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Mrs. Hunter's Happy Death: Lessons on Living from People Preparing to Die

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I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. Hunter's Happy Death. Not only did the author present a history of Mrs. Hunter's "happy death," he also included specific examples of individuals from his ministry who prepared for death in this manner. I particularly enjoyed Part 2 of the book which presented spiritual lessons on living (using concrete examples) such as the exercise of prayer, recognizing the presence of God at critical moments in ones life and living in the present. Kudos to Mr. Fanestil!

Although most Christians believe in life after death, John Fanestil's experience with members of his family and faith community inspire us to live our lives as people knowing that life on earth is just one stage of our existence. He has selected a broad range of stories from Mrs. Hunter in the early 1800s as the foundation and then illustrating how that same faith has continued in the lives of those he has known in very recent years. His stories are touching, sometimes amusing, but always deep, heartfelt descriptions of lives of faith and how their final days were lived with the joy of knowing they would experience the blessing of God in life eternal.

Who would have thought that a book about such a topic would be a "page turner"? What a delightful, sensitive, poignant book! Appreciated Rev. Fanestil's honesty and self-disclosure as well as his easy writing style. So grateful for the spiritual disciplines identified in the second part. I will recommend this book to many, I am sure.


Santa Monica, CA

Every single one of us is going to die. We each have choices to make about who we wish to be at that moment. John Fanestil's serendipitous uncovering of the 18th and 19th Centuries' ritual of a "happy death" is an uplifting journey back and forth between the 26 year old Mrs. Hunter's life and death in 1801, and Mr. Fanestil's own experiences with family and parishioners in the present day. His thoughtful and compassionate writing reflects his truly non-judgmental manner, especially when discussing the fine line between "prolonging life" and "prolonging death". He is virtually silent on the question of assisted suicide, but he has provided a road map that certainly can help us decide how to live our lives with a healthy awareness of its unavoidable conclusion and the effect it can have on those we leave behind.

Mrs. Hunter's Happy Death captivated me. John Fanestil during his time as a Methodist minister met many people who embraced death cheerfully. He relates stories of people experiencing an enlightenment or feelings of devine love though they are ill and close to death. They are able to convey this holy feeling to thier loved ones. Then Fanestil, while reading 19th century methodist magazines learns of a common practice among methodists of the time, the "happy death". In the book he intertwines the story of one woman, Mrs. Hunter, who died in 1801 a happy death, with the stories of people he has ministered to. I found it incredibly comforting at this time when I have elderly and ill family members. He explains how the lessons he has learned can be applied now to help us live better lives. The book touched me deeply.

Here is good news for the challenge that 100% of us humans have to face: our own death! Rev. Fanestil has rediscovered the historic tradition of "the good death" and in his book,"Mrs. Hunter's Happy Death", he teaches us the steps we can take to achieve a happy death! It is good news for everyone.
Rev. Bob Brashares

I am reading this thoughtful and eloquently written book before I go to bed at night.
It is much like a love letter God has tucked sweetly in between the lines and among the words the author has so carefully selected.
Mrs. Hunter's Happy Death will be an illuminating book for people wondering how such words as happy and death can be combined in the same thought. And for people who already feel comfortable with the idea that Spirit, God, is All in all, it is a wonderful confirmation of things they have felt to some degree or other since the day they first believed. The only thing that remains is whether to say, at the end of the book... Bravo...or Amen...

Fanestil, until recently a twenty first century Methodist preacher, has written a fine book. The first half of it details some examples of "happy death" from his own experience, which he intersperses with the account of the life and death of Mrs. Hunter, who was twenty-six at the time of her death, in 1801. He makes clear that her life and death were typical, not exceptional, for the Methodists of her time. The second half is entitled "Lessons on Living from People Preparing to Die." The lessons are predictable enough -- prayer, Bible reading, taking up the cross, recognizing God's presence, praising God, loving one's neighbors, and seeking God through our lives. Fanestil gives examples of real people showing or doing these things for each lesson. The people are diverse -- male and female, young and older, dying from various things, and from more than one ethnic group. In an appendix, the entire account of Mrs. Hunter's life and death, largely taken from her own journal, and edited by a J. Wood, is set forth.

The author spends a little time on doctrine, explaining something of the long-standing arguments between Arminians and Calvinists, but the book is, like Mrs. Hunter's life, about far more than that, and about something simpler than that.

Fanestil deals with Kübler-Ross's concept of the stages of dying. But, he says, her scheme is based on fear and denial of death, which is not the way everyone approaches that last transition. Specifically, Mrs. Hunter did not fear or deny death, and we shouldn't. (pp. 176-7)

The author, quoting one of his own sermons, delivered in a home for the aged and infirm, points out that almost anyone with any mental capacity at all can believe, and think about, and act like, the two main commandments given by Christ: love God, and love your neighbor. Then, we should concentrate on these commandments, saying them to ourselves, believing them, and acting on them. That's the best preparation for death. (p. 182)

Fanestil and his father went to England, and tried to find out more about Mrs. Hunter. Apparently she was pretty well off, and it is likely that one of her siblings knew John Wesley well. (Possibly Mrs. Hunter did, too.) Wesley said "our people die well." Evidently they did. They died well because they lived well -- they lived holy lives dedicated to a relationship with God. Fanestil is not the only author to research this topic, but he is probably the first to concentrate on Mrs. Hunter.