The Dual Lives Of Jack Brown Come To An End

Ellis Smith: Funeral speeches are supposed to include certain words. The deceased was a loving father. An adoring husband. At peace now.

But there are other words that require a little more faith to digest. The deceased was a good person. He was honest. She went to heaven. Depending on the funeral, those words can furrow a brow, whiten a knuckle, or cause a crossed leg to nervously bob up and down.

Not so at the funeral of Jack Edwin Brown, the small-town tax preparer accused of swindling dozens of Soddy-Daisy residents. At the mention of heaven, cries of "Amen" drowned out any doubt that this man had passed the Pearly Gates.