By Steve Frenzl (叠耻蝉鈥�70)
(Self-published, 263 pages; 2018)
Steve Frenzl鈥檚 (叠耻蝉鈥�70) two-volume fictionalized memoir, titled 鈥淐offee & Donuts with the Dearly Departed鈥� tells the story of Steve鈥檚 adventures working as an apprentice at Boulder鈥檚 Howe Mortuary in the late 1960s.
If the needy young man looking for work to get through college in the late 1960s had known what he was getting into before accepting a job as a mortuary nightman, it鈥檚 safe to say there would be no book about it now. But he didn鈥檛鈥� thus began a two-year adventure that, for Steve, gave whole new meaning to 鈥渢he dead of night鈥� and produced a uniquely revealing account of life (and death) as a mortician鈥檚 apprentice.
Voiced in the vernacular of a callow farm kid (where decomposing cows and butchered chickens provided practical pre-people training), his memories and musings cover most aspects of the death-care profession, including jaw-dropping (actually, locking) details of the embalming process, oh-my-God coroner鈥檚 cases, and even some dab-your-eyes love stories. In fact, his experiences tease all the senses, plus take readers鈥� heads and hearts on a crazy roller coaster ride 鈥� all while tempering normally ghastly tales with humor. (Well鈥� mostly.) And that鈥檚 thanks to the boss鈥檚 ever rosy reminders: 鈥淒on鈥檛 forget鈥� the first three letters in 鈥榝uneral鈥� are F-U-N.鈥�
In addition to his book, Steve published the 鈥淟ife-Alone Planner,鈥� a free, digital workbook to help survivors prepare for life without their loved ones.