Curless returned home to Maine in 1954 and continued performing on radio shows, but he spent much of the following year, 1955, at home due to a chronic illness.
kˈɜːləs ɹᵻtˈɜːnd hˈoʊm tə mˈeɪn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti fˈoːɹ ænd kəntˈɪnjuːd pɚfˈɔːɹmɪŋ ˌɔn ɹˈeɪdɪˌoʊ ʃˈoʊz, bˌʌt hiː spˈɛnt mˈʌtʃ ʌvðə fˈɑːloʊɪŋ jˈɪɹ, nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti fˈaɪv, æt hˈoʊm dˈuː tʊ ɐ kɹˈɑːnɪk ˈɪlnəs.