If you’re the sort of person who likes to settle in front of the fire with a nice column of obits, there’re none we rate higher than those in the Times Colonist, in Canada. They’re not all brilliant, of course. But every so often you’ll encounter one which isn’t a catalogue of biographical facts that merely tell you what the person did, but, instead, a corker which tells you what the person was like. Here’s a good example:
OSEPHSON, Blanche Passed away suddenly on December 22nd at her home for the last ten years in Victoria, BC. Born May 19, 1920, the only daughter of poor Russian immigrants, Blanche was a first generation New Yorker. She married her devoted husband Herman of 45 years and started their lives together. They moved to Las Vegas in the 50’s and then to Los Angeles in the 60’s. Together their family grew and hard work brought success.
Through life’s twists and turns, she never forgot where she came from. Blanche always kept the family and the home first before anything else. She was generous to the people she loved, opinionated, passionate and outspoken about what was right and wrong. Mother, grandmother, and great grandmother she will be missed. She is survived by her son Maxwell, daughter-in-law Wendy, daughter Miriam (Michaels), grandsons Matthew (Celina) and David, granddaughter Emma, and great grandson Rhys.
Blanche will be laid to rest between her beloved Eugene and Herman on December 30th, 11:00 am Eden Memorial Park, Missions Hills, Ca.
As she quite often said “other than that, there is not much else doing.”
Later in the same column there’s this:
CLARK, John Anthony 14 February 1941 – 25 December 2011 My life is over. After almost 26,000 days on Planet Earth I have moved on. The Grim Reaper called since I did not overcome cancer. Life began in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorkshire, the only child of Nellie and Jack Clark, in a working class environment. After a happy childhood I surprised myself by obtaining a Degree in Sociology from the University of Leeds…
Read it all here.
