Centerbrook Resident Joe Heller’s Obituary Still Making Headlines

ESSEX, CT — The legendary obituary about colorful Centerbrook resident Joe Heller, written by his daughter Monique Heller, went viral in countries all over the world and now it is immortalized in a book, “Fast Funny Women,” which drops today.

“Fast Funny Women” is a collection of essays written by 75 different women ages 20 to 89. Each story is under 750 words, and all are meant to add some laughter to your life. Editor Gina Barreca recruited the writers to create a compilation of well-written, diverse slice-of-life excerpts. They divulge the hilarity of life, as told by what she calls devoted teachers, lousy daughters, good mothers, would-be nuns, grad-school-wannabes, revenge-driven sisters and more.

Monique Heller and her conversational style of combining wit and humor, in a well-written, make-you-laugh-out-loud style, are an easy fit for this woman-driven book.

“I am so excited to be part of this book,” Heller said. “This is such a great opportunity.”

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Heller explained that she would not have been able to write such a humorous and creative obituary about her late father, Joe, without all the great material his life and character provided her with.

“I had a lot of fodder for this and a great protagonist,” Heller said.

She was approached by the editor of the book, Barreca, shortly after her father’s out-of-the-box obituary went viral and made headlines in The Hartford Courant (and was put on its front page), CNN, People magazine, National Public Radio, WTNH, WFSB, FOX Network, Yahoo, CBC Canada and the New York Times, which ran it as a full spread in Section A with a color photo.

“We never imagined it would get that much awareness," Heller said about the whirlwind experience. "We were getting phone calls and emails from other countries about this — it was amazing.”

She had to cull the original version of the obituary to fit into the parameters of the guidelines for the book, which called for her to cut the lengthy original down to just 750 words. However, she said she was careful to keep the piece’s integrity, as well as the best parts.

The celebrated obit began with... "Joe Heller made his last undignified and largely irreverent gesture on September 8, 2019, signing off on a life, in his words, 'generally well-lived and with few regrets.' When the doctors confronted his daughters with the news last week that 'your father is a very sick man,' in unison they replied, 'you have no idea.'"

“Everyone is still amazed my dad made such a splash,” said Heller, whose original hope for writing the obit outside the lines of the norm was to have it act as a catalyst for change, for others faced with the overwhelming task of writing a loved one’s memorial and obituary.

Heller, who is no stranger to staring at a blank page while waiting for the words to come, is usually writing about much more scientific-driven content. Currently working on her doctoral dissertation, she said that she has found great joy in interspersing her technical writing with breaks, writing personal notes to herself about her father. She has started about 20 or so short stories and hopes to continue with them in the future, putting together a full book soon.

“I love to write, and I have been writing my whole life,” said Heller, who adds she has a bizarre way of looking at life, which she feels compelled to write down as it is happening to her in order to preserve the feelings, words and emotions in that exact moment.

The “Fast Funny Women” book drop comes at a perfect time for Heller, as it is acting as a bit of a distraction from the fact that the family is closing the sale of her dad’s house in Centerbrook.

“I am happy about the book, but sad about the house. There are a lot of memories coming up,” she said.

The book is available on Amazon as well as pre-order at R.J. Julia’s Bookstore in Madison, which will hold a virtual event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 3, with editor Barreca in conversation with Leighann Lord. To register go to, www.rjjulia.com.