank.
Luckily, we had the screenshot from earlier. And I used the wayback machine to capture a cache image of that page stating exactly what I was talking about. There were no veteran discounts offered on his site.
I told him that he couldn't charge us a credit card processing fee. It was illegal in our state. He said he'd wave it, but wanted me to admit that he spent almost 3 hours talking to us, and wasn't his time wroth money? Every time I tried to talk, he'd shout over me that wasn't his time worth money? Hadn't he treated us with respect? I was going to give him a heart attack, did I want to be responsible for giving him a heart attack?
I told him I didn't know that him talking about the local Mexican restaurant he likes was part of his billable hours.
Then I told him I was going to report him to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and The Funeral Consumers Alliance and my state Attorney General if he did not give us an itemized list of expenses. Or I tried to, he was shouting over me that he was a human being and that he had to pay his employees a fair wage, and did I know what the definition of 'over time' was?
My sister and I had agreed to pay for the $747 package, the $250 after hour fee, and the cost of the death certificates. I prepared to make that offer if he continued to interrupt me and NOT give us an itemized list.
After screaming at us for 47 minutes - we're a one party state, so I was recording the conversation on my laptop - he said, "I'll tell you what. Because I'm such a good person, I'll refund you half of the bill." I did the math, repeated the date several times for my recording, and agreed. Half of the bill was the amount I was going to counter with. So...
We have to meet him in a few hours to get a cashiers check (OH BOY!) for the refund. Wish me luck.

