November 3, 2025 • 10 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, it started as a snowed-in night behind a funeral parlor and ended with a mystery worthy of a campfire story. Our American Stories listener Tom Ryan shares the tale of his grandmother, a quick-witted mortician who faced down an escaped convict, a closed casket, and a secret that stayed buried for years.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
This is our American Stories, and today we bring you
the story of Tom Ryan. And Tom is a ninety
five year old listener of our show in Los Angeles.
Tom had an unusual upbringing. He grew up on Long
Isle in New York, living behind a funeral parlor run
by his family. Here's Tom.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I was there on Saturday morning when the sheriff arrived
to talk to Grandma. It was the day after the
big snowstorm. My folks were away and I had stayed
with Grandma overnight. At age ten, I was too young
to stay home alone, but staying at Grandma's was not
too cool either, because you see, she ran a funeral home.
(01:03):
Sometimes there were dead bodies only a few steps from
the living room at the back of the house where
we watched TV. It was hard to get too relaxed
when I looked over at the dark doorway leading to
the bodies. That Friday night, there was a very old
lady being waked in one of the chapels, Missus Jackson,
(01:27):
a friend of Grandma's who had died of cancer. The
sheriff sat at the kitchen table with his notebook in
front of him. He asked Grandma if anything unusual that
happened the last night because they were searching for an
escaped convict from a prison two towns away. He is
(01:48):
a murderer and very dangerous. The sheriff said they were
setting up roadblocks to try to catch him. Grandma didn't
answer directly, but said, we have a few uneral going
out this morning, old missus Jackson. We had to put
her in a closed casket because the cancer was so bad.
(02:09):
Will the hearson almos to be able to get to
the cemetery? Grandma asked yes. The sheriff replied, the road
is open to the cemetery. What about anything happening last night?
Grandma gave me a stern look that he couldn't see
and told him nothing had happened. It was real quiet,
(02:31):
she said. I didn't say a word, but as soon
as the sheriff left, I asked her what was going on.
It wasn't like Grandma to lie. She just shook her
head and started to cry. I thought back about last
night and remembered that shortly before dark, Grandma kept walking
(02:52):
out the side window on the driveway every few minutes
since she was expecting a delivery of new casket. Suddenly
there were yellow headlights shining on the snow outside the window,
and a loud knocking came on the side door where
the caskets were brought in. Fred the driver, shouted, I
(03:15):
have to hurry it before I get snowed in. He
had unloaded two caskets and started on another one. Wait,
Grandma said, I only ordered two, not three. I have
to leave this one too. Fred said, I'll never get
to the funeral home in the next town, and I
don't want to weight on my truck. Okay, Grandma said,
(03:38):
if it helps you out. After he was gone, Grandma
closed up tight. My folks were supposed to call to
see how things were, but the phone wasn't working. The
TV weather man said the lines were down all over
and roads were closed, so we were all by ourselves.
After a while, I stop. I had to fall asleep,
(04:01):
and Grandma helped me upstairs and put me into a
soft feather bed. She left the door open a little
so some light came in. I remember that I fell asleep,
but woke up later when I thought I heard voices downstairs.
I had started to get out of bed, but it
was so cold I crawled back in the Next morning,
(04:23):
I asked Grandma about it, but she said I must
have dreamed it. Later in the morning, the men who
worked for Grandma came in and then loaded the casket
into the hearse. When my folks came to pick me up,
I saw Grandma holding onto my father's arm and talking
to him. I heard her say, I need your help.
(04:44):
She took him into the office and closed the door.
I thought I heard her crying. It was five years later,
when Grandma died that my folks told me the real
story of what had happened that Friday night. It seemed
that the voices I thought I had heard with those
of Grandma and the escaped convict. The caskets that were
(05:08):
delivered that night were made by prison labor, and the
convict with the nickname of Rabbit had hidden in one
of those empty caskets. When the delivery man had left,
Rabbit had opened the inside latch and let himself out
of the casket. He didn't know, however, that Grandma had
(05:29):
fallen asleep in her big chair in the living room,
and she woke up, startled and scared to see him
standing near the fireplace holding a large knife he had
taken from the embalming room, threatening how to silence by
holding the knife under her throat. He asked for car
keys and money, but Grandma didn't have a car and
(05:50):
didn't drive. When he realized that the storm had blocked
the roads and there was no phone service, he asked
Grandma when someone was coming with a car. She told
him that there was one funeral schedule for the next
morning if the roads were open and men coming with
(06:12):
a hearse and limosine. When he saw some of my
things on the couch and found out that I was upstairs,
Grandma pleaded with him to let me sleep. She would
help him get in the casket with missus Jackson and
be taken away in the hearst next morning to the cemetery.
He could then sneak out of the casket when it
(06:33):
was left in the cemetery storeroom for a few minutes
until the family arrived. Rabbit didn't like to head deer
at all, especially getting into the coffin with a dead lady.
He decided that they had no other choice, but he
made it very clear to Grandma that if she was
fooling him and he was caught, he would escape again
(06:55):
and kill not only her but also all of a family.
