Should *you* have a 'long, interesting obituary'?

[Oeditpus Rex]

This isn't the first time I've had this thought — I used to write newspaper obits — but this bit of a post by AspieGrrl got me thinking:

I want to inspire people. I want to change someone's life. And when I do die, whenever that may be, I want to be the type of person who can have a really long, interesting obituary in the paper.

I'm of the belief that nearly everyone's life rates much more than the standard newspaper obit, but the time to research and write it and the amount of space in the paper are limiting.

Will you leave a "really long, interesting" legacy? Would you want it recorded for history?

[crim son]

1. Maybe I should be, but I won't.

All my life's adventures occur inside my head so nobody cares.

[DarkTirade]

2. If I died now, not so much.

I'd like to when the time comes though. :evilgrin:

[SacredCow]

3. No, and No....

Personally, I want as little fanfare and financial outpouring as possible when I shuffle off. If it were legal to bag me up in a 2-ply hefty bag at the curb, that would be in my will.... But until then, my request is the cheapest cremation possible- no services, no obits, no flowers. And whomever I happen to be with at that time can cash in my savings account and fund a trip to the Carribbean to scatter my ashes over the blue water, then have a Margarita in my memory.

[Evoman]

4. Interesting lives are over-rated.

I used to want one as a kid, but now...not so much. I don't want a lot of hoopla, since I can't stand a lot of hoopla when others die. But people being people, they have the need to grieve and do elaborate bs and have a big obit.

Burn me up and throw me in a river. I don't freakin care.

[MrCoffee]

5. no.

[Phillycat]

6. If I don't have the wherewithal to write my own story, no one else should have to

do it either. :shrug:

[Rambis]

7. Here lies David St. Hubbins... and why not?

I like them short and sweet-

[Call Me Wesley]

8. My body will be embalmed,

I will have my own tomb, and there will be a small souvenir shop, where you can buy my censored books.

No wait, that's Lenin. Duh.

Seriously, no. If I end up with a legacy of some sort, I really don't want an aspiring journalist to come up with an opus.

[rbnyc]

9. I'd rather write my memoirs...

...before I die.

I have had a really interesting life so far. And people are either really good at faking it, or they like hearing my stories. IN any case, I enjoy telling the,, and I'd love to get it all down someday.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. One of my goals is to get my obit in the New York Times

[Midlodemocrat]

12. My SIL's obit was in the NYTimes.

:cry:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. Then your goal should be to expire in some really strange, spectacular and public way,

and preferably in or near the lobby of the New York Times building.

[SteppingRazor]

11. I'd rather have a posthumous increase in autobiography sales than a long, interesting obit...

of course, I'll have to get around to knocking out that memoir first.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. I must have been typin when you posted...

:toast: Here's to great minds.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. I think I'd rather write a moderately long, interesting autobiography

and have the proceeds benefit some worthy cause.

[ZombieNixon]

15. I'd prefer a long, interesting biography, a moderately informative obituary,

and a short, pithy epitaph. :P

[Deep13]

16. "Total Bastard Deep13 Finally Dead"

That's the column heading.

[mentalsolstice]

17. We've written several obits and eulogies

For the obits, we generally try to stick to basics, born, died, survivors, very brief description of military/job experience in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, we include a few short fun facts about the person, something to make people chuckle, and basic funeral info. Eulogies are the same way, acknowledge the family and close friends, a little bit about how much the person will be missed, and then a couple of funny stories (leave them laughing at the end). We've (my husband and I) have had so many compliments on our obits and eulogies, I told him maybe there's a possible business opportunity, kinda like resume writing. However, when we've done this sort of thing, it was always for close friends and family, so I don't know how it would be for strangers.

BTW, my father-in-law died a couple of weeks ago, my husband's 19 y.o. great-nephew gave the eulogy for his great-grandfather, and he did a kick-ass job!

[Oeditpus Rex]

21. There are very few good obituarists anymore

Most larger newspapers used to have one, but now, at all but a few papers, story obits typically go to whichever general-assignment reporter is available, and many small and even some mid-sized papers just copy and paste the info from funeral homes. :grr:

I actually enjoyed writing story obits, though I didn't look forward to making the calls. The bereaved often embrace the opportunity to wax nostaligic about their departed one, but once in awhile you get someone who's all torn up, and you feel like a bit of a vulture.

Here's one I wrote a few years ago that I was kinda proud of. http://tinyurl.com/2ot8ka

[LaurenG]

18. No, I won't. I hope by the time I die the people who mean the most to me

will already know who and what I am. It would be meaningless to strangers and those who know me won't need it. Plus it's too expensive and I think whoever gets what little I have should use it to have a party and try to feel better.

I am also a firm believer in cremation and I wish it was legal to build pyre's in the front yard.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

19. My long and interesting life is one thing. My obit can be short and

sweet. They will have to find my body first :D

[TexasBushwhacker]

20. Short & sweet for me

Having written my mother's obit, I found out that long ones are EXPENSIVE!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. Whether or not I should, I most likely won't.

"Hey, did you hear old what's-her-face croaked?"

Something like that is more probable.

[regnaD kciN]

24. Only if completely fictional...

:evilgrin:

[lost-in-nj]

25. not really

and I am trying to get divorced before either one of us dies.....
he's not my devoted or beloved husband.....

don't know what to say....


lost

[fudge stripe cookays]

26. Because I am documenting my entire family....

and most of what has allowed me to do that is thorough obits of family members, my husband has been instructed to give me a decent one.

I'm doing something important, and I'd like to be remembered fondly for it.

[Bicoastal]

27. He was the very first man...

...ever to try and assassinate Grover Cleveland long after he was already dead.