Funeral director healing after grave fall

AUGUSTA – A 79-year-old funeral director who fell into a grave is recovering from the awkward episode with a sense of humor.

Leo Murphy was taken to the hospital in a hearse after the Sept. 20 fall during a burial service at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. The emergency room attendant joked that they’re not used to seeing hearses pull up at the front entrance.

Murphy says he can laugh about it now, but it was no laughing matter at the time. The funeral director suffered two broken ribs. Two weeks later, he says it still hurts to cough, sneeze or yawn.