I am working on a project and for it I need a couple of true-to-life, humorous (or just bizarre) tales about Death in the family.

Of course any family death is almost always a hardship in some manner, but, quite often, something bizarre or funny happens, as if it’s there to relieve the tension... For example, and this isn’t the best example exactly, but...when my father died, the hearse got a flat...and the driver couldn’t change it on his own, so, I had to go out and help change the flat on the side of expressway, with 20 cars parked along the side waiting for us. My grandmother, rightfully sad on this day but always melodramatic, muttered “Ohh, he doesn’t want to go, he doesn’t want to go,” to which my mother responded quietly “Trust me, he wants to go, he just didn’t like the tires they were taking him on. Picky to the last.”

But I'm looking for things that are more of a story, really -- not just one funny moment in a bad day.

PLEASE NOTE: While all names will be changed, the story must be YOUR story (not your friend’s, not a “I heard this story once somewhere...”) told from your point of view. Feel free to be opinionated, funny, heck, impersonate your family members if it makes sense to. Which reminds me: If you’re in NY (I’m posting this in several cities), we can meet-up if you like (coffee and a snack is on me), otherwise I can call you (or you me) after we discuss via e-mail and I’ll record your story. (another option is to record it yourself and e-mail me an MP3 or WAV file). Writing it down and e-mailing it won’t work for this project as I need to portray you the same way you portray the story. And I may need to contact you with questions.

Your age, gender, location, background -- all integral but not important in terms of choosing stories. If you know someone ELSE who’s got a great story, please forward this to them.

There is no compensation, save for the fact that, should I get this produced, you and several friends/family will be invited to see the show for free. If you’re comfortable doing so, please include at least your first name and, again, only if comfy, a phone number -- that way, if I have any questions, or need something clarified, I can ask you.

Feel free to e-mail first w/questions. THANK YOU!

e-mail: DeathProject1 AT gmail

• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests