Obituaries: Why They Matter
Do you or someone you know read the obituary section of the paper every day? Some may find it a morbid practice, but in truth, the obituary is simply another means whereby we honor and celebrate the life of the deceased, and allow their memory to live on.
When losing a loved one there are so many things that need to be accomplished in a short period of time: notification of immediate family and friends that were important in their life, taking care of any legalities left behind in the estate, and choosing the right type of service(s). With all of these issues, memorializing your loved one in writing can sometimes get overlooked, but it’s an important step that should not be forgotten.
At Spring Grove Funeral Homes, our funeral directors are trained and prepared to help you manage this task. They will help you find just the right words to say. An obituary can, and should, reflect the personality of your loved one; it doesn’t have to be dry or purely informational. The words chosen can reflect the personality of your family member and allow those who may not have known them well to see a more personal side, if you so choose. There might have been hobbies and or collections that could be mentioned, even a favorite restaurant that was frequented. When putting an obituary together, you want to recall key points of the person’s life, family members survived by the deceased, and any major accomplishments, like military service or other achievements (such as working at the same company for 30 years). Whatever parts of your loved one’s life you decide to highlight, make sure they reflect the kind of person he or she was so the information can be passed on for years to come.
Years to come? Isn’t an obituary for right now?
Yes and yes. The obituary provides pertinent information for the current day—the notification of passing, the visitation and service times, and the service location. But, beyond that, when an obituary is published, it becomes a permanent matter of public record that has helped countless families over the years piece together their family lineage and genealogy. As a matter of fact, in many cases the obituary is the only record of a person’s existence that remains centuries later, and it is one that can be easily accessed.
We not only recommend getting obituary notices in the local papers, but as a courtesy to the families we serve, we also put them on our website (absolutely free of charge) for the convenience of your friends and family. Our online obituary listing even provides an opportunity for others to write their own memorial to share with your family. These notices are permanently stored on our website and will not be removed.
Writing an obituary may be the last thing you want to do when you’re in mourning, but it’s a chance to immortalize the one you lost. As we all know, no one lives forever—but with a good obituary, a part of them can.
