This story is about a family.

Jean Stevens at 91 years old lived with her husband James and her twin sister June in Wialesing, Pennsylvania.

Wialesing is a small town, population 565.

Jean and James were married in 1942.

Now, Jean loved her husband, but in many ways she was closer to her twin sister.

Even all the years the women lived apart, they talked on the phone and wrote each other

constantly. They were so close they even married a pair of brothers.

Now, Jean, June, and James all lived together in a house down a rural road in Wyallessing.

Jean was the caretaker of the group.

Her husband spent most of his time on the couch and the garage,

her sister lived in the spare room. There was no problem with this. the Someone had accused Jean of violating health codes and misdemeanor abuse.

Not elder abuse, abuse of a corpse.

You see, James, her husband, and June, her twin sister, were both dead.

James for 10 years, June for a year.

And Jean, 91 year old still very alive, Jean, she wasn't going to give them up without a fight. Welcome to Death in the Afternoon, a new podcast about all things mortal from the Order of

the Good death.

Over the next eight episodes we'll explore the reality of death, the funeral industry, and

what we do with our dead.

We're going to introduce you to stories you've never heard before, as well as try to convince

you to let go of myths you've heard again and again.

I'm Caitlin Doty.

You might know me as Ask Theatician or from my books.

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