the editor talks with you

Bob Hagerty gave himself a writing assignment that’s worthy of emulating. Bob writes obituaries of successful people, many of them neither you nor I have ever heard of. They are fascinating. For example, Bob wrote recently about Unita Blackwell who grew up poor and black in Jim Crow Mississippi, dropped out of school at age 14 to pick cotton and clean houses, volunteered to work in voter registration and became mayor of her town, the first black woman to do that in her state. I covered the civil rights movement in the south and urban riots in the northeast after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. I knew many civil rights leaders but had never heard of Unita Blackwell until Bob Hagerty wrote her obituary.

Bob has decided to write his own obituary, a task we might assign ourselves. As an obituary veteran, he advises us to avoid the standard form – a list of names, dates, achievements and our nobility, generosity and devotion to our families. Instead, answer what were you trying to do? Why? And how did it work out? Once you resolve to write your own obituary, how do you do it? Bob’s advice is to set aside 30 minutes a week until you finish. Write your obituary simply like a letter to your family and in your own voice. Where were you born, when and to whom, what did you do in life, how hard was it, what setbacks did you suffer, what obstacles did you have to overcome? Include the ups and downs, the triumphs and errors, even the humiliations. This is true confession time. It doesn’t have to go in the local newspaper. But your family will appreciate the bravery of your candor.

My Seton Hall University reporting students’ 1st writing exercise was simple: Write a 250-word obituary. Your loved ones will read it and smile. “He (or she) was sui generis,” they will say. If you don’t know what sui generis means, look it up. None of my students had the audacity of Thomas Mathews. His obit was submitted by a funeral home to a local newspaper: My wife asked, “Why don’t we get obits like this for our newspaper?” It read:

Thomas A. Mathews, 51, passed away on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, from total heartbreak due to a severe case of Dallas Cowboys Fan Syndrome. Thomas was born July 6, 1967, in Washington and traveled around the world throughout his childhood while his father served this great country. He settled down in South Carolina where he worked as a Corrections Officer at multiple prisons around the state. He worked part-time as a bartender while competing in local billiard leagues and enjoyed the misery his Dallas Cowboys brought him on Sundays.

That’s an obituary worth emulating. It inspired me to write my own.

Much-feared newspaper editor dies

After he lost his hair, many elected officials wondered where Jerry Bellune hid his horns. His life’s great tragedies included being a fan of the Carolina Gamecocks and Philadelphia Eagles.

Please note: No sentences longer than 15 words. Short and to the point. Here’s a challenge for you: Write your own obituary. Show your sense of humor. Make it light. Give your readers a laugh or two despite grim data about your life. Send me a copy and I will share it with others. All of us could use a good laugh.

Next: One giant step