Hundreds of thousands of people internationally soon read about Sybil Marie Hicks and her smoking hot body and they wanted more! Barb’s memoir takes you into her mother’s life and into the media whirlwind when her mom became an instant world-wide celebrity AFTER she died.
In this hilarious, quirky, and poignant memoir, I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted, Having Been Cremated, you’ll fall in love with Sybil and wish you’d known her in real life. (Even if she’d smoosh a cream pie in your face!)
Barb wrote the quirky obituary with her mom’s voice. No one could’ve predicted her mother’s wild obituary would go viral within 24-hours-worldwide!
The New York Post, The Irish Times, The London Times, The Huffington Post, CBC TV & Radio, Global, CTV, Hamilton Spectator, and many more media from Australia, UK, USA, and Singapore, spread the word to millions.
Her mom, however, drew the short straw by getting Alzheimer’s in her 60s. She lived with the monster for twenty years, and the disease stole her vibrant personality and voice. When Sybil died, an ordinary obituary just wouldn’t do. She was a glamorous Renaissance woman filled with creativity; a former ER nurse who saved lives; she was what movies are made of. Her sense of humour and charm made friends far and wide.
Writer, Barb Drummond, grew up in a home filled with crazy antics, love, laughter, and an exceptionally unique and zany mother. Who else had a mom who specifically baked cream pies to throw at people she loved?
BARB'S FIRST BOOK
I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted (having been cremated)
Why My Book Matters. (And not just because my mom’s obit was read by thousands!) Why My Book Matters. (And not just because my mom’s obit was read by thousands!) Why My Book Matters. (And not just because my mom’s obit was read by thousands!)
Why My Book Matters. Why My Book Matters. Why My Book Matters.
but laughter is healing.
Alzheimer’s is heartbreaking,
My book isn’t just a memoir—it’s a love letter to honour my mom and to the families navigating this disease, proving that even in the toughest moments, humour can shine through.
If you’ve ever loved someone with memory loss, this book is for you, and even if you haven’t—this book is for you. And you’re also helping fight Alzheimer’s as a percentage of each book sold goes to Canadian Alzheimer Societies.
*But prepare yourself for a few F-bombs.
The New York Post, The Irish Times, The London Times, The Huffington Post, CBC TV & Radio, Global, CTV, Hamilton Spectator, and many more media from Australia, UK, USA, and Singapore, spread the word to millions.
My mom’s obit that went viral worldwide.
the Obituary
No. 02 - Sign up for my free newsletter, and my mom's obit is all yours!
This isn’t your typical funeral soundtrack. Mom had a flair for the unexpected—right down to the playlist. It’s quirky, energetic, and laced with just the right amount of dark humour. These are the songs that were played at her service, and just like her, they’ll make you laugh, cry, and maybe dance a little in your kitchen.
Take a listen—and if a song reminds you of someone you love, drop me a note. I’d love to hear your story too.
funeral playlist
No. 03
— Chloe
This book feels like a big loving hug, as well as a goodbye. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be left wanting to be a bit more like Mrs. Ron Hicks.
Barb Drummond managed to capture the complex feelings of love and loss in the funniest of ways.
TAKE IT FROM my readers
Poignant, Funny, Endearing - a book to soothe your soul.
Barb Drummond managed to capture the complex feelings of love and loss in the funniest of ways.
This book is incredible! I read it in one sitting.
I was crying one minute and laughing hysterically the next. This book appealed to all your emotions.
Happy, sad, hilarious, gut wrenching, thought provoking and much more.
The most tender telling of a bright, vibrant mind unraveling with Alzheimer’s and the sense of loss to those who loved her.
A sharp reminder to live and love to the fullest anytime all the time.
A great read - the story addresses a sad and difficult experience while looking at it from a place of humor.
Amazing storytelling by the author about her journey and from her mom’s point of view too.
The first page drew me in, and between laughter and tears, I couldn’t put it down until I turned the last page. I’ll read it again.
Those who love the wry wit of David Sedaris, or the intimate storytelling of Terry Fallis, will love the funny vignettes that Barb Drummond evokes of her mother, Sybil Marie Hicks, who was diagnosed with early onset dementia in her 60s. Although this “thief in the night” illness stole Hick’s “vibrant personality and voice,” the pronouncement did not steal the family’s memories of her penultimate joie de vivre, her idiosyncratic shenanigans, and her kindnesses to strangers. And so, it is impossible not to laugh uproariously at the title of Drummond’s debut memoir, I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted (Having Been Cremated).
published June 27, 2025
Hicks, a former ER nurse and a practical joker who, from time to time, liked to “smoosh” cream pies into the unsuspecting face of her targets, was an accomplished Renaissance mother who painted and played the piano. A “symphony of creativity,” Hicks both saved lives and killed people with her humorous antics. Indeed, the quirky obituary that Drummond wrote in her mother’s voice, a first-person account that captured Hick’s exceptionally playful essence and unorthodox humour, went viral in twenty-four hours. That alone is a testament to Hick’s modus operandi—making the most of a situation by making people laugh (boisterously, I might add).
