Lasting Reflection

 

Obituaries and Memorial Programs

Written with Style and Grace

Professional Obituaries

Why a Professional Obituary?

You or someone in the family may be a skilled writer. Online resources can give guidance. Then again…

  • Will the task get the writer’s full attention?
  • Can they do it in a timely manner?
  • Will they get all the pertinent facts?
  • Can they go beyond dates and places to describe the person’s spirit?

Why Lasting Reflection?

This situation calls for personal, caring attention.

Invest in a writer who won’t cut corners.

Your web search likely revealed multiple obituary writers. Many are excellent. But be wary of a price that seems too low. Insist on knowing who the writer is and seeing examples of their work.

AI cannot give your memorial a human touch.

Despite how amazing artificial intelligence seems, it cannot (yet) produce the graceful artistry of a caring writer. AI obits are cliché-ridden and rife with generalities. They lack a genuine voice.

I am a detail person.

My questionnaire reflects that. I will interview several people and make multiple drafts as needed. I will give you something – a lasting reflection – that you will read, share, and keep in a safe place to be revisited later.

I promise to give you caring, creative, and cost-effective work.

Providing this service to those in need gives me greater satisfaction than I got as a technical writer and editor. I want you to be satisfied too. You pay for only what you need. See Products and Prices.

Cautionary Tales: Letters to Dear Abby

This is a difficult time. Hurried decisions are often poor ones. Witness this woman’s hurt after her husband of 38 years died. She wrote to Dear Abby upon reading the obituary.

“Our daughter and I were not mentioned in it! It was written by my father-in-law. I am very upset.” Abby responded, “Obituaries are usually written during a time of great stress. Grieving families…can be distracted not only by the pain of their loss, but also by the many details that must be attended to.”

Another Dear Abby example shows that even the person who knew him best failed to capture the essence of her departed husband.

“He died suddenly. Because of shock, anxiety and pressure to get his obit into the newspaper, I rushed it…and finished it at 4:00 a.m. Since then, I have been unhappy and uncomfortable with it. It wasn’t thorough or personal or loving. It was ‘just the facts.’ I have always wanted to redo it.”