- Certain that only her funeral will bring her distant children and grandchildren to Walnut Grove for a long overdue visit, Amy Hearn convinces Doc Baker and the Ingalls to fake her death and happily makes plans to celebrate her eightieth birthday ... at her wake!—shepherd1138
- At the Ingalls' residence, Caroline, Mary, Laura, and Carrie are entertained by Maddie Elder on her auto-harp. When Laura tells that the mention of death in the song "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" makes her sad, Maddie explains that death should maybe be seen as a new beginning, and not an end.
It turns out Maddie is visiting, as a diversion to give Charles Ingalls some time to help Maddie's housemate Amy Hearn decorate the place for her surprise 80th Birthday Party. As they talk, Doc Baker stops by to deliver some mail for Maddie.
It turns out the letter is from Maddie's daughter Eliza, and upon reading it later, she grows sad that her daughter and family can't attend her party. Amy tries to cheer her friend up, but as she discusses her own children, she looks over and realizes Maddie has died.
A funeral follows shortly thereafter, attended by a number of the townsfolk, and Maddie's family who have come. Amy stands next to the Ingalls girls, and mentions how while people may miss birthdays, they almost always show up at a funeral to say goodbyes. Laura feels this is a backwards way of doing things, and feels funerals should happen while one is alive, so goodbyes can be said in person.
The Ingalls girls visit her over the next few days to give her some company, but shortly after Laura visits, she rushes into town to tell Charles that Amy is sick. Charles and Doc Baker rush to her residence, but Baker can't find anything wrong with her.
It is then that Amy asks the two men to promise to help her. She requests Charles be the one to make funeral and wake arrangements for her, and Doc Baker to contact her family to attend. Once they promise, Amy suddenly jumps out of bed, and the two realize they have been deceived! Amy tells that she wants a funeral and wake held on her birthday, and is doing this because she wants to see her own family (whom she hasn't seen in a number of years) before she really does go.
Charles shares the news with his family, but Caroline naturally finds the whole plan to be ridiculous. She goes to Amy's place to talk some sense into her, and returns having been talked into making a cake for the wake!
As part of the plan, Amy is snuck over to the Ingalls to stay, while her house is set up for the wake.
Things almost go awry when Father Gorman from Mankato shows up early to the Ingalls' place, but given he has no idea what Amy looks like, she claims to be a family friend of the deceased.
On the day of the birthday/wake, Amy dresses in black with a veil to disguise her presence. Naturally, she is overjoyed to see her daughter Bridget and her family show up, along with her son Sean.
As the wake goes on, she sneaks over near her children, listening in to their conversations, but grows surprised when her son Andy (whom she hadn't seen since he was a teenager) shows up!
Amy can't take it any longer, and finally reveals herself. Naturally, her children are shocked and upset, but she tells how desperate she was to see her family, and how she may not have many years left.
The family hugs and Charles pulls out his fiddle, turning the somber occasion into a party.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content