A wry obituary printed in an n newspaper has left thousands of people in fits of laughter around the world making it as far as the United Kingdom.
A death notice for Jennifer Ann Kelly, 88, was shared in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday after she died from pneumonia while in palliative care on October 28.
Ms Kelly was described as a ‘wild and wayward mother’ with several entertaining details emerging including that she ‘grew great dope’.
Her son Sean, 61, revealed it was only the tip of the iceberg telling Daily Mail about a family dinner where she spiked the food and got everyone high.
‘She believed that exposing youth to religion was a form of child abuse,’ the obituary read.
‘It was impossible to watch the news in her presence due to her vocal outrage at the way the country is run. She held John Howard in particular contempt.
‘Mum grew great dope, never wanted to leave a party, and gave up champagne or gin frequently, but never simultaneously.
‘Her rare attempts at ‘responsible’ parenting or grand-parenting were always touching. News on what’s next to follow. Bring a shovel.’
The obituary has spread across social media like wildfire with complete strangers praising the tongue-in-cheek tone.
Sean, who is a successful lawyer in Sydney, added his mother had lived her life to her own beat, with relaxed parenting and an emphasis on kindness and that both his parents thought ‘very much outside the square’.
He said his care-free mother had a laid-back approach to raising himself and Chris, but made sure they followed two strict edicts.
‘The things that we would have got in trouble for were blatant dishonesty, or any form of violence, or anything nasty,’ he said.
‘But they weren’t fussy, if we got caught with a bit of pot or anything like that, that wasn’t the thing.’
Sean said his mother never believed she could spend her whole life directing what her children did, not for a lack of care.
‘She used to find my occasional notes when I’d wag school and my practice notes and things like that,’ he said.
‘She’d correct the spelling. She was pretty funny.’
Sean remembered the day his father’s family came to visit their home. Ms Kelly adjusted her stuffing recipe before the meal.
‘She once spiked the turkey with dope and got all of my father’s elderly relatives stoned out of their brains,’ he said.
‘We were kids, we didn’t like the stuffing, so they steered us clear of it. But my dad was in on it and … unbeknownst to them they all got stoned out of their brain, and we ended up having to play tubular bells at about 11.
‘I can remember sitting outside with my brother thinking, ‘when are these people gonna go?’. The outrageous thing is that they never knew. We never told them.
Farewell Jennie Kelly.
Born 15 May 1936.
Our wild and wayward mother died on28 October 2024.
She refused to say ‘passed.’
We spend most of our lives compensating for our upbringing said Jennie.
She believed that exposing youth to religion was a form of child abuse.
It was impossible to watch the news in her presence due to her vocal outrage at the way the country is run.
She held John Howard in particular contempt.
Mum grew great dope, never wanted to leave a party and gave up champagne or gin frequently, but never simultaneously.
Her rare attempts at ‘responsible’ parenting or grandparenting were always touching. She said Sean was a much better driver than Chris.
News on what’s next to follow.Bring a shovel.
‘They kept asking for more stuffing, they had no idea they were all stoned,’ Mr Kelly said, laughing.
Sean said it was difficult to watch his mother die, but Ms Kelly’s livelihood had deteriorated over time due to illness.
‘It was a mercy in the end, really, because quality of life was no longer there, and her cognition had been very bad,’ he said.
‘But it was pretty, pretty sad seeing mum die, it will be for a while,’ he told.
Ms Kelly is survived by Sean and Chris Kelly, and Sean’s adult children, Jack, Sophie and Daniel.
Online those who read the obituary said they wish they’d met the ‘awesome’ mother.
‘I have no idea who this recently-passed person was,’ one wrote on Facebook.
‘But this obituary is so wonderfully cool that I dearly wish I had actually had the chance to know this Jennifer.
‘She sounds like she was absolutely awesome,’ one man wrote online.
‘I wish I knew Jennie, she sounds amazing. Rest in Paradise,’ one woman wrote on the deaths notice board.
‘Your mum sounds phenomenal. The amazing tribute has reached thousands of people in the UK,’ another said.
‘Clearly Jenny lived until she died.’