‘’It was beautifully written and she controlled the message, she was able to tell her own story in her words,’’ she says. She says there seems to be more openness and less fear about death, recalling an essay written by a dying woman in search of a new wife for her husband. She says strangers might find her passion for obits a bit weird, but not those who know this woman who drives a red Prius with “OBITLDY” on her New Hampshire “Live Free or Die” license plate.Ĭhicago Sun-Times obit writer Maureen O’Donnell, who recently served as president of SPOW, says obituaries and paid family death notices have become as beautiful and creative as ever. Walker, a member of The Society of Professional Obituary Writers (SPOW) and author of The Blog of Death (now on hiatus), says she has written more than 1,600 obituaries, including one for evangelist Billy Graham and those for her cats, which she says helps her cope with the loss of her pets. Nobel, a Swedish chemist and businessman, was disheartened to be labeled a “merchant of death” who had grown rich by developing new ways to kill. It is believed that Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, was inspired to devote his fortune to charity by establishing the Nobel prizes after reading his own obit that was mistakenly released upon a brother’s death. Seeing what your obituary might look like can be life-altering. “Think of your obituary as an aspirational guide for the rest of your life,” writes David Evans, a counselor/mediator in an article for Psychology Today. “Think of your obituary as an aspirational guide for the rest of your life” Some psychologists say the act of writing your obit can serve as a wake-up call and inspire people to make changes, to live more fully and intentionally. While the numbers of those writing obituaries professionally is on the decrease, those who practice the craft say it’s become more creative and fun, and has been opened, in some cases, with the assist of technology, to more people who are attempting it themselves, sometimes quite successfully.

Following the shooting death of five journalists in Maryland, she redid her obituary, making it more personal, less about accomplishments. This year, she decided not to wait to rework it. “It wasn’t real until I saw it in print.” As Walker wrote her own obituary then, she thought, “I need to start living a life that is obit worthy.” Now, she updates her obit annually, usually around the time of her birthday.

In those days, there was no Facebook and other online social media to alert you more quickly.īefore that, death wasn’t real, says Walker, now 44, an overnight editor for The Huffington Post. The friend had fallen asleep at the wheel. At the same time, her mother sent her an obituary for a high school friend with whom she had attended drivers education class. Jade Walker says she first wrote her own obituary in college for a journalism assignment.

Sample obituary for an interview answer