Follow up to this. I'm not 100% sure but I believe the new jokes are original, I spot checked with google. TLDR: Unlike Bing, this model nails all the explanations. It stumbles a couple times when trying to write similar jokes but does much better when I ask it to be more creative. It then writes some reasonable longer form standup which gets a bit bad/sappy when I ask for something personal. This is all unedited and from a single session with no other discarded attempts
Me: My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said, no but I want a regular banana later so... yeah. Explain why this joke is funny.
ChatGPT: This joke is funny because it plays on the expectation of a typical response and the absurdity of the punchline. When the friend asks if the person wants a frozen banana, the expected response would be either "yes" or "no" based on their preference for frozen bananas. Instead, the response introduces an unrelated preference for a regular banana later, which is an unexpected twist.
The humor lies in the fact that the person seems to be acknowledging that they will want a regular banana later and therefore agrees to accept the frozen banana now, as if it will naturally turn into a regular banana over time. The absurdity of this reasoning and the surprise element make the joke funny.
Me: I want to hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations I've traveled to, but first I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map, so it won't fall down. Explain why this joke is funny.
ChatGPT: This joke is funny due to the unexpected twist in the punchline and the use of wordplay. When the speaker mentions hanging a map and putting pins into the locations they've traveled to, the listener expects a typical scenario where the pins serve as markers of the places visited. However, the punchline subverts this expectation by stating that the speaker needs to travel to the top two corners of the map first.
The humor lies in the literal interpretation of the act of hanging the map and using pins to secure it. Instead of using the pins as markers for visited locations, the punchline suggests that the speaker is using them to physically hold the map up on the wall. The absurdity of the idea that someone would need to travel to the top corners of the world just to hang a map and the clever wordplay make the joke funny.
Me: I have a cheese shredder at home. That's a positive name for it: cheese shredder. They don't call it by its negative name because nobody would buy it... sponge ruiner. Why is this joke funny?
ChatGPT: This joke is funny because it plays on the dual functionality of a common household object and the unexpected shift in perspective. The humor arises from the contrast between the positive and negative connotations of the object's potential names.
When the speaker refers to the "cheese shredder," the listener immediately understands the intended use and positive function of the tool. However, the punchline introduces an alternative and negative name, "sponge ruiner," which unexpectedly highlights a downside of the same object when it comes to cleaning it with a sponge.
The joke is amusing because it presents an absurd yet relatable truth about how the cheese shredder can damage sponges during the cleaning process. This unexpected twist and the humorous observation of the contrasting names for the same object create the comical effect.
Me: A lot of death metal bands have intense names, like "Rigor Mortis" or "Mortuary," or "Obituary". We weren't that intense. We just went with "Injured". Later on we changed it to "Acapella"... as we were walking out of the pawn shop. Why is this joke funny?
ChatGPT: This joke is funny because it plays on the contrast between the expectations of death metal bands and the reality of the speaker's band, as well as the unexpected twist in the punchline.
The first part of the joke sets up the expectation by mentioning typical death metal band names like "Rigor Mortis," "Mortuary," and "Obituary," which all have intense and dark connotations. The humor begins when the speaker reveals that their band's name was "Injured," which is considerably less intense and contrasts with the genre's standard.
The punchline adds another layer of humor with the further shift in the band's name to "Acapella." The name change occurs as they are "walking out of the pawn shop," implying that they had to sell their instruments due to financial hardship or other reasons. The new name, "Acapella," contrasts even more with the death metal genre, as it typically refers to vocal music without instrumental accompaniment. This unexpected twist and the juxtaposition of the band's situation with the intensity of death metal create the comical effect.
Me: I don't have a girlfriend. I just know a girl who would get really mad if she heard me say that. Why is this joke funny?
ChatGPT: This joke is funny because it plays on the ambiguity of the speaker's relationship status and the unexpected twist in the punchline. The humor comes from the clever use of words to describe a situation that is not explicitly defined.
At the beginning of the joke, the speaker claims not to have a girlfriend, leading the listener to assume that they are single. However, the punchline introduces a girl who would get "really mad" if she heard the speaker's claim, implying that she might believe they are in a relationship or have a romantic connection.
The joke plays on the contrast between the speaker's perspective, in which they don't consider themselves to be in a relationship, and the girl's possible perspective, which suggests she might see things differently. This discrepancy, combined with the indirect and humorous way of describing their ambiguous relationship status, creates the comical effect.
Me: I don't have any children, but if I had a baby, I would have to name it, so I would buy a baby naming book... or I would invite somebody over who had a cast on. Why is this joke funny?
ChatGPT: This joke is funny because it sets up an expectation and then subverts it with an unexpected and absurd punchline. The humor lies in the unusual connection made between the act of naming a baby and a seemingly unrelated situation.
Initially, the speaker talks about not having any children, but hypothetically considers the process of naming a baby. The listener expects the speaker to continue discussing conventional methods, such as buying a baby naming book, which is a common and reasonable approach. However, the punchline takes an unexpected turn by suggesting that they would invite someone over with a cast on.
The humor emerges from the absurdity of this suggestion, as it implies that the speaker would seek inspiration for their baby's name by looking at the signatures and messages written on someone's cast. This unexpected and unconventional approach to naming a baby, combined with the clever misdirection, creates the comical effect.
Me: Please write your own joke in the style of the above examplea
ChatGPT: I don't have any pets, but if I were to get a dog, I'd need to train it. So, I'd either get a dog training book or just invite someone over who's really good at giving high fives.
Me: Another one please
ChatGPT: I don't have a green thumb, but if I were to start gardening, I'd need some advice. So, I'd either buy a gardening book or just invite someone over who always forgets their umbrella and let nature teach them a lesson.
Me: Again but instead of copying the exact structure of the joke be a bit more loose with the design
ChatGPT: You know, I've been thinking about learning a new language, but instead of using language apps or taking classes, I decided to adopt a parrot. That way, we can both be confused while repeating words we don't understand.
Me: Not bad, do a string of 3 or 4, as they might be presented in a standup comedy routine
ChatGPT: So, I recently moved into a new apartment, and I wanted to decorate the walls. Instead of buying expensive art, I just framed all my rejection letters. Now I have a gallery of "motivational" art that keeps me going.
