Talk of the Town: Part with my cell phone? Over my dead body!

OK, people. We see folks talking on cell phones in the weirdest places sometimes. A dentist friend of mine said one patient he was working on tried to use his cell phone in the middle of the procedure by grunting his response to the caller. Of course, this dentist asked him not to attempt to talk with the drill in his mouth. Where’s the common sense, I ask you?

People take their cell phones to the dinner table, the bedroom, the supermarket, the gym and even the bathroom stall. But according to the people at msnbc.com,, in recent years, some folks have started taking their cherished cell phones someplace really spooky: the grave.

“It seems that everyone under 40 who dies takes their cell phone with them,” says Noelle Potvin, family service counselor for Hollywood Forever, a funeral home and cemetery in Hollywood, Calif. “It’s a trend with BlackBerrys, too. We even had one guy who was buried with his Game Boy.”

The word out there from folks in the funeral business is that being laid to rest with a favorite tech device is on the upswing. The Future Laboratory, a London-based think tank, has commented on the behavior, noting it in places like the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa. But experts are seeing it happen in the United States as well.

Ed Defort, publisher and editorial director for American Funeral Director magazine, says it’s a definite trend.

“I’ve even heard of cases where people are being buried with their iPod,” Defort said.

But it’s the cell phone, in particular, that seems to be the burial gadget of choice.

While statistics on cell phone burials don’t exist, funeral professionals agree it’s a fairly common occurrence — at least among the tech-know-it-alls and the young — and some believe we’re only seeing the tip of the wired-to-the-end trend.

Ring tones have even become a sort of 21st century funeral tribute, Defort says. “Some people will call the deceased just as they’re lowering the coffin into the ground,” he says. “It’ll be prearranged and you’ll hear a faint ring. It’s like the new version of ‘Taps’ for people who are identified as being on the phone all the time.”

Green Valley resident Dinghy Sharp was honored at last month’s Valley Presbyterian Women’s Gathering luncheon. Dinghy, accompanied by Tamara Kahrimanis, presented a very special program, “Christmas Hymns and Hers,” to set the mood for a meaningful holiday season. Following the program, Dinghy, Clement Moore’s great-great granddaughter and the writer behind “The Night Before Christmas,” was surprised by Amber Mathewson, head librarian at Joyner-Green Valley Library, who presented Dinghy with a Lifetime Community Service Award for her dedication to sharing stories and for emphasizing the importance of literacy in our community.

This program is so wonderful. Discover how to share your story on the radio!

Please join Sara Esrick from StoryCorps and Arizona Public Media tomorrow, Jan. 8, at 10 a.m. at Canoa Hills Center, 3660 S. Camino del Sol, to learn about StoryCorps. Free and open to the public. APM will also have info available on the digital TV transition, including discount converter box applications.

StoryCorps mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Since 2003, more than 35,000 everyday people have shared life stories with family and friends in our StoryBooths. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the Library of Congress.

Millions listen to the broadcasts on public radio and the Web. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. Sponsored by National Public Radio and affiliated with the Library of Congress, StoryCorps airs Friday mornings on KUAZ 89.1 FM and 1550 AM. To request an interview with StoryCorps, go online or call 1-800-850-4406.

For even more details, visit www.AZpublicmedia.org.

Well done, Jan Fouch, a very talented stitcher who has taken prestigious awards in many events, including a first-place ribbon for her beautiful “Wolf at Sunset” at the Arizona State Fair.

This piece took an estimated 300 hours to complete and features warm hues of red and burnt orange.

Several examples of Jan’s work are currently on display at the Pueblo Estates Clubhouse in Green Valley in a joint exhibit with another talented stitcher, Nancy Smith.

The display is free and open to the public through Jan. 11.

Jan and her husband Bill hail from Indiana and moved to Pueblo Estates nine years ago. While living in Indiana, Jan entered work in the Hamilton County Extension Homemakers Southwest Show and took a first place and reserved champion for her talented efforts.

Another winning piece is a stitched portrait depicting her granddaughter, Paige Fouch, at age 2-1/2, Paige is now 10, but her baby beauty will remain forever in Jan’s stitched tribute to her pride and joy.

In one show, many years ago, Jan entered three different categories, including baked goods and won top prize in all three.

Jan, who works at First Assembly of God Church in Green Valley, encourages people to enter their creations in the fairs, both the county and state levels. You, too, can be a winner, she says.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740