There are several stages in the process of moving from complete unconsciousness to being fully awake. Several thoughts filled Dan’s mind in the first of these stages. High on the mental priority list was relieving his bladder. Close on the heels of that thought was his desire to move without waking his wife, whom he was lying next to in the spoon position.

The next thoughts through his mind were questions. “Why is my head throbbing with pain? Why is this bed so cramped? I can barely move.”

Dan felt hot and stuffy; his head was pulsating. A haze of fog filled his brain. Absentmindedly, Dan reached up and squeezed his wife’s shoulder. He was just awake enough to realize that, unlike him, she wore no clothing.

In the pitch black darkness he called her name. “Janice? Honey, wake up.”

When she failed to respond, he shook her shoulder and spoke her name again. She gave no response. His head pounded like a pair of giant kettle-drums, slowly moving him to the next level of wakefulness.

“Cripes!” thought Dan, “She’s sleeping like the dead.”

Daniel McMann, a.k.a. “Dan the Man,” was quite familiar with the dead. He was a third generation owner of McMann Mortuary, a family-run business located in southern Indianapolis. Though the potential profits were staggering, it wasn’t the deciding factor in agreeing to become Dad’s successor.

Comforting families in mourning brought a personal satisfaction greater than money could ever buy. He also took care of the management end of the business – setting up funeral arrangements, time, date, flowers, caskets, and so on. He employed several other certified morticians to prepare bodies for viewing.