The Saga of Sister Overweight

The following account is a humorous one. In time, it became known among many Jehovah’s Witnesses as an “urban legend,” but the story is true and actually took place in our assigned congregation in Brooklyn, New York, during the time we were in Bethel.

During one particular Service Meeting, my husband, Joe, and I were sitting down front in the middle section of chairs in the Kingdom Hall. We were in the third row. I was sitting next to Joe who was sitting in an aisle seat. He was right behind a very immense woman who I shall call, Sister Overweight. I could see Sister Overweight clearly while she was wiggling out of her arm-chair to go to the platform where she was going to relate a field service experience. Here I might add that this lady was so well-endowed that she couldn’t see her toes even if her feet were extra-large or even jumbo-sized!

As Sister Overweight leaned forward to push herself up out of the chair she was sitting in, an enormous broach pinned to her dress in the area of her large bosom caught on the short wig of the sister sitting in front of her, pulling it off. Being so intent on the field service experience she was about to give, Sister Overweight didn’t realize there was a wig hanging off of her broach as she stood up and turned toward the aisle to make her way to the platform. Nor did she hear the gasp made from the then wigless and shocked woman sitting in front of her when the wig she was wearing suddenly was pulled off of her head. I can remember her reaction as if it happened yesterday – Not knowing what else to do, the wigless woman quickly put her hands over her head trying to cover her pressed-down and matted hair.

All of this took place within seconds, and the few of us who saw what happened sat there fascinated as our ponderous “sister” in the faith walked to the stage and up the two steps to the platform, all the time never noticing the short wig hanging off of her broach. I poked Joe in the ribs and whispered to him what had just occurred because he couldn’t see the “wig event” being Sister Overweight had her back to him when she leaned over to get up from the chair. Most of the audience only saw her back too as she walked slowly to the platform and up the steps.

When Sister Overweight came to an arm-chair where she was asked to wait until her turn to speak, she slowly turned around to sit down. Trying to wiggle her massive body between the arms of the chair, she leaned over slightly and looked down. It was then that she saw what she thought was a furry animal attached to her dress. Letting out a few short screams, she feverishly tried to brush the hairy thing off of her chest.

It took some seconds for the audience to realize what was happening, but when they did, no one knew what to do. Finally, a quick-thinking elder jumped up out of his chair, ran to the platform and bounded up the stairs. He quickly retrieved the wig off the floor, jumped off the platform and ran to the owner of the wig. She grabbed it out of his hands and in a flash she had the wig snugly fitting properly back on her head as if nothing had disturbed it.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Sister Overweight began to laugh and laugh. Then everyone in the audience laughed until we just about cried. After a bit, when the laughter died down, this dear woman briefly gave her field service experience, and grinning broadly, walked back to her seat.

Incidentally, to this day, I have no recollection of the experience Sister Overweight related that evening, but I can picture the whole event happening because it left an indelible imprint in my brain.


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Charles Costante

Charles Costante

Barbara, that was priceless! You certainly know how to tell a story!