obituaries

An obituary is a notice of the death of a person, usually published in a newspaper, written or commissioned by the newspaper, and usually including a short biography. It is similar to a funeral notice, which is also published on the obituary page. A funeral notice is a paid advertisement written by family members, placed in the newspaper by the funeral home.

Writing obituaries

Because of the short time between the notification of a death and the next publication deadline, most newspapers have one or more clerks who specialize in typing such things as obituaries. Sometimes, this task is given to a cub reporter (often to allow an editor to evaluate writing and copyreading skills), although today many obituary clerks also have other duties (such as typing news releases and social news). Some newspapers (the UK's Daily Telegraph, for instance) have one or more seasoned reporters whose sole job is to write obituaries for notable individuals.

Many newspaper affiliates (such as the Associated Press) have pre-written obituaries for famous people who are still alive; these obituaries are updated when the well-known person dies. Occasionally the author of an obituary will pass away before its subject. For example, Walter Sullivan authored an obituary of James Van Allen. Sullivan died in 1996, Van Allen died in 2006 [1].

Content of obituaries

Obituaries in North America

The content of obituaries varies, but (at least in American newspapers) usually follow a similar format:

• The person's name, age, where he/she lived and death date and place. Sometimes, the circumstances surrounding the death are publicized as well.
• Information about visitation (time, date and place when they can view the body and visit with family members); the funeral, usually at a funeral home and/or church; and often, the burial site. Sometimes, the names of pallbearers are also listed.
• The decedent's birth date (along with a maiden name if the decedent was a female who married and took her husband's last name), his/her birth town and his/her parents (often along with the mother's maiden name included).
• Marriage information (name of spouse, date and location of marriage). Sometimes, previous marriages are included, although this is usually at the discretion of the survivors.
• Where the decedent was employed (and if he/she is now retired).
• Memberships, from social and religious to vocational.
• Hobbies, notable accomplishments and other interests, as appropriate.
• A listing of survivors, including spouse, children (and sometimes, their spouses), grandchildren, siblings and other close relatives and friends. Occasionally, the list will include favorite pets or special friends.
• A listing of close relatives who preceded the decedent in death. Unless the decedent is young or is survived by his/her mother or father, his/her parents are not listed (especially when the decedent is very old, as it is assumed the parents are also deceased).

Custom obituaries

In recent years, some American newspapers have allowed relatives of the deceased to publish "custom obituaries," or death notices that do not follow the traditional style. "Custom obituaries" frequently include fond memories of the deceased, expanded information about hobbies and other activities in his/her life, etc. Frequently, such notices use euphemisms for the term "died" (e.g., passed away, went to be with his/her Lord, etc.), as to soften the blow of one's passing.

Many people are willing to pay a fee to publish "custom obituaries" so they can elaborately tell their beloved's story. These obituaries are very popular with some readers (who enjoy reading about friends and strangers beyond routine obituaries), although others believe they deviate from what they view as an obituary's true purpose – to acknowledge a death and provide information such as funeral details.

Obituaries in other countries

The obituary column is one of the most popular features of many UK newspapers. British obituaries of notable individuals tend to be somewhat less reverent than their American counterparts, and rarely omit the more controversial or negative details of their subjects' lives. This is mainly due to the influence of Hugh Massingbird, the former obituary editor of the Daily Telegraph, whose ascerbic, biting style has been copied by obituary writers at many newspapers, including The Times, The Guardian, and The Independent. An excellent example of the Telegraph obituary style is its 2005 obituary of royal commentator Harold Brooks-Baker. The popularity of the Telegraph style of obituaries has largely removed the stigma attached to obituary writing in British newsrooms; many British newspapers now have separate obituary departments staffed with seasoned writers.

Premature obituaries

By definition, obituaries should always be posthumous. Occasionally premature obituaries are published while the person concerned is still alive, either accidentally or intentionally. Most of these are accidental and concern well known personalities (such as Mark Twain and Bob Hope). Some others are published because of miscommunication between newspapers, family members and the funeral home, often resulting in embarrassment for everyone involved. One of the more famous premature obituaries of the 21st century is the August 2001 Telegraph obituary of Dorothy Southworth Ritter, the mother of American television star John Ritter.

However, some people will seek to have an unsuspecting newspaper editor publish a premature death notice or obituary out of malice, perhaps to gain revenge on the "deceased" or to obtain a financial settlement they believe they are entitled to. To that end, nearly all newspapers now have policies requiring that death notices come from a reliable source (such as a funeral home), though even this has not stopped some pranksters such as Alan Abel.

Obituaries in particular publications

Obituaries are a notable feature of The Economist, which publishes precisely one full-page obituary per week, reflecting on the subject's life and influence on world history. Past subjects have ranged from Ray Charles to Uday Hussein.

The British Medical Journal encourages doctors to write their own obituaries for publication after their death.

Pan Books publishes a series called The Daily Telegraph Book of Obituaries, which are anthologies of obituaries under a common theme, such as military obituaries, sports obituaries, heroes and adventurers, entertainers, rogues, eccentric lives, etc.

See also

• Eulogy (which should not be confused with an obituary)
• Funeral
• List of premature obituaries
• Lists of people by cause of death
• Recent deaths

External links

• Obit Earth -- a free world-wide obituary wiki (donation suggested), which encourages listing of Google Earth placemarkers to note significant places in the deceased person's life
• Family Notices NZ New Zealand Family Notices, including Death Notices, Funeral Notices, Eulogies and Obituaries
• Obits.com.au Australian Death Notices, Funeral Notices and Obituaries
• Obituaries India
• The Usenet group alt.obituaries, available through Google Groups
• The Smoking Gun: CNN.com premature obituaries
• Snopes on CNN.com premature obituaries
• Online Obituaries, Indexes & Death Notices
• The Obituary Depot has a free database with 420,000+ citations
• Obituaries from The Economist
• Pan Books search results for Obituaries.
• Obituaries from Topix.net
• Obituaries.com Obituaries for 50%+ of daily U.S. deaths
• Legacy.com Obituaries and Guest Books from 275+ U.S. and Canadian newspapers
• Obitcentral.com The headquarters for finding obituaries and performing cemetery searches.
• Obitlinkspage.com State-by-state directory of obituaries & obituary resources.