Family writes a humorous first-person obituary to honor their joyful and lively mother

A woman named Sybil Marie Hicks from Baysville, Ontario passed away on February 2, 2023, at the age of 81. However, when she died, her children realized that any obituary would not do justice to celebrate the life of their mother. For years, their mother had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and the person they once knew her to be—quick-witted and outspoken—had been obscured by the disease. The siblings decided to write a humorous first-person obituary in memory of their mother. The second oldest of Sybil's five children, Brian Hicks, told CBC, "We just thought that when she passed, we really didn't want to have this sort of boilerplate template obituary. We wanted to do something that kind of celebrated who she was and to give us an opportunity to basically have one last conversation with her and have some laughs at the same time."

He and his sisters, Barbara and Brenda, wrote the obituary, which was both amusing and heartwarming. "Mom was never boring," Hicks' daughter, Barb Drummond, told Yahoo Lifestyle. "Mom lived large. She would do anything for anyone. It was rare for Mom not to have a smile on her face. She was always ready for a laugh." The obituary, which was published in the Hamilton Spectator and on Reynold's Funeral Home website, begins with a dig at Hicks' husband, Ron. It reads, "It hurts me to admit it, but I, Mrs. Ron Hicks from Baysville, have passed away. I leave behind my loving husband, Ron Hicks, whom I often affectionately referred to as a 'Horse's Ass.'"

While roasting her children, the first-person text continues, "I also left behind my children whom I tolerated over the years; Bob (with Carol) my oldest son and also my favorite. Brian (with Ginette) who was the Oreo cookie favorite, Brenda AKA 'Hazel' would run to clean the bathrooms when she heard the company was coming. Barbara (with Gordon) the ever Miss Perfect and finally Baby Bruce who wouldn't eat homemade turkey soup because he didn't want to be alert looking for bones while he ate."

While talking about her qualifications and endeavors, the obituary reads, "I graduated from Waterdown High School with honors while wearing my shiny bright saddle shoes. I later graduated from Hamilton General Hospital School Nursing class of 1957B - Best Class ever! In 1972 Ron and I loaded the car with the 5-B's and headed north to run a school bus company for over 20 years in Baysville, Ontario. I was an active horticulturist, a member of the Eastern Star and a member of the Lion's Club in Baysville."

The obituary concludes with a fantastic zinger, "I finally have the smoking hot body I have always wanted having been cremated. Please come say goodbye and celebrate my wonderful life with my husband and his special friend Dorothy who is now lovingly taking care of my horse's ass. For those of you who are wondering who assisted me in writing this, it wasn't my husband, it wasn't my oldest, nor was it my youngest. Thank you all for sharing my life with me. I am off to swim to the buoy and back. Love, Sybil."