Mary Jumbelic has been obsessed with death since the loss of her father when she was 13. The sudden departure of her dad, the mother left behind, and her position as an only child led her to grow up quickly. Yet the why and how of her father’s death plagued her. She chose to view an autopsy at the age of 15 and discovered a science that explained the process. Becoming a forensic pathologist wasn’t a given. She struggled before deciding on a career as a medical examiner.
For 25 years, she analyzed corpses and explained to families what had happened to their loved ones, something that hadn’t been done for her. She faced blood, gore, violence, and grief in urban and country morgues and internationally in mass disasters. This daily confrontation challenged her to re-live her own loss. She became an advocate in recognizing preventable injuries to help reduce fatalities. Dr. Jumbelic developed a way to honor the person’s life by speaking for them in courts, classrooms, and interviews. How did she finally integrate death into her own life so filled with hope? This is her journey.
Table of Content
Prologue1
I Early Years5
II Chicago41
III Peoria and the Quad Cities73
IV Syracuse113
Photos135
V Life After…255
About the author
Mary Jumbelic, M.D. is an author from Central New York, and former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County. She speaks for the dead. They speak for her. A board-certified forensic pathologist, Mary has performed thousands of autopsies during her 25-year career. She has received awards for her work from the National Transportation Safety Board and the New York State Senate, and has been recognized as a trailblazer by the National Organization of Women. As an expert witness, she has appeared on numerous national broadcasts, most recently Dateline and 48 hours. In retirement, Mary has published many nonfiction stories, accounts of her life both in and out of the morgue. Using her experiences, she provides a strong voice for the deceased as explores the human imprint made by those departed, demystifying death for herself, and others. In November 2023, Mary published her first book, literary memoir ‘Here, Where Death Delights’ (ISBN: 979-8988205203) in which she shares her journey from first experience of death to the crimes she has helped to solve with her forensic expertise. Mary has separately published with more than 25 literary publications and, in 2021, her work was chosen in the top ten for the Tucson Literary Festival and a different story nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2014, her piece was selected for the top ten in the AARP/Huffington Post Memoir Writing Contest. Mary teaches writing, and enjoys sharing her expert tips for a great crime novel or pathology mystery. She is also an Assistant Editor for Stone Canoe. Mary lives in Central New York with her husband, and is surrounded by family.
More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
47,062 Ebooks in this category