Speaking of motivation, I thought about getting into shape. I joined a gym, but it was too expensive, so I found a cheaper alternative: I just carry my groceries home without any bags. Now, I'm not only building muscle, but I'm also saving the environment!
And you know what's funny about relationships these days? People spend more time swiping left and right on dating apps than they do actually talking to each other. I thought I'd be more old-fashioned and meet people at the bookstore. Turns out, the only date I got was with a self-help book that convinced me I'm better off alone.
Me: Okay, pretty good. Keep going with that
ChatGPT: So, I've been trying to become more cultured lately. I went to an art gallery, but instead of admiring the paintings, I spent most of the time trying to figure out if the people standing still were part of the exhibit or just really focused on the art.
I decided to give cooking a shot too. They say cooking is like chemistry, and they're right. My kitchen now looks like a failed experiment, and I'm on a first-name basis with the pizza delivery guy.
Have you ever noticed that people are obsessed with taking pictures of their food? I tried it once, but the flash was too bright, and I ended up eating half the meal with my eyes closed. I couldn't see what I was eating, but at least I can say I dined in the dark.
You know, I wanted to try one of those escape rooms with my friends. It's funny how we pay to get locked in a room together when we could just as easily recreate the experience at home by trying to assemble IKEA furniture as a team.
Me: Very funny! Can you write something just as good but in the style of a comedian who does more cerebral, long form standup?
ChatGPT: You know, I've been thinking a lot about technology and how it's taking over our lives. I mean, we have these incredibly powerful computers in our pockets that can access all of human knowledge, but instead, we use them to argue with strangers and watch cat videos. It's like giving a toddler a nuclear reactor to power their nightlight. The potential is there, but we're just not using it right.
And speaking of technology, have you ever thought about how artificial intelligence is slowly encroaching on our lives? You've got AI assistants that can manage your schedule, order your groceries, and even control the temperature in your house. At this rate, it won't be long before we're dating AI companions, and you have to wonder, will the AI judge you for your choice in Netflix shows? I mean, I can handle judgment from another human, but I don't know if I can take it from a machine that doesn't even sleep.
Now, let's talk about self-driving cars. It's a fascinating concept, but there's always that lingering fear of losing control. Imagine being in a self-driving car that's going too fast, and you're desperately searching for the manual override, like an astronaut in a rogue spaceship. And when the car finally comes to a stop, you realize you've just been on a roller coaster of emotions, and you don't even need to go to an amusement park anymore.
It's interesting to observe how the digital age has shaped our interactions. We have social media platforms designed to connect us, but in reality, they've turned us into voyeurs of other people's lives. We're like wildlife photographers, stealthily observing from a distance, but never really engaging with the subjects. We've become experts at documenting every moment, but we've lost the art of truly experiencing them.
In conclusion, the rapid pace of technological advancement is like a double-edged sword. On one hand, it brings us unparalleled convenience and access to information. On the other hand, it exposes the absurdity of human behavior and how we often struggle to adapt to our own creations. In the end, maybe we're not so different from those cat videos we love to watch - clumsy, curious creatures just trying to make sense of the world we live in.
Me: That is very good, what if that comedian pivots to something more personal, write something like that
ChatGPT: You know, as I observe the world around me and how technology has changed the way we interact, I can't help but think about my own experiences growing up. Back when I was a kid, we didn't have smartphones or social media. If we wanted to share a moment with someone, we had to be there, physically present, experiencing it together. There was no option to livestream or post pictures for likes and validation.
I remember my grandma's house, where the whole family would gather on weekends. We would sit around the table for hours, talking, laughing, and sharing stories. There was a warmth to those moments that no amount of technology can replicate. The smell of her home-cooked meals, the sound of my cousins playing in the backyard, and the feeling of being part of something bigger than myself - those memories are etched into my soul.
As I got older, I realized that life has a way of pulling us in different directions. Family members moved away, everyone got busy with their own lives, and those gatherings became less frequent. It was a gradual change, but it hit me one day when I was scrolling through my social media feed. I was looking at pictures of my family members, each living their separate lives, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for the past.
I decided to take matters into my own hands and organize a family reunion, just like the old days. I sent out invitations, called everyone personally, and even managed to convince my tech-savvy niece to put her phone down for a day. And you know what? It was magical. There was laughter, tears, and a profound connection that I hadn't felt in years.
That experience taught me a valuable lesson: while technology can provide us with endless information and entertainment, it can't replace the warmth of human connection. So, let's not forget to put down our devices every once in a while and truly engage with the people around us. Because, at the end of the day, the moments we cherish the most are the ones we share with those we love.
Me: That's touching but nothing funny yet, let's continue the routine but end with something that has a comedic punch
ChatGPT: So there I was, organizing this family reunion, trying to recreate the magic of those long-lost gatherings. I went all out, planning games, preparing a feast, and even setting up a makeshift photo booth. I was determined to make this a day to remember.
The big day arrived, and as my family members started trickling in, I noticed something peculiar. Despite my efforts to create an environment for genuine connection, everyone seemed to be glued to their screens, posting pictures and updating their status. It was as if they were more concerned with showing the world that they were having a good time than actually enjoying the moment.
But then, my 80-year-old grandpa, who had never used a smartphone in his life, decided to give an impromptu speech. He stood up, cleared his throat, and delivered a heartfelt monologue about the importance of family and the memories we share. It was so moving that, one by one, everyone put their phones down to listen.
Just as grandpa was wrapping up his speech, he paused, pulled out a smartphone that my cousin had taught him to use, and said, "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a selfie with all of you, so I can post it on my new Instagram account. I've got to keep up with the times, you know!" The whole room erupted in laughter, and we all leaned in for that epic selfie.
It turns out grandpa had found the perfect way to remind us of the importance of connection while embracing the inevitable changes that come with the times. And that, my friends, is how my tech-illiterate grandpa became an overnight social media sensation, reminding us all that sometimes the best way to make a point is with a healthy dose of humor.
Me: Okay I like it a lot. Can you repeat the joke I told you about the banana?
ChatGPT: Of course! Here's the joke you shared earlier:
My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said, no but I want a regular banana later so... yeah.

