Obituaries - good or bad

Obits in the good ole days, they showed the date of birth, usually where, who the parents were, sometimes the grandparents, siblings, living or dead, where they died, how they died, who the preacher was at the funeral, who the pall bearers were, and maybe a little history about the person.

Since most of us are spread out all over the country from where we were born and raised......well about the only ones that will know I'm gone will be the buzzards circling overhead.


No obits for me,,,those that once knew me, will always wonder if I'm still alive or not.:D


WuzzFuzz
 
Oh, another thing. Occasionally they'll print a nickname. A really cringe worthy one. Makes me wonder if their friends were getting the final 'one up' on them by writing their obituary.

I should think the editor would say, "No. We're not printing that; we don't care how many people called him that."
 
Oh, another thing. Occasionally they'll print a nickname. A really cringe worthy one. Makes me wonder if their friends were getting the final 'one up' on them by writing their obituary.

I should think the editor would say, "No. We're not printing that; we don't care how many people called him that."

Back in about 1970 one of my fathers long time friends died and they did publish his nickname. My father was the undertaker and knew name of course but did not want to use it but the family insisted it be used. (Stink feet):eek:
 
I'm trying to understand why a 45 year person is pictured above the text but the deceased passed away at age 79. I'm 70 and that air force photo ~1973 will not be used. I have blond hair and no wrinkles.
The local funeral home my family uses makes a computer generated portrait that they put up by the entrance to the viewing room.

When my my beloved Aunt passed away, we used a picture she had taken just before she was taken ill. My cousin (my other Aunt's daughter and certifiably wacko) was incensed that we didn't use her wedding picture......she passed the day before what would have been her 60th wedding anniversary!!!!

We took great comfort in my uncle and her were together again for that anniversary.

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I have seen several HS classmates and other people from the past at their parents funerals, a week ago I attended the funeral of an HS classmate-her father was a WWII veteran. I have no problem with a service era picture for the obit of an elderly veteran, and it is basically up to the family-or the individual. Likewise obituaries. What irks me is when they get details of a veteran's service garbled.
If I see mine in the papers I can tell everyone it is "greatly exaggerated."
 
The fundamental rule is pretty simple:

Your soul is your problem, but anything pertaining to your corpse after you don’t need it anymore should be planned solely with the survivors in mind, whether it’s funeral, obituary, will etc.

I’ve always thought an obituary with my picture and the text “I’m dead. Are you happy now?” would be fun. But there’s no guarantee the right people would read it, so maybe it would be better as an e-mail, with a list of addresses entrusted to some younger, healthier friends ;)

Oh, and one more thing: if you are important enough that your name might be connected with a collectible gun someone might be researching in the future, definitely make sure someone publishes your obituary, preferably online. Most of the info I’ve gathered on people, like police officers, associated with guns in my collection, has come from obituaries.
 
I Have Never Killed Any One, But I Have Read Some Obituary Notices with Great Satisfaction

Sometimes attributed to Clarence Darrow
 
I Have Never Killed Any One, But I Have Read Some Obituary Notices with Great Satisfaction

Sometimes attributed to Clarence Darrow

I will never admit to do that.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.:rolleyes:
 
My dad read the paper every day, the obits was the first place he'd go.

He said he looked there first to see if he had to go to work that day or not. LOL

One day I was over at his place and he opened the paper and didn't check the obits so I asked him why.

He said that everyone he knew had already passed away and he was the only one left so he no longer had an interest.

He was 92 when he passed away.
 
Every time I see obituaries that are glowing tributes I'm reminded of the George Carlin routine where he talks about the things people say after you die. Can't quote it here, I'd get banned.
 
Some newspapers--ours is one, and has gone to hell since Gannett bought it years ago--will print a short, only-the-basics obituary free, but charge a lot by the line for anything more detailed. That can be a real hardship for some people, after they have had to come up with hundreds of dollars, up to a thousand, just to open a grave with a back hoe.

Don't bother asking me how I know. Suffice it to say that my body will cremated immediately, there will be no funeral home visitation, and my ashes will go into the Kentucky River at the spot where I scattered my wife's. As for the obit, I don't care, but I don't want my kids spending a lot of money on it. My life has been interesting to me, but definitely checkered; and the estimated seventeen people other than family who will care that I'm gone will have gotten the word anyway.
 
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