Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Siphio Ntshebe
Opera singer dies at 34, before he had the chance to perform at South Africa's World Cup opening ceremony -- via the BBC
Art Linkletter
TV and radio host -- via the New York Times. It's difficult to remember now, but he was one of the most omnipresent personalities of his time. He hosted "People Are Funny" and "House Party," and was most famous for writing the book "Kids Say the Darndest Things," based on interviews with children. He could also be seen on our home's version of the Game of Life, above the statement, "I Heartily Endorse this Game."
Mary Page Stegner
Mary and Walace Stegner on their wedding day in 1934.
Widow of writer Wallace Stegner -- via the Salt Lake Tribune. The obituary acknowledges that the concept of a woman helping her spouse achieve his artistic goals seems contra-feminist; however, it also includes this quote from Stegner, who obviously treasured her:"She has had no role in my life except to keep me sane, fed, housed, amused, and protected from unwanted telephone calls, also to restrain me fairly frequently from making a horse's ass of myself in public, to force me to attend to books and ideas from which she knows I will learn something; also to mend my wounds when I am misused by the world, to implant ideas in my head and stir the soil around them, to keep me from falling into a comfortable torpor, to agitate my sleeping hours with problems that I would not otherwise attend to; also to remind me constantly (not by precept but by example) how fortunate I have been to live for fifty-three years with a woman that bright, alert, charming, and supportive."
Theresa Flannery
Soldier who was former beauty queen served with distinction in Iraq, dies at 32 -- via the Bellingham Herald
Joe Schubert
Philadelphia banker (not pictured above) was big part of the city's Mummers tradition -- via the Philadelphia Inquirer
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Raoul Abdul
Opera singer, classical music writer and editor, musicologist, and secretary to Langston Hughes -- via the New York Amsterdam News
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Martin Gardner
Mathematical gamesman, debunker of pseudoscience and writer -- via Discover magazine. Here's the New York Times obit, which contains a wonderful summation of his religious philosophy -- "He ultimately found no reason to believe in anything religious except a human desire to avoid 'deep-seated despair.' So, he said, he believed in God."
Saturday, May 22, 2010
"Gulf Oil Spill: Remembering Deepwater Horizon's dead"
The daunting task of memorializing 11 men killed in the Gulf catastrophe. A brilliant piece by Anna M. Tinsley of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
Obit Patrol: criteria for inclusion
What qualifies someone to enter the lists of the Obit Patrol? I have been running this blog for a few months now, and as I read more, learn more and make more choices, some rules emerge.
First, you have to be dead. I have seen that some folks track the state of the aged and ill who are notable, even to the extent of running odds on the speculated times of their demises. Although there is a vulturous aspect to we who follow obituaries, I won't cross the line into anticipating a death.
Second, I can't pretend to attain comprehensiveness. The flood of death notices that fill the pages of publications and websites globally would have to be attended to by a small army. Additionally, those who are well-known in other parts of the world may not come to my attention, no matter how diligently I scan the non-American news. Sheer necessity and time constraints impose selectivity.
I believe that everyone deserves an obituary. We are all unique and memorable souls, and I hope that when we are done with this world our passing will be marked with respect and affection. Sometimes, when catastrophes and violence take hundreds of thousands of lives at a stroke, that will not happen. Tragically, to my sensibilities at least, lives are wasted, ignored, overlooked, destroyed, and are otherwise subject to the caprices of fate. If you lose someone, my heart is there for you, but I probably won't be able to recognize it here.
Moving into specifics -- violent, tragic and unusual death in itself doesn't merit coverage here. Murders, suicides and misadventures, by and large, are subjects more fit for news reports.
Also, you won't always find the saluted or historically significant here. Heads of state, military leaders and others who receive de facto obituary coverage from all the major media outlets are not likely to get onto my list. They are well-honored in the public arena.
As my motto states, I focus on those who have made positive contributions in their time, especially those whose lives involved the arts and entertainment.The songbirds, the writers, the filmmakers, artists, dancers, funny folk -- anyone who has put more into the world than they took is welcome here. For example, the man who helped create the bazooka died recently. I'm sure he was a decent, honorable man, but I didn't put him in, although it is arguable that his invention helped stop more deaths from occurring.
You also get points for being interesting. Did you live your life with flair? Did you maintain a positive attitude in the face of discouragement? Did you retain your sense of humor? Did you serve as a good example? Then you're in.
And, if you played baseball, I got your back. It's just a personal preference -- I love baseball.
I hope that I can present a full spread of significant and inspiring life stories to you. I hope to include young and old, men and women, all races and creeds. If you have nominations for people I may have missed, or any other questions or input, please let me know. Thank you for sharing this interest with me!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Carla Zilbersmith
Singer, actress and comedian -- via the L.A. Times. She faced her impending death from Lou Gehrig's Disease by staging a one-woman show about it.
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