Grandma I was terrified by this evil man. It was
arrangedent early on Saturday morning, Rabbit would get into the
casket and then Grandma would close it and letch it shut.
He was very hesitant, especially when he saw and smelled
(07:17):
old Missus Jackson, but finally he climbed in, holding his
nose and threatening Grandma with a painful death if things
didn't work out. He also wanted Grandma to get him
some hot coffee in a thermos so they could drink
it when they got cold in the casket, and she
(07:37):
did so just before closing the lid. The plan did
work when the man came and took the casket away
and loaded it into the hearse Grandma hadn't said anything
about Rabbit being in the casket his private meeting with Grandma.
(08:02):
My Dad had immediately called the sheriff and arranged to
stop in and see him. The police still hadn't found Rabbit,
despite the roadbox and searches of the nearby forests. They
were mystified as to how he could have disappeared so completely.
Sheriff my Dad said, as you know, this man was
(08:23):
a murderer who would stop at nothing to escape. He
told the sheriff how Rabbit had hidden in the casket
at the prison and had ended up in grandma's funeral home.
He also explained how Rabbit had threatened Grandma and her family,
so she was forced to help him escape in missus
(08:43):
Jackson's casket. What said the sheriff, Why didn't she call
me as soon as he was in the casket? I
could have napped him right then and there. She was
too scared, sheriff. But my dad continued a little smile
playing around his lips and pride in his voice. She
(09:04):
was also smart enough to have slipped the large amount
of sleeping pills into the coffee she gave him the
drink in the casket. The sheriff thought for a moment
and said, wait, if rabbit drank that coffee, heck, he
might have been buried alive in the casket with missus Jackson.
(09:24):
The sheriff almost shouted as he got his phone out.
We'll have to dig up the casket immediately. If we
find him in the casket, I may have to take
Grandma into custody. She could be in a lot of trouble. Wait,
my dad said, wait a minute, sheriff, before you do anything. Wait, no, no,
(09:45):
we can't lose any more time. That man may still
be alive if there was enough air in the casket.
Maybe he is. The sheriff was now calling to his
assistance as he rose from his share, Get the car ready,
ready to roll, and call the corner. No, sheriff, please listen,
(10:07):
my father replied, quietly, Sit down a minute. You see
there is no casket. No casket. The sheriff look confused.
Of course, there was a casket. They had the funeral
and it was buried this morning. No, my father replied, quietly.
You see, Sheriff, missus Jackson's last wishes would actually be cremated.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
My goodness, it does not get better than that. Folks,
Tom Ryan's story, his grandma's story, My goodness, poor rabbit story.
Here on our American story
This is our American Stories, and today we bring you
the story of Tom Ryan. And Tom is a ninety
five year old listener of our show in Los Angeles.
Tom had an unusual upbringing. He grew up on Long
Isle in New York, living behind a funeral parlor run
by his family. Here's Tom.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I was there on Saturday morning when the sheriff arrived
to talk to Grandma. It was the day after the
big snowstorm. My folks were away and I had stayed
with Grandma overnight. At age ten, I was too young
to stay home alone, but staying at Grandma's was not
too cool either, because you see, she ran a funeral home.
(01:03):
Sometimes there were dead bodies only a few steps from
the living room at the back of the house where
we watched TV. It was hard to get too relaxed
when I looked over at the dark doorway leading to
the bodies. That Friday night, there was a very old
lady being waked in one of the chapels, Missus Jackson,
(01:27):
a friend of Grandma's who had died of cancer. The
sheriff sat at the kitchen table with his notebook in
front of him. He asked Grandma if anything unusual that
happened the last night because they were searching for an
escaped convict from a prison two towns away. He is
(01:48):
a murderer and very dangerous. The sheriff said they were
setting up roadblocks to try to catch him. Grandma didn't
answer directly, but said, we have a few uneral going
out this morning, old missus Jackson. We had to put
her in a closed casket because the cancer was so bad.
(02:09):
Will the hearson almos to be able to get to
the cemetery? Grandma asked yes. The sheriff replied, the road
is open to the cemetery. What about anything happening last night?
Grandma gave me a stern look that he couldn't see
and told him nothing had happened. It was real quiet,
(02:31):
she said. I didn't say a word, but as soon
as the sheriff left, I asked her what was going on.
It wasn't like Grandma to lie. She just shook her
head and started to cry. I thought back about last
night and remembered that shortly before dark, Grandma kept walking
(02:52):
out the side window on the driveway every few minutes
since she was expecting a delivery of new casket. Suddenly
there were yellow headlights shining on the snow outside the window,
and a loud knocking came on the side door where
the caskets were brought in. Fred the driver, shouted, I
(03:15):
have to hurry it before I get snowed in. He
had unloaded two caskets and started on another one. Wait,
Grandma said, I only ordered two, not three. I have
to leave this one too. Fred said, I'll never get
to the funeral home in the next town, and I
don't want to weight on my truck. Okay, Grandma said,
(03:38):
if it helps you out. After he was gone, Grandma
closed up tight. My folks were supposed to call to
see how things were, but the phone wasn't working. The
TV weather man said the lines were down all over
and roads were closed, so we were all by ourselves.
