Special Feature

Writing an obituary

Beginning newspaper writers are often stuck writing the "obits." It's considered a boring, thankless job, and when you read what they've written, the boredom soaks through.

Many newspapers just put down the facts, and most guides to writing an obituary will suggest this pattern:

1. Name of deceased.
2. Date of death.
3. Cause of death
4. Date of birth.
5. Who the survivors are.
6. Anything notable done by the deceased.
7. Funeral information, plus visitation/viewing information if any.

This yields an obituary like this one:

Joe Blow, a 26-year resident of Podunk, Nev., died Feb. 27, 2002, of cancer.

Born on Feb. 28, 1902, he married Gyndolyn Weird on Feb. 14, 1922. She preceded him in death. He was a veteran of the second world war.

Survivors are son Bill, Podunk, daughter, Jill Johnson, Las Vegas, 12 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services Saturday, 2 p.m., Podunk chapel. Visitation one hour before the service. Buryem Brothers mortuary.

For most people, that's the kind of obit their newspaper gives them. As Joe Friday said in the old "Dragnet" TV and radio show, they want "Just the facts, Ma'am."

Unless someone is notable, that's the kind of obit they're going to get. Boring, Boring, Boring.

Not a good monument for a human life.

Recently, however, many publications have started charging for obituaries, and the result, after the initial outcry, has been marvelous.

Obits in those newspapers have livened up.

There is a story in almost every person's life, and that's the key in obit writing: to deal with it as a story of a life.

That approach yields an obit like this:

Joe Blow, 99, died Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2002, one day short of his 100th birthday.

The cancer he had been fighting for 20 years finally claimed him.

Born Feb. 28, 1902, Joe married his high-school sweetheart, Gyndolyn, on Valentine's Day, 1922. She died Feb. 14, 1992, on their 70th wedding anniversary.

Joe and Gwen fought for many years to have children, and were finally blessed with two marvelous children, Bill and Jill, who survive him. Additionally, he leaves behind 12 grandchildren and 50 great-grandchildren.

Soon after Joe and Gyndolyn were married, Joe entered the Marine Corps, finally leaving the Corps in 1936, with the rank of Captain. Recalled at the outbreak of World War II, he was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel, and worked as a field commander in the South Pacific, ultimately working in many of the United States' most hotly-contested actions.

He received the the Navy Cross for action during the South Pacific, and the Purple Heart for wounds received at Guadalcanal. .

Returning to his sweetheart after the war, and they set up a small ranch in Podunk. With a high school education, and further training made possible by the GI Bill, Joe and his wife parleyed that small ranch into Nevada's biggest food service company, which is currently run by his son, Bill.

Believing strongly in the value of a good education, Joe and Gyn put both their children through college. Bill received an MBA from the University of Southern California, while Jill received a Doctor of Medicine from Stanford University. She currently is in private practice as a neurosurgeon in Las Vegas.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Podunk Ward chapel, with a viewing one hour prior to the service. Burial will be at Podunk cemetary, with full military honors.

See the difference?

Sure, I've concocted all these details, and juiced them up a bit for effect; but every person has a story, and each of us deserves to have that story told. Paid obituaries and obits in more "enlightened" newspapers give people that chance.

Whichever way you choose, the formula is the same. Name, death date, birthdate, survivors, interesting anecdotes, funeral information. If there is a news element to this person that is interesting to a general readership (senators, founding fathers, first doctors, etc.,) then that information is highlighted as an explanation along with the name, in what we refer to as the "lead" paragraph:

Joe Blow, the former state senator who turned a small ranch into Nevada's largest food service company, has died, one day short of his 100th birthday.

 

Return to Monday Motivation's "Write your obituary and change your life"