I read obituaries. I know I am not alone. I don’t know when I started but I do remember the first time I recognized someone I knew from his obituary.
One of my Mother’s friends, who recently died of pneumonia at the age of 92, had prepared her obit. She had outlived her husbands and children and wrote it because she felt no one was still alive who knew her story. I thought that a brilliant idea.
Here are portions of obits I question whether something else could be said if the deceased wrote it:
“She was a hard worker”
“She was ridiculously honest”
“He overcame many troubles”
I like attempts to capture a person’s personality rather than the resume approach or genealogical account of a person in an obituary.
Here are a few:
“If you feel sad or blue because you lost a good friend, be assured he is perfectly alright laughing and telling stories”.
“She is in the hearts of all those she touched”
“She was an acquired taste”
I like to know what was the cause of death in an obituary.
Here are popular phrases that elude the cause of death:
“Fought a courageous fight”
“Died unexpectedly”
“Called home by the Lord”
“Died peacefully”
“Died Suddenly”
“Went to be with the Lord”
“Lost his/her fight”
A memorable obituary I read does not have the cause of death, but it read:
“1982-2014, Kind of young don’t you think?”
Are you writing your obituary? Are you making your wishes known for your obituary? Have you embraced the high costs of publishing your obituary?