Climbing Out of the Dark Hole episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 11, 2026 · 18 MIN

Climbing Out of the Dark Hole

from The Obit Project · host Jad Abumrad and Jule Banville

When Bea Burnham walked up to her house one day, she saw her husband of 30-plus years lying dead in the lawn. That stopped her world from spinning for a while, but she pulled herself up, fixed what needed to be fixed and got on with life, eventually outliving three more husbands. She worked hard and taught her daughters about women’s rights. She took care of her friends in their grief. She was buried in her fur coat and shaved her legs one swipe at a time, so that it was always in progress. After her dearth, her daughters come to a new understanding about a mom who carved her own way. Reported and narrated by Elinor Smith, UM Journalism alum former host and reporter at Montana Public Radio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Climbing Out of the Dark Hole

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This episode was published on June 11, 2026.

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When Bea Burnham walked up to her house one day, she saw her husband of 30-plus years lying dead in the lawn. That stopped her world from spinning for a while, but she pulled herself up, fixed what needed to be fixed and got on with life, eventually...

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