Adjacent to the merriment is Drummond’s deep well of grief—which began twenty years earlier when her mother, who she describes
as having an infectious laugh that was punctuated by a snort, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The fact that Drummond openly shares her deep sorrow and the threads of guilt she experiences for not being in contact with her mom for quite a while, allows those of us in similar situations to feel less alone.
But Hicks, true to her reputation of spreading empathy and kindness, wiped away that distance by writing newsy letters to Drummond, who uses them to recount poignant family incidents. The book’s droll chapter headings incite further laughter with titles such as, “Lots of F-Bombs and Drunk Obit Writers,” and “They Might Have Passed A Very Pleasant Evening Had Shit Not Gotten Real.”
Drummond gives us permission to laugh through our grief, to make it okay to use levity and humour to deal with our losses. “Funny how humour has its way of weaving strange threads through the fabric of reality at the worst possible moments,” Drummond opines. The sharing of stories about her mom before the episodes of paranoia and confusion caused by Alzheimer’s took over, imprinted Drummond’s “real” mom—“a quiet bomb”—in her heart and her memories.
Drummond balances irreverence and reverence in a way few memoirists can—making readers laugh, cry, and call their loved ones, sometimes all in the same chapter. Her masterful sharing of
her mother’s laughter-inspired joy for life provides a road map for us to live our best moments with mindful enthusiasm and joy, while also fervently leaving us wishing that Hicks was still around so that we could have the privilege of revelling in her playful aura. This is a memoir that will stay with you, long after the last laugh.
—CANREADS BOOK REVIEW
Barb Drummond’s memoir is a wildly honest, heartbreakingly funny, and beautiful tribute to her late mother, Sybil Hicks. Sybil became a viral sensation thanks to an obituary that managed to make people laugh and cry in the same breath. The book traces the week following Sybil’s passing, from the family’s chaotic flights to funeral arrangements, peppered with hilarious letters from Sybil, childhood stories, family reunions, and a deeply moving eulogy in the works. It’s about memory, grief, and humor as survival, all centered around a daughter’s love for the mother she was slowly losing to Alzheimer’s long before she passed.
Reading this book felt like getting dropped into a boisterous family gathering where laughter sits shoulder-to-shoulder with grief. The
published July 24, 2025
writing is candid and snarky and sometimes downright chaotic, but that’s what makes it so relatable. I found myself laughing at the airport “wet sock” story and the naked hotel room mix-up, then getting blindsided by moments of raw grief, like the upside-down book or the sound of Sybil’s piano in a quiet care home. Barb’s voice is refreshingly real. She doesn’t try to pretty up death or sanitize her feelings. She writes like someone who’s had the rug pulled out but still knows where to find the jokes in the tumble.
The most touching part of the book for me was the way it paints Sybil. Not as a saint, not just a victim of Alzheimer’s, but as this whip-smart, sharp-tongued, wildly talented woman who threw pies in people’s faces and taught sewing classes in her basement.
read my interview with Literary Titan here
You can feel Barb’s love, guilt, and admiration all tangled together, which makes the letters and memories hit even harder. The book also shows how laughter, even the ugly snort-laugh kind, is a kind of armor. It doesn’t try to be wise or poetic. It just tells the truth. And that’s what makes it matter.
If you’ve ever lost someone slowly to something like Alzheimer’s, this book will break your heart and then wrap it in a quilt of memories, stitched together with sarcasm, warmth, and just enough swearing to keep it real. I’d recommend it to anyone who’s grieving, especially adult children trying to make sense of a complicated, funny, maddening, unforgettable parent.
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recognizes outstanding nonfiction books that demonstrate exceptional quality in writing, research, and presentation. This award is dedicated to authors who excel in creating informative, enlightening, and engaging works that offer valuable insights. Recipients of this award are commended for their ability to transform complex topics into accessible and compelling narratives that captivate readers and enhance our understanding."
"The Literary Titan Book Award
In this moving yet darkly funny memoir, I take the reader with me through the heartache, laughter, and poignant moments of my mother's battle with Alzheimer's and the hilarious obituary that turned her into an instant worldwide celebrity.
🧡 WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT:
A tribute to my mom, who lived with Alzheimer’s for almost two decades with grace, determination, and plenty of laughs. Who knew it would go viral to millions of people?
I Finally Have the Smoking Hot Body I Have Always Wanted (having been cremated)
My Book:
