And Now...This.

NOB HILL--We received an email from MaryAnn's sister living in Cairo, Egypt stating that Larry LaPrise has died.

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into his coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.

Actually LaPrise died in 1996. But there really was a lot of trouble with his casket. The funeral lasted a long time, and they did play the Hokey Pokey in the background. Then, as they wheeled his coffin out to the hearse, which was parked on a hill, the undertakers lost their grip and the coffin headed down the street, whizzing by traffic, going through red lights, and eventually flying in the open door of a local pharmacy, and coming to a crashing halt in front of the counter. The coffin cover fell off and the body sat up straight in its bier. The pharmacist leaned over the counter and asked, “Can I help you?” And LaPrise replied, “Yeah, have you got something that will stop this coffin?”