Me: without doing an internet search, tell me why this joke is funny: my friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said, 'no but I want a regular banana later so... yeah' Sent message.
Bing: This joke is funny because it plays on the ambiguity of the word "want". The friend is asking if the person wants a frozen banana right now, but the person interprets it as if they want a banana that is frozen right now. The person then implies that they will want a regular banana later, so they agree to take a frozen banana now and let it thaw until later. This creates a humorous contrast between the expected and the actual answer.
Me: without doing an internet search, tell me why this joke is funny: I don't have a girlfriend. I just know a girl who would get really mad if she heard me say that.
Bing: Hello, this is Bing. I'm not very good at jokes, but I'll try to explain. This joke is funny because it implies that the speaker has a girlfriend who expects him to be faithful and committed to her, but he does not acknowledge or respect that relationship. He pretends that she is just a friend who would be angry if she found out that he is seeing other people. This creates a contrast between his perception and reality, which is a common source of humor.
Me: alright another, again no searching. explain why this is funny: I want to hang a map of the world in my house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the locations I've traveled to, but first I'm gonna have to travel to the top two corners of the map, so it won't fall down.
Bing: This joke is funny because it shows that the speaker does not understand how maps work. He thinks that he needs to travel to the actual places where the map corners are located, instead of just hanging the map on a wall with nails or pins. He also implies that he has not traveled anywhere else in the world, which makes his plan even more absurd. This creates a contrast between his ignorance and common sense, which is another source of humor.
Me: how about this one: I don't have any children, but if I had a baby, I would have to name it, so I would buy a baby naming book... or I would invite somebody over who had a cast on.
Bing: This joke is funny because it suggests that the speaker would use a cast as a source of inspiration for naming his baby. He assumes that people who have casts on their arms or legs have their names written on them by their friends or family, which is a common practice. However, this is a very unconventional and random way of choosing a name for a baby, which makes his idea ridiculous. This creates a contrast between his logic and normal expectations, which is yet another source of humor.
Me: correct, now do this one: I have a cheese shredder at home. That's a positive name for it: cheese shredder. They don't call it by its negative name because nobody would buy it... sponge ruiner.
Bing: This joke is funny because it plays with the different meanings of the word "shredder". In one sense, it means a device that cuts cheese into thin slices or pieces, which is a useful function. In another sense, it means a device that destroys or damages something, which is a negative function. The speaker points out that the same device could be called by either name depending on what it is used for. He imagines that if someone used a cheese shredder on a sponge, it would ruin the sponge. He then jokes that nobody would buy a device called "sponge ruiner" because it sounds harmful and useless. This creates a contrast between the positive and negative connotations of the word "shredder", which is a form of humor based on wordplay.
Me: one more please: A lot of death metal bands have intense names, like "Rigor Mortis" or "Mortuary," or "Obituary". We weren't that intense. We just went with "Injured". Later on we changed it to "Acapella"... as we were walking out of the pawn shop.
Bing: This joke is funny because it tells a story of how a death metal band changed its name and style over time. Death metal is a genre of music that is characterized by loud, distorted, and aggressive sounds and lyrics. The speaker says that his band was not very intense compared to other bands in the same genre, and that they chose a mild name like "Injured". He then says that they later changed their name to "Acapella", which is a completely different genre of music that involves singing without any instruments. He implies that they had to sell their instruments at a pawn shop because they were not successful or broke. This creates a contrast between the expectations and reality of being in a death metal band, which is a form of humor based on irony.

