Comments on: The Omituary Must Die

By: jennifer

jennifer — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 18:13:31 +0000

Great MWT offer, Sue! That is probably Greek to everyone but us.

By: Sue R

Sue R — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:43:21 +0000

Jennifer,
I think I’ll write to my local paper as well. I’m always left wondering, especially with a young person, how did they die? And would you write my obit as well? Other then the key sentences…She loved her family, her children, her friends, but her passion was……(and you know what to fill in here)LOL I can pay you with a few MWT’s!

By: Walking In My Sleep

Walking In My Sleep — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 22:47:45 +0000

Obituaries are the FINAL honor we can pay to someone in a life well lived. You are so on the mark. BTW, I too, can’t understand the term “Passed”. It makes me think of gas…

By: jennifer

jennifer — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 16:49:12 +0000

Geoff, if my new word makes the OED, my work here would be done. Jim, thanks for the reminder of Uncle Ted’s foibles!

By: jennifer

jennifer — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:17:56 +0000

I’m sensing a new business opportunity. Perhaps I can start a sideline, pre-writing obits. And Lindsay, I trust that bitch line wasn’t in print – refreshingly honest, anyway!

By: Lindsay Todd

Lindsay Todd — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:43:12 +0000

What an incredible challenge to sum up the essence of someone’s life in a few short words. I am confident no one could do it better than Jennifer (which is why I asked her to write mine)! The tendency to “cleanse” history after death is pervasive. Just look for all the euphemisms for mean, stingy, selfish or rebellious. My favorite post-mortem description this year was when a friend commented on his sister’s death (breast cancer I think) by saying, “I am sad she died, but she was still a bitch!”

By: Geoffo

Geoffo — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:02:01 +0000

I expect to see “omituary” in the OED within the next 24 months. Great column.

By: jime

jime — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:44:50 +0000

Well writ! Although it is nice to be polite, a little color goes a long way. Our Great Uncle Ted, a famous curmudgeon, received 2 copies of the Emporia Kansas daily paper. One his long suffering wife could read, the other he filled with red marks and comments about typos, spelling etc. The editor, also long suffering, made back handed compliments about Ted’s home editing, how helpful and enlightening his insults were, in his obit.