After a while, I stop. I had to fall asleep,
(04:01):
and Grandma helped me upstairs and put me into a
soft feather bed. She left the door open a little
so some light came in. I remember that I fell asleep,
but woke up later when I thought I heard voices downstairs.
I had started to get out of bed, but it
was so cold I crawled back in the Next morning,
(04:23):
I asked Grandma about it, but she said I must
have dreamed it. Later in the morning, the men who
worked for Grandma came in and then loaded the casket
into the hearse. When my folks came to pick me up,
I saw Grandma holding onto my father's arm and talking
to him. I heard her say, I need your help.
(04:44):
She took him into the office and closed the door.
I thought I heard her crying. It was five years later,
when Grandma died that my folks told me the real
story of what had happened that Friday night. It seemed
that the voices I thought I had heard with those
of Grandma and the escaped convict. The caskets that were
(05:08):
delivered that night were made by prison labor, and the
convict with the nickname of Rabbit had hidden in one
of those empty caskets. When the delivery man had left,
Rabbit had opened the inside latch and let himself out
of the casket. He didn't know, however, that Grandma had
(05:29):
fallen asleep in her big chair in the living room,
and she woke up, startled and scared to see him
standing near the fireplace holding a large knife he had
taken from the embalming room, threatening how to silence by
holding the knife under her throat. He asked for car
keys and money, but Grandma didn't have a car and
(05:50):
didn't drive. When he realized that the storm had blocked
the roads and there was no phone service, he asked
Grandma when someone was coming with a car. She told
him that there was one funeral schedule for the next
morning if the roads were open and men coming with
(06:12):
a hearse and limosine. When he saw some of my
things on the couch and found out that I was upstairs,
Grandma pleaded with him to let me sleep. She would
help him get in the casket with missus Jackson and
be taken away in the hearst next morning to the cemetery.
He could then sneak out of the casket when it
(06:33):
was left in the cemetery storeroom for a few minutes
until the family arrived. Rabbit didn't like to head deer
at all, especially getting into the coffin with a dead lady.
He decided that they had no other choice, but he
made it very clear to Grandma that if she was
fooling him and he was caught, he would escape again
(06:55):
and kill not only her but also all of a family.
Grandma I was terrified by this evil man. It was
arrangedent early on Saturday morning, Rabbit would get into the
casket and then Grandma would close it and letch it shut.
He was very hesitant, especially when he saw and smelled
(07:17):
old Missus Jackson, but finally he climbed in, holding his
nose and threatening Grandma with a painful death if things
didn't work out. He also wanted Grandma to get him
some hot coffee in a thermos so they could drink
it when they got cold in the casket, and she
(07:37):
did so just before closing the lid. The plan did
work when the man came and took the casket away
and loaded it into the hearse Grandma hadn't said anything
about Rabbit being in the casket his private meeting with Grandma.
(08:02):
My Dad had immediately called the sheriff and arranged to
stop in and see him. The police still hadn't found Rabbit,
despite the roadbox and searches of the nearby forests. They
were mystified as to how he could have disappeared so completely.
Sheriff my Dad said, as you know, this man was
(08:23):
a murderer who would stop at nothing to escape. He
told the sheriff how Rabbit had hidden in the casket
at the prison and had ended up in grandma's funeral home.
He also explained how Rabbit had threatened Grandma and her family,
so she was forced to help him escape in missus
(08:43):
Jackson's casket. What said the sheriff, Why didn't she call
me as soon as he was in the casket? I
could have napped him right then and there. She was
too scared, sheriff. But my dad continued a little smile
playing around his lips and pride in his voice. She
(09:04):
was also smart enough to have slipped the large amount
of sleeping pills into the coffee she gave him the
drink in the casket. The sheriff thought for a moment
and said, wait, if rabbit drank that coffee, heck, he
might have been buried alive in the casket with missus Jackson.
(09:24):
The sheriff almost shouted as he got his phone out.
We'll have to dig up the casket immediately. If we
find him in the casket, I may have to take
Grandma into custody. She could be in a lot of trouble. Wait,
my dad said, wait a minute, sheriff, before you do anything. Wait, no, no,
(09:45):
we can't lose any more time. That man may still
be alive if there was enough air in the casket.
Maybe he is. The sheriff was now calling to his
assistance as he rose from his share, Get the car ready,
ready to roll, and call the corner. No, sheriff, please listen,
(10:07):
my father replied, quietly, Sit down a minute. You see
there is no casket. No casket. The sheriff look confused.
Of course, there was a casket. They had the funeral
and it was buried this morning. No, my father replied, quietly.
You see, Sheriff, missus Jackson's last wishes would actually be cremated.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
My goodness, it does not get better than that. Folks,
Tom Ryan's story, his grandma's story, My goodness, poor rabbit story.
Here on our American story
Host
Lee Habeeb
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