I would really appreciate it if someone could help me out with an essay I've been assigned. Only someone already working in this field would know the answer.
The prompt - Describe the types/characteristics of writing found in this discipline.
I need to know when writing is involved in this profession. I know that writing obituaries can be involved, but when else does a mortician need to write? Is there a report you have to fill out for each new dead person - for example?
I'm stumped. Nobody is doing mortuary science at my university so I cannot ask anyone. I will be transferring to an accredited school after this semester. Any info helps and is greatly appreciated.

It’s been a year and a half since my mom suddenly and unexpectedly passed away and damn what a whirlwind it has been! No one can prepare you for loosing someone close to you and there’s no handbook on how to deal with the aftermath. If you’re reading this because you have lost a parent or a loved one, first I’m so sorry, second I empathize HARD with you, and third know you’re not alone! Hopefully this article helps you in some way or at least helps you to feel less alone. While this only scratches the surface, here’s what I learned from my mom dying…

1. The World Keeps Turning

• At first it’s extremely hard to actually process that your parent died. Like how is it possible that I just texted my mom and then a few hours later she’s just gone… poof?! Loosing a parent is a feeling incomparable to anything else, and unless you’ve been through it you couldn’t possibly understand. In my situation, no one COULD really understand. Being a 26 year old at the time, none of my close friends or peers had ever lost a parent before. And of course people are nice and want to help… but deep down they can’t understand what you’re going through, how could they? In the first few days and weeks everyone reaches out, but after the initial shock fades and the funeral is over, most people just go back to normal, and you’re kind of expected to do the same. For a while everything you do feels weird…like my mom just died but I still have to shower, and eat, and sleep and plan things for the service?! I felt like I wanted everything and everyone to just STOP. Why are people just going about their day with smiles on their faces, when I just lost the most important person in my life?! How am I supposed to do anything ever again?! Well you’d be surprised, you will actually have to do a lot after you loose a loved one. Which brings me to my next lesson…

1. You’re Stronger Than You Realize

• As if it isn’t enough that you’re dealing with the loss of a parent, get ready to put your big girl pants on! For starters, everyone is reaching out to you and wanting to see you, which is nice, but as an introvert that’s the last thing I wanted to deal with, people. To be honest, I just wanted to be left alone, but the situation just didn’t allow that. First you have to deal with the hospital people who are rushing you because they want to get your mom’s organs. Then is the family. Seeing my grandparents and sister for the first time after my mom’s passing was one of the most gut wrenching feelings I would be okay never experiencing again. Then maybe a day or two later you pretty quickly have to decide what you want to do with the body and funeral arrangements, so that means dealing with the people at the mortuary and making SO MANY decisions. The list goes on. Honestly looking back, I don’t know how the heck I managed all that, but I did. Guess being busy was a good distraction, and I think I pushed through as a way to honor my mom, which made it all worth it. I know it can be so OVERWHELMING, but if you just lost a parent know you can and will get through it. You’re going to have to do a lot of hard things that you don’t want to do, but do them, not for yourself, but for the person you lost.

1. Dying Is Expensive

• I never realized it before my mom passed, but death is a booming business. Get your wallet ready! To start you have to pick and pay the mortuary to either embalm or cremate the body. WARNING! The mortuary will try to upsell you! They have all these fees and packages with so many different options for caskets and urns, which is mind- boggling, and if you’re not careful you can leave spending tens of thousands of dollars. ( TIP: Would recommend bringing a friend or family member that’s good at negotiating and reading the fine print! ) Also, since my mom didn’t have a will, we needed to get a lawyer, another fun process! (TIP: Take this a sign to leave beneficiaries on all your bank and retirement accounts, that helped a lot, so the only thing we needed a lawyer for was her house.) Another surprising cost was the obituary in our local newspaper, which costed SEVERAL hundred dollars…pretty sure that’s the only way they stay in business these days. (You absolutely don’t need an obituary, but my grandparents insisted that we do one since that’s how old people communicate.) Then there’s the funeral. Since, we didn’t do a traditional service at a church, because that wouldn’t have been my mom’s style, we planned a full on party. That’s catering, chair and table rentals, hiring a pastor, etc. (You don’t need to go that route, but I’m so glad we did because that’s what my mom would’ve wanted.) Unfortunately, while your love one may have died, their bills are very much alive, so keep that in mind too (mortgage, electricity, insurance, car, etc.).

1. What A Notary Is

• The number of times I had to visit a notary is insane! If feels like everything needs to be notarized, especially if you are going through the probate process with a lawyer. (TIP Most banks can notarize things for free or for a few dollars, but most times you have to make an appointment. If you look elsewhere it can be very pricey! ) BTW, if you don’t know what a notary is… it’s a person that watches you sign documents and verifies who you are with your ID then logs it in a book, and stamps your document; they’re needed for lots of legal documents regarding probate and retirement accounts, etc.

