The retired actuary survived a 2011 kitchen remodel and two heart attacks before succumbing to a meandering 45-minute story about a stranger at a garden center.
Arthur Pendelton, 72, died Tuesday evening in his home from prolonged, unprotected exposure to his wife’s anecdote about a woman she met at the garden center. A retired actuary who survived two minor heart attacks, a contentious 2011 kitchen remodel, and 40 years of local zoning board meetings, Pendelton reportedly lost consciousness during the anecdote's third major digression regarding whether the stranger’s nephew drove a Subaru or a Honda. Medical examiners noted his vital signs quietly gave out after 45 uninterrupted minutes of context-building.
He was such a wonderful listener, right up until his eyes glazed over and he slumped into the upholstery, which reminds me, the woman at the store had the exact same color upholstery.
He is survived by his wife, two adult children, and the remaining 15 minutes of the story, which will be concluded at his memorial service in lieu of flowers.