Here Lies the Todcast

by Tony Russo
contributing Hair Grower

The lesson for this week is write your own obituary. Seriously and, like, soon. When I’m not Todcasting I’m a newspaper editor (let it pass for now, that’s what my business card says) and as a result get sent a number of obituaries.

Most obits are very basic:

This person is dead. The people they left behind will miss them. They will be buried at a certain place and time. Send a donation in their name someplace.

Occasionally, though, I’ll get a more detailed one that is as much biographical sketch as obituary — and really, with the exception of the date of death what’s the difference? — and they are always an interesting read.

It’s an open secret that newspapers rarely if ever “cut” obituaries. First, because it’s a little cruel and second because it’s probably bad luck. I normally just make it conform to AP Style very rarely changing anything except maybe to clean up the grammar.

Point is: these are the last things most people will have written about them for public consumption. Make the most of it.


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