Once upon a time several years ago, a young pup reporter learned the hard way a half-baked question can ofter garner a humorous answer.

Imagine that reporter’s surprise when the late Cecil Clark, at more than 100 years old, still had a mind as sharp as a tack and responded to a silly question with a truly epic comeback.

“How has the cemetery business changed over the years?” the reporter inquired.

“There’s more dead people in it,” Clark said, without missing a ...