I don't think the death fund is odd at all.  We didn't have any money on it but there were three of us in houses next door to each other.  When 911 was called they didn't even have to check their maps ..they would park at the middle house and see which family came out first.  Jeri was 72, I was around 60 and Sheridan was late 30's.  If it were me or Jeri, heart and strokes were their worres, but with Sheridan they never knew what they would find.  Sheridan had Hep C and was on a liver transplant listl.  That stuff will make you crazy.  He lived with his mom and dad after he got sick.  She would set his medicine out for him but sometimes even then he would forget. When he did ammonia would get ito his bood then to his brain and he would see strange things, people that weren't there, EXTREME parinoia (he thought the space agency was reading his brain trying to find out how to save the world, somehow he wound up with 35 gerbals and they all lived in separate cages. Although he had a bedroom he would circle the cages around a mattress on the floor and that is where he slept.  For the most part Jeri and I lived normal lives if you count a 72 year old woman climbing on top of her roof to make sure the roofers were doing a good job, me :?) I am just normal.  Once they picked up Sheridan and the only thing I can think of as his color, eyes included, was that "goldenrod" paper that is in some triple copies of bills or receipts. That night match was found.  By the time he got out of recovery he looked almost human but the damage to his brain will probably never heal.  Anyway I tell you all of this in order for you to know....we honestly had a death bet going.  Jeri left us about 4 years ago, she was Morman and believed Cecil was waiting for her and she got both of her grandkids whom she raised graduated and out of school and she was ready to join her husband.  Sheridan still has hep c they couldn't seem to get rid of it but other than some cognatifve damage to his brain is well and happy.  Me? I honestly don't know about me, no strokes or heart attacks for several years, some disability but nothing that can't be worked around, now they have fund cancer but tell me it is the S-L-O-O-W stuff that takes years (Steve Jobs lived 10 years with it and trying only alternative treatments.  Since they ot on mine right away, the earth will probably be silicon based before I kick off. The ambulance drivers hardly know either Sheridan or I any more. One quick thing and then I will leave space for the next commenter and that is how when Sheridan was at his worst mentally he came over, hid in my closet, and said the "FBI was after him to take out his brain and find out how to save the world." Now I knew he was dangerous because what if he changed his mind and saw me as one of them. Why he trusted me instead of family I don't know...but that was the way it was. I told him to go ahead and make himself as comfortable as he could in the closet. We would close the door and that way no one could find him...my husband would be home in an hour and we would take him someplace safe. When Bobby got home I told him what was going on and he wanted to call 911. 911 was what Sheridan feared the most. So I went in and told Sheridan that we were going to take him to Dallas, they would have a hard time finding him there, then after we had almost arrived at our destination, I told him I knew the best place, Parkland Hospital...because of all the X-ray machines the walls had to be lined with lead and the signals the police and FBI were using couldn't penetrate lead, it would be almost like he disappeared into thin air. So no restraints, just holding his hand, we walked into the ER together. The medication they give for this condition acts almost instantly so after having a cup of coffee in the break room it was time to take Sheridan home. So you see, there are reasons, good reasons for a group of pals to bet on that, it sort of takes the fear out of it because you face it squarely and stare it down. I dohope all of your friends are still healthy and bowl. It is good to have friends like that.

Sorry this was so long but I want you to never let anyone tease you about that...It's a great thing. Thanks for being you.