Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Funny Obituaries


Recently, an obituary published in our local paper (the Binghamton Press-Sun Bulletin) had people talking about a retired teacher's life - and the funny obituary written about him.

Yes, it started out and ended with digs at our current President, but even if you are a total Trump supporter, the rest of this obit is still well worth reading.  (Just skip the first and last paragraphs).

This follows in a small but perhaps growing tradition of funny obituaries. 

This brings me to a question some may think strange: have you written your obituary yet? 

I haven't.

Years ago, I worked with someone who went back to college, and had to take an English course.  Her first class assignment: "write your obituary".  This assignment made her think, and think hard, about what she had accomplished in life, and the direction in which she wanted to go next.

What she wrote was interesting.

You should try it sometime, she told me.

I haven't tried it yet.

Nor have I ever written anyone's obituary.  But sooner or later, many of us are called upon to do just that.

Will we do the person justice?  Will we write a good tribute?


What about you?   Have you ever written an obituary?

9 comments:

  1. I, too, have read some wonderful obituaries. (One even led me to donate in that person's honor- with no other personal connection!) I have written more than a few obituaries- for my friends and myself. Thankfully, my life keeps continuing, affording me reasons to update the item.

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  2. Thanks for the links to the hilarious obituaries and for the idea of writing my own, which I haven't. What an interesting exercise this would be.

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  3. My first writing assignment in my first journalism class was to write my obit. I also spent time as the obit writer at our local paper. A very interesting topic - for sure!

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  4. I'm pretty sure there won't ever be an obituary for me. Not that I won't die. Just that no one will bother to submit it anywhere. That's the kind of life I live.

    I haven't had to write one, but my sister-in-law just attempted to write one for her mother. She wasn't happy with how it turned out.

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  5. I haven’t ever written one. And, I guess I won’t be able to write a good one. :/

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  6. I have not written one but I doubt it will be easy to write because we need to do justice with our words, don't we?

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  7. How funny. I can't imagine writing funny obits! Fascinating theme! Do you ever wonder how you'll get through everything and survive? Thankful Thursday Week 12 and getting through your writing craziness

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  8. I hadn't thought about it but I do have a dark sense of humor and often quip that mom's purse is getting its own urn since she won't even go to the bathroom (at home) without it!

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  9. When obituaries are written in a funny way, they help make people feel light-hearted.

    If people take obituaries seriously, death would become a concern to them and, they may not experience a normal life anymore.

    When you've overcome your fear of death, and dying, you can write your own obituary.

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