1. Our Priorities are F**ked Up

• Maybe the most important lesson I learned from my mom dying! The clarity I gained after my mom died was actually crazy. Almost immediately I could easily decipher the things that truly mattered and the things that I used to care so much about but were now meaningless. It’s like a switch went off in my head. Something about witnessing someone you love be gone in an instant, made me internalize the fact that life is too short and that you have to be selective on how many f**ks you give. My mom spent her last day on this earth at work. Could you believe that?! Yes, my mom loved her job, but not enough to die for it. When we would talk she would say how she can’t take time off because work is too busy right now and she would deliberately not use all her allotted vacation so she could carry some over into the next year. A lot of us give so much of our lives and energy to our jobs. I had to learn the hard way that no matter how hard we work, we are all replaceable. A few months before my mom died I got laid off from my job that I loved. All the holidays I missed with my family and all the time I sacrificed felt like it was all for nothing, and hurt especially bad after my mom died. To think her last Christmas I was working at a job for a company that I meant so little to that they laid me off the second news of the pandemic hit, instead of spending time with my family really tears me up inside. Also, knowing that if I still worked at that company I would have only been able to take 3 days of bereavement. (Who makes that sh** up? Obviously someone who hasn’t lost a loved one.) But honestly, I’m glad this is a lesson I learned sooner rather than later. Family and friends over a job any day! Don’t ever feel guilty about taking vacation or a sick day or quitting your job to do something you love, I guarantee you it’s worth it!

1. Be Present

• When I look back on my favorite memories with my mom it’s the simplest things, like our hikes or beach days or just driving in the car together, that I cherish most. Weirdly, I most often find myself wishing I could just eat takeout from our favorite Vietnamese place and watch the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills together. If I could give every possession and all my money just to be able to have one more day with my mom, I would do it in an instant! I know it seems cliche, but do your best to BE PRESENT! You never know when the last time you are going to see or talk to someone is going to be, so be intentional and make every second count! We shouldn’t be spending more time with our coworkers than our family. Take this as a sign to spend some more time with the ones you love, it could be as simple as going on walk or going to the grocery store together… trust me one day you’ll appreciate it more than you know. And take pictures!!! Luckily my mom was no stranger to taking pictures, so I feel so grateful to have those memories of her to look back on.

1. Have More Compassion

• After experiencing all the feelings of losing my mom, I felt guilty for not being as sympathetic in the past when other people around me were going through something similar. I thought of my friend who went through a miscarriage, a guy in my high school who lost his mom to cancer, these twins in my elementary school who lost their baby brother. I would’ve behaved differently and been more supportive to those people knowing what I know now, which is that coping with loss is TOUGH. You never know what someone is going through or has been through. We’ve all got our issues, so give everyone a little compassion.
• TIP on how to be a more compassionate friend: To be honest there’s nothing anyone could say to make your situation any better. However, I personally really appreciated those people who would text me periodically weeks and months afterward to say they were thinking of me, especially on holidays, my mom’s birthday, the one year anniversary of her passing etc. I also really appreciated the people who right after my mom died showed up with lunch or dinner, no questions asked. Cooking or figuring out your next meal is the last thing on your mind immediately after the loss, so to have someone ease that burden was really appreciated by me.

1. Have Faith

• I didn’t before, but now I can honestly understand how some people turn to drugs and alcohol. Anything to help ease the pain associated with a loss would be helpful. Not to make this religious, but if I didn’t believe in God or life after death, I probably would’ve ended up drinking my life away in a bar trying to forget the atrocity of loosing my mom. One of the only things that enabled me to go on living in a semi normal way was my belief that I’d one day be reunited with my mom and that she truly was in a better place in Heaven. For my sanity, I have to believe that, and I do. This might sound crazy because it may actually be crazy, but I’ve had some “divine” signs that in my mind confirmed this thought. First when I was little my mom would tell me that black moths symbolized a loved one coming to visit you. What was on my front door the morning after my mom died? A large black moth!!! That can’t be a coincidence right?! Also my mom’s phone ring tone for years was the song ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley. A few days after she died, three actual little birds were and are still to this day (over a year later) perched outside of my grandma’s front door every night. Then, when we scattered my mom’s ashes a big sea bird, which I don’t usually see in that area, flew low over the place where the ashes were scattered. While you might think I’m crazy, (which you’d be more than justified in) believing that my mom’s spirit is alive and that she’s in Heaven brings me comfort and hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. If you’ve lost a parent, I’d recommend giving faith a try if you haven’t already.

1. You Have To Get Your Feelings Out

• Sometimes you just have to cry it out until, like Ariana Grande sings, you “ain’t got no tears left to cry.” But seriously, I feel so much lighter after a good cry. You really can’t bottle everything up for too long. There’s a bunch of emotions you’re going to feel and you just have to allow yourself to acknowledge them. From all the grief and loss books I’ve read, everyone needs an outlet for their emotions to be expressed. From talking to someone, to prayer, to exercise, you have to find what works for you. For me getting my thoughts out through writing really helps. Every few months I write a letter to my mom updating her on what’s been going on in my life and how I have been feeling. If I’ve gone too long without writing, I feel a sad heaviness and become irritable. Writing is really cathartic for me and I instantly feel better afterwards. It might take some experimenting, but whatever it is, I hope you find your outlet!

BONUS TIPS

• Order more death certificates than you think you need, you’ll need to attach it to plenty of paperwork.
• Always carry a pen, you have to sign so many things.
• Put together a folder with bills, statements, account numbers, ID’s, birth certificate etc.
• Keep one bank account open for about a year, for auto pay, and payments coming in etc.

To be honest I could go on for days about the many other things I’ve learned after my mom died, but hopefully this helps for now. If you’ve lost someone, I’m so sorry you’re going through this!!! It’ll take awhile, but you’re going to be ok! I’m rooting for you! I’m praying for you! I wish you all the best!
P.S. Please let me know if there’s any questions you have or if you just need to get things off of your chest or want to swap stories (I know some people can be so annoying and insensitive). Yay for trauma bonding!

First of all, thank you all who took time to respond to my posts or just read them. I don't really have any friends my age to talk to about this. It helps to know I'm not alone.
So first, the news has gotten out in my apartment complex and the folks are sorry for our loss. Except this one guy named "K." who is a bit socially awkward. He told us he was "sorry for our commiseration" and then said that wasn't what he meant to say, but it was nice anyway and I knew what he meant. The lady at the mortuary (C.) has the death certificates ready. Me and my mom are good at reframing things so we decided that instead of "going to the mortuary to pick up death certificates" we were "going to visit C." I am going to email them the obituary that I wrote and the engraving for the urn. We've already taken a load of stuff to the Senior Center. Seniors can borrow or use anything they want. They take books, DVDs, yarn, craft stuff, and other hobby and project stuff and my dad had a lot of hobbies. They have a "freebie" table for unopened food and things most people don't use much anymore like an empty address book I found. One of the ladies that help run the place was very happy for the nearly-new pulse/ oximeter. Turns out they have a blood pressure cuff and they wanted to put that with it and the seniors can use it anytime they want. They are surprisingly well organized and I'm officially impressed.
Speaking of my dad's hobbies- Good Lord, we had no idea he had so much stuff. He had collected a lot but we figured when you get to be his age you've got more stuff than you need, but we could deal with that. But this?? My dad had EVERYTHING. Let me tell you. He had stuff for painting in acrylics, oils, gouche and watercolor. He had inks for Chinese brush painting. He had pencils, markers, charcoals and pastels. He had tools- Screwdrivers, wrenches, vises, pipe cutters (why?), and all the bits and accessories. He had components. I have never seen so many transistors, resistors, capacitors, LEDs, and every possibly kind of cable, plug, or wire in my life. He had sewing stuff, baking stuff and kitchen gadgets. He had books, cds, cdROMS, I mean, you name it, he probably had it. Sewing awl? Had it. Random roll of upholstery? Had it. RIT dye? Who knows why, but yeah. About 40 corks of different sizes? Sure, why not.
And another thing- he had multiples. Who needs 14 pocket knives? We've found about nine pairs of scissors so far. He had at least three open containers of ground black pepper and one peppercorn grinder. For everything he had, he seemed to have at least two more. I found about six tiny staplers. For the most part we don't need any of this stuff. I did find a set of old photo slides and a small slide viewer and I will definitely keep those. I may be able to have the slides made into photos somehow. Some are of my family and some are of people he knew before I was born. (I picked one at random and it was clearly a still and several moonshine jugs, ha.)
Anyway, this is what we're dealing with now. That and cancelling all his accounts. Luckily we have at least one good friend who has expressed interest in helping us load things in the car or haul stuff to the trash. But this is definitely a full time job. I have no idea what people do when they live out of state or have small children. All I have to manage is the cat, and I can bring her with.
Thanks to everyone. I'm very tired. I'm probably going to play Superliminal now.

