Lasting reflection
Obituaries and Memorial Programs
Written with Style and Grace
Examples
Obituaries
An Obituary is meant for publication by others typically in a newspaper or on a website. It is narrative only. You may publish it wherever you wish.
Quotes and descriptive language add life, making an obituary less mechanical.
Note how specific details reveal this person’s character.
The desolate Marshall Islands in the South Pacific were an early stop on his international tour. At a time when most people wrote letters, Dave sent audio tapes to his family. Using his dry, often sardonic wit, Dave would ridicule the local entertainment options, thus excusing the debauchery to which he and his mates were driven.
Dave enjoyed gourmet cooking, especially for large groups. His eclectic menus combined European, South Pacific, and Middle Eastern influences. He insisted on the best ingredients, careful preparation, and an aesthetic presentation. Recently, he was towing his fifth-wheel trailer when he hit a dip too fast. He described loads of china breaking from the impact. When asked why he didn’t have plastic dinnerware, a weight-saving strategy that would have improved his old truck’s towing ability, he replied, “I refuse to compromise.”
Wilma Chiles Obituary – 389 Words – ($253)
Typical length for a newspaper obituary 300-500 words
Wilma Chiles
May 23, 1919 – March 21, 2005
Wilma Chiles, longtime San Diego area resident, child of the flu pandemic of 1918-19, adolescent witness to the Great Depression, wartime defense worker, major contributor to the baby boom, post-war homemaker, and lifelong Christian, died March 21 after a brief illness. In an almost scripted fashion, she passed quietly in the presence of her pastor, Robert Mentze, and her daughter, Karen Stevens, of La Mesa. (continue reading)
Edward Anderson Obituary – 647 Words – ($420)
Typical length for a website obituary 500-800 words
Edward E. Olson
October 12, 1933 – September 5, 2021
Studies have proven a cognitive link between math and music. Ed Olson’s life provides additional evidence. Ed was an accomplished musician, choir director, and music teacher. He also founded a successful tax-return business. Ed is now directing a choir in heaven and certifying the Lord’s income as tax-exempt.
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Memorial Programs
The Full Memorial Program is a turnkey document with photos, graphics, memorial-service agenda – all the elements of a program.
Ralph Stark Memorial Program (cover and excerpt from first page) – 4 pages total
The Stark Family Band. Seated (l-r), Ralph and Neil. Standing (l-r), brothers Gene and Ed.
Any discussion of Ralph Stark’s life must begin with family—the Stark Family Band. In the days when the Salton Sea still had enough water and vitality to attract visitors, Ralph and his two brothers and parents played old hillbilly folk tunes brought from Arkansas. They never made it to the Grand Ole Opry, but Ralph came away with a lifelong love of music and family.
In Memoriam
An In Memoriam tribute can be quite lengthy. It is a keepsake intended to capture a fuller scope of someone’s life with multiple quoted sources and a unifying theme. To allow adequate time for a thorough treatment, it is often done after the service.
In Memoriam – E. Alan Comstock – 998 Words
In Memoriam – E. Alan Comstock, MAI
Ironic that a man about whom so much could be said chose the least instead. Longtime San Diego appraiser E. Alan Comstock, MAI, in failing health, had dictated most of the notice that was published in the San Diego Union in late November.
COMSTOCK, E. ALAN E. Alan Comstock passed away peacefully on November 1, 2009, at his home in San Diego. He was born on April 6, 1928, in Lincoln, Illinois. During the Korean War, from October 1950 to November 1953, he served in the United States Air Force. He relocated to San Diego in 1953 and worked as a real estate appraiser and consultant until his retirement in 1993. Alan married…
Short, perfunctory, emotionless, even clinical, the notice said Mr. Comstock had requested there be no formal service. It concluded by directing donations to the San Diego Zoological Society or Shriners Hospitals for Children. Karlene Perry, who had worked for Mr. Comstock in the early 1980s, took the dictation and asked him if they shouldn’t elaborate a bit. He firmly declined. He stated that he did not want it to be “all flowery.” (continue reading)
In Memoriam – John Rego – 725 Words
In Memoriam – John G. Rego, MAI
John Rego, revered appraiser, family man, and amateur athlete, passed away March 7. During his career as a right-of-way agent, appraiser, and review appraiser, John worked with and influenced several notable local members of the industry.
Mr. Rego came to San Diego shortly after graduating from Sacramento State University with a B.A. in psychology. That academic orientation was surprisingly useful in his appraisal career as he made a habit of understanding people and forging relationships that lasted a lifetime.
Ted Hendrickson, for example, met Mr. Rego when they started at Caltrans together in 1970, roomed with him at right-of-way school, served as his best man in the mid-1970s, and maintained a close bond to the end. Roger Lopez and Mr. Rego met in 1978, used a buddy motivation system to get their designations at the same time, and remained friends. He stayed in touch with right-of-way appraisers whom he had met decades ago, and had colleagues in the development and lending fields. Dale Smith estimates that more than 25 appraisers were in the crowd of hundreds at Mr. Rego’s memorial service March 12. (continue reading)