Obituaries

I have read obits in newspapers since I was in high school and had the job at the funeral home. It was then of interest to know what the competition had in the way of "bodies" and to proof read the obits of our "clients".

Later in life as a practioner of neurosurgery, obits were of interest for a more practical reason. I needed to know who died out of interest in my patients who were ill or that I had treated in the past. One did not want to meet a member of the family out in public and inquire about how about Aunt Susie was doing, only to be told that she had been dead for months. Not kosher at all.

Now I read obits on the internet dealing with cities in which I practiced, as well as, the local obits in the local papers here. I still have a friend in the funeral home business, and I like to see how his outfit is doing. Why here in CH? Because the obits are so much more a form of art. They are known as "death circulars", and they often have ornate engravings besides the information about the deceased. Some weeks after a person dies, a eulogy appears in an adjacent page to the obits. There are usually 3-4 of these with each issue.

The eulogies are always glowing reports of the person's life from birth onward, with the story on their education, work, marriage, progeny, etc., and only a veiled report of the terminal events. No matter what, these are always crafted to show the person in the best light. Some guy may have been a lothario and an axe murderer, but you will never know it from his eulogy. Terms such as "birth" and "death" are replaced by "first saw the light of day" and "entered a peaceful sleep as the circle of life closed completely".