TheBanyanTree: Obits

[Jeri Xiques]

Sidda, her name was shown as Deanna "Dee" Churchill.  No middle name given.

Jeri

-----Original Message-----
From: thebanyantree-bounces at lists.remsset.com
[mailto:thebanyantree-bounces at lists.remsset.com] On Behalf Of TLW
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2010 12:11 PM
To: thebanyantree at lists.remsset.com
Subject: TheBanyanTree: Obits

Jules sed:

<<**a popular sentiment in Indiana obits, along with "gone to meet his
maker" and "gone to sit at the right hand of the Lord".>>

I have a collection of obits that say this -- or similar -- same thing
in more and more creative ways.  From Texas.

When I read obits, especially those from smaller circles (read: not
L.A.), I always read between the lines.  If the person is survived by
"her very loving daughter, Mazie,"  I know Mazie wrote the obit.  When
my mother died, my sister wrote the obit, and included "fearlessly
independent."   I wanted to say, "No.  She was terrified her whole
life, that's why she never left Daddy and never claimed her life as
her own and was so unhappy and such a terrible bully."  FIERCELY
independent, shure.  But fearless?  Never.  A frightened woman always
and forever.

My friends and I share a game much like Julie and Lee's obit game.
Only we begin with, "When questioned, authorities said..."  This
variation is probably because I hang around a lot of drama queens.
:-D

I actually like Dee's obit very much.  It is a small town obit, which
means everyone who read it knew Dee.  Being "the area's favorite
bartender" is even better than being the mayor.  And the fact that
they said "She was proud" of having the bookstore, rather than just
she ran it, is key.  There really was nothing more to say in the obit
-- in small towns, they are death notices, not life stories.  Everyone
already knows your life story, and will discuss it for days.  Longer
obits protest too much, defending your life if you're unpopular.

My mother's was rather lengthy.  And her funeral crowd was very small.
 I flew down for the day.  A couple of people in town came to the
funeral to see me, then left before the service.

I'm sure no one does such a thing at Dee's.

xoxoxos.

Julie, what was Dee's middle name?  I missed that.