I don’t have any particular year in mind except maybe 1987, when I was in a school bus crash and got head lice in the same month.
2011 has been a very good year, even if for no other reason than my seeing Kesha in concert.
My worst year was probably 2005, going into 2006. I left a good situation to try to salvage a marriage and moved three states away. Took a massive pay cut, went into a position with no friends and the worst climate in the lower forty-eight. Within six months, I was divorced, utterly broke, and nearly homeless.
No one died, though, so I count this as a mild case compared to most of you.
I’m so sorry for all of your horrible years. 
My most horrible year is yet to be, but I’ve been seeing coming attractions of the future
for the last 6 months. Not psychic, but all signs regarding some situations . point nowhere but down. I’m preparing for the worst and am getting a head start by waking up every morning with extreme anxiety attacks. Way to drag out the misery, stupid brain!
2010-2011 have been really…interesting for me.
January '10 - my dad’s best friend dies of ALS
February '10 - my boyfriend’s best friend dies during heart surgery. Left behind a business, wife, three adult children and a seven year old boy.
My dad falls on the ice and cracks three ribs, spends a month in rehab. This is the wake up call that he probably can’t go on living alone anymore.
May '10 - my mom’s partner of 34 years dies after a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis.
June '10 - wife of dad’s best friend dies
July '10 - receive the news that my middle brother has been diagnosed with stage 3 esophageal cancer. Outlook is maybe 2-5 years.
Same moth, receive the news that one of my dearest girlfriends has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
August - finally arrange a full time care attendant to live with my dad.
October - take a trip to CA to see my brother and dear girlfriend who are both in the middle of their cancer treatments. Phone rings: it’s big brother calling to tell me that mom is dead.
At this point all I can think is “REALLY, LIFE?? That’s how it’s going to be?”.
Meanwhile, at work, this douchetank receptionist is complaining to my boss that I “take too much time off”. Yeah, I’m just swanning about the globe, eating bon bons. Thankfully, she also retires.
Go back home, deal with mom’s estate which is intricate and complicated.
Endure ridiculous snowstorm winter and spend lots of $$ to keep moms house in decent shape to sell it. Spend a shit ton of time advertising, interviewing and hiring replacement for douchetank.
Good news: she’s awesome!
2011:
May: Fly to CA to visit cancer brother as he recovers from another surgery. Receive news that close neighbor and friend of eldest brother has dropped dead.
Cancer brother makes a long trip home to see 89 year old dad for the last time in July. The visit was great, wonderful, fun. No sooner does Cancer Brother return home, he discovers the cancer has metastasized throughout his entire digestive system. He has about 2 weeks and can’t take any sort of sustenece again. He dies 13 days later.
I am grateful for many things throughout this time, not least the honor of being with my brother at his death, which was peaceful and painless. Still, holy shit, it’s been a hell of a couple of years. Sure puts the good things into perspective.
October 2003 to October 2004, my entire marriage and the initial part of the divorce process, which didn’t actually end until April 2005.
This has been my worst year since 1995, when my mom died and my marriage ended, lost my home and my car was repossessed. I lost most of my belongings when I couldn’t afford to pay the storage fee. I was homeless for couple months with a child. It wasn’t a good year.
This one is almost as bad. Worse is not knowing what my future holds, but knowing how grim it looks unless I find a job very soon.
While this year was not stellar, I have to say that 2003 was probably my worst year.
A botched surgery on my stomach, setting me on a very long and painful road that lasted years (and from which I still have fallout), and the death of my father all within half a year.
1984 would rank up there in my list of worst years, I guess.
My husband of 6 months was killed in a car accident, which triggered the first of way too many panic attacks. I got down to 92 pounds and was being threatened with a feeding tube.
My mom died in 2006. I’m grateful I had her for 50 years. I’ve not gotten over her loss yet, though. I don’t sit around and mourn her all the time, but nothing is ever quite as good as it used to be with her gone. She was the glue that held our family together. Holidays are not as much fun, that’s for sure.
This is a sad thread.