An obituary published in Saturday’s Connecticut Post claimed 83-year-old Norma R. Brewer, of Fairfield, died due to hypothermia after her dog ate her socks and boots at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. According to Brewer’s family, this was just a continuation of her pranks from the afterlife. The mother and grandmother who recently died from a stroke wrote her own obituary. Photo: Contributed Photo
An obituary published in Saturday’s Connecticut Post, claiming the cause of an 83-year-old Fairfield woman’s death was hypothermia after her dog ate her socks and boots at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, was just a continuation of her pranks from the afterlife.
According to the obituary, Norma R. Brewer died while attempting to climb the 19,341-foot mountain, Africa’s tallest peak.
Brewer, the death notice read, never realized her life goal of reaching the summit, but made it to the base camp where she died in the company of her daughter, her cats and dog “Mia,” which all joined the trek at the last minute.
“There is suspicion that Mrs. Brewer died from hypothermia, after Mia ate Mrs. Brewer’s warm winter boots and socks,” read the death notice.
“It was just typical mom,” Donna Brewer, Norma’s daughter, said with a chuckle Saturday. “She always had stories, many of which were not true, but thought were funny.”
Donna Brewer said her mother recently died from a stroke and had been wheelchair-bound for more than a year.
“People who don’t know my mother are bemused,” said Donna Brewer.
“People who know my mother are laughing and saying, `Yeah, that’s Norma.’ ”
Donna said she has received all sorts of phone calls and inquiries regarding the bizarre introduction to her mother’s death notice, including from her partners at work.
She confirmed that the rest of the death notice is correct, including Norma Brewer being the daughter of W. Raymond Flicker, former president and publisher of the Bridgeport Post, Telegram and Sunday Post (now known as the Connecticut Post).
Funeral services for Norma Brewer, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fairfield. Friends may greet the family from 9-10 a.m. in the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post Road, in Fairfield.
Kevin Lesko, the funeral director, also said the death notice was written by Norma Brewer.
Still there were questions why she made up the cause of her death and why she did it.
Or, was the death notice one last foray into the news, or a test of the fact-checking process?
“Possibly,” said Raymond Brewer, Norma’s son. “It more had more to do with the way she viewed the world. While life is serious, it shouldn’t be taken all that serious.”
Raymond said her mother often recalled fond memories of spending time with her father as they watched newspapers come off the printing press in Bridgeport.
In November 2005, Norma Brewer, nearly died in a fire at her Salt Meadow Road condominium. Fairfield Fire Lt. Brad Sherman said Brewer was located using thermal imaging equipment, and began to regain consciousness once she was carried outside.
“But she wasn’t breathing sufficiently to sustain life even after we did CPR and pushed air into her lungs, so we started (giving her) oxygen. At that point, she became conscious,” the lieutenant said at the time.
Once she became conscious, “she asked about her cat,” Sherman said.
Sadly, her cat died in the blaze.
In her obituary, it would seem odd that another beloved pet would play a role in her demise.
“She was tough to kill,” said Raymond Brewer.
Ultimately, her children said they just honored their mother’s wishes.
“It was her way of having one last joke with the world,” said Raymond Brewer.
The death notice can be viewed at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ctpost/obituary.
Source : ctpost
