Chad Lewis

Singular Death

Eau Claire Gazette | Sept. 3, 1897

A sudden and singular death occurred Monday. Mrs. Catherine Welch, who resides at 716 Second avenue, suddenly dropped dead beside the casket of Mrs. Walker, 438 Hudson street, who died Saturday. She was aiding Mr. Williams, the undertaker, in preparing Mrs. Walker’s remains for interment. Without any previous symptoms of illness she suddenly sank to the floor. She was at once removed to another room and an examination revealed the fact that she was dead. Mrs. Welch was a widow and for some time been nursing Mr. and Mrs. Walker. She leaves no children. The funeral was held Thursday Rev. G. W. Case conducted the ceremony. Mrs. Welch has been a resident of Eau Claire for many years and was well and favorably known to many.

Chad's Take: Death has a bizarre sense of irony

I have spent countless hours digging through old obituaries and scouring over dusty death records only to discover that the Grim Reaper has a truly odd sense of humor. While Mrs. Welch dropped dead as she was tending to a dead friend, my files are jammed full of stories involving other people who similarly shuffle off this mortal coil in the most ironic manner.

I have hundreds of cases where people have met their fate in places normally associated with death: cemeteries, funerals, and wakes – but even more bizarre are the stories I call “good news/bad news stories.” I call these good news cases because they involve people who had lost the ability to see, hear, walk or talk, who then experience a spontaneous return of their lost functions. The bad news part of the story is that death usually followed closely behind the unexplained healing. The good news is that you are cured, the bad news is that you will probably die in short order.

To me, the most fascinating (and disturbing) cases are of those who have simply engaged in a discussion about death only to drop dead right on the spot mid-sentence. It appears the mere mention of death is enough to alert The Reaper to your presence, which is why I am ending this paragraph right now.

Keep an eye out ...