On death and writing

How to write an obituary in an hour:

1. Brainstorm with whoever is present about the person's accomplishments and career. (10 minutes)
2. Look through any files that are available for resumes, retirement announcements, and evidence of community activities and add these to the brainstorming list. (10 minutes)
3. Make a list of the person's parents, children, and siblings--for living relatives, include the cities where they live. (10 minutes)
4. Look at obituaries in recent newspapers, noting the outline and highlighting phrases that could be adapted to the current situation. (10 minutes)
5. Write the obituary using the same outline and structure as the ones in the newspaper. (20 minutes)

You can stop after step 3 and someone at the funeral home will write the obituary from the information. It's difficult to find a sense of accomplishment in anything during the week after someone dies. Writing the obituaries for each of my parents was rewarding to me at two times when I needed it.

The obituary I wrote for my mother has already appeared in the Hannibal Courier-Post. It will be in the local papers later.

We also wanted a biographical sketch for the back of the funeral service bulletin. I started with the obituary, but it evolved into something else that we liked better. This is what we ended up with:

Sara Ann Hoover, the baby of a large family, grew up on a farm,
graduated from Purdue University, and then married Robert Dale Weese in 1961. Sara Weese was active in the church and community in her professions of church secretary and arts administrator and in her volunteer roles with many organizations.

Sara loved parties, particularly ones where people dressed up in
interesting costumes. She and Bob enjoyed traveling together, taking long road trips to visit friends and sites in various corners of the country. She traveled to Tipton, Indiana every year for the annual family reunion. At home, Sara enjoyed reading and was a frequent patron of the library.

Music was a recurring theme in Sara's life. Singing with her
siblings around the piano was a fondly remembered entertainment from her childhood. She traveled with a choir during college, made music in churches as a choir member and instrumentalist, and taught her children to read and appreciate music. Throughout her adult life, she always regarded her opportunities to attend concerts and musicals as highlights of each year. For Sara, making a joyful noise was a comfort during tough times and a celebration at all times.     #

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