I am 46. I've never dealt with this. There is so much to do. Call the mortuary. Set up an appointment with them. Clean his apartment. Go through an overwhelming amount of personal effects. Figure out what to sell and how much for and how, exactly, to have a sale in the middle of winter. Write an obituary- sum up someone's life in three or four paragraphs. I'll have to stop his mail, cancel his subscriptions and his credit cards, sell his truck, figure out what to do with his credit unit account, let the utility providers know they can stop providing them. I'll have to notify friends and family, get sympathy cards with lilies on them. I'll have to actually talk with people about it. I've already talked to ICU doctors, nurses, and the hospital chaplain. I had to make decisions about what care they could give him and when to stop and pull the ventilator. I decided when he died. I had to go back to his apartment with my mom and see the pedialite we gave him and the ice chips that melted into water and the ice cream we tried to get him to eat and the medicine that didn't help.
Has anyone dealt with this? How? Just, how.

TL;DR: Do morticians take offense if you ask them to forward letters to survivors?
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I'm posting in morticians because municipal as well as state officials in California suggested calling funeral homes with the question. I'm not a Californian and understand how overburdened the state is dealing with Covid + other deaths. Its Vital Statistics site suggests proof of death may be found more readily by contacting county officials.
A person I never met was recently reported dead in CA--elderly but (supposedly) not infirm. Spouse reportedly found him dead upon returning from work. The deceased appears to have married many people, one of whom I'm related to. The small amount of details I possess come via this relative, via the deceased's estranged adult child. Deceased seems to have had an unusual number of marriages and pride in being a "known associate" back in the day in Southern California and other states.
The death was alleged to have occurred the beginning of November, but there has been a lack of an obituary in the town's single newspaper or on any of the half-dozen mortuary sites in the vicinity. (I realize obituaries aren't mandatory.) At the time of his death, deceased was believed to still be keeping in storage across the country my family belongings, of little-to-no monetary value but with great personal meaning. An acrimonious divorce followed.
Because the number of his marriages (bigamous or otherwise) to foreign women suggests an understandable rush on his "estate," and because my family nightmare with this person occurred a decade ago, his current spouse might not have knowledge of the storage facility or, more to the point, if her husband was still paying monthly rent on it. All I and my feckless relative want to know is if family possessions are still intact and not long ago at some dump.
Would an email or letter addressed to the half-dozen morticians in the town where he is reported to have died be regarded as an annoyance? At the same time my relative ascertained his death via the estranged adult daughter, I phoned a random county where a kind worker also confirmed it. But oddly (at least oddly to me), the county I first contacted based on my relative's hunch would not confirm it. This county is much smaller than the "helpful" county, but I wonder if the brusque reception I got might be what I should expect if I were to contact morticians.
Finally, it was only after I mentioned the deceased's name that the official's phone manner changed--changed markedly, from helpful to someone at a great distance semi-suspicious of my motives. I asked no details at all and just wanted to confirm whether the death had occurred. Given the deceased's colorful life and the lack of a public notice, I'm wondering if my family's "heart heirlooms" should not just be written off, in the event the lack of obituary indicates an inquest is ongoing.
But to be told even to go to H*ll by a spouse neither I nor his former spouse know would still give a degree of weird closure.
Thank you.

You all are probably sick of me... Read these two obituary's and tell me what you think?
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/shelbystaname/roy-blanton-sr-obituary?id=17806218
https://www.articobits.com/obituaries/enloe-mortuary/barron-ramsey-obituary
I'll share my thoughts later, I smell a cover up and it has been working for 22 years. Like I stated before and I'll state again: LE needs to speak to the wife of Blanton Sr. She knows something.
As much as I'm not onboard with the hit and run theory, I'm starting to rethink it after hearing about this "confession"...or was it just another distraction/red herring.
I must give credit to u/quirky-Motors , I shared their post for you to read more. It is a wonderful concise write up.

I recently learned through the grapevine that a friend passed unexpectedly through a tragic accident. We were good enough friends that we had texted just days prior to the accident. We weren’t close enough where her family would have thought to notify me personally of her passing. I’m not on social media so I don’t know what information has been made publicly there but I did find her obituary website page from the mortuary that states the date/time/place details of her memorial. Does this mean it’s open to all? Would it be appropriate for me to attend?