A Fitting Tribute: How to Write an Obituary
Membership and Services, Fall 2011
153
LASTCALL
First of all, be aware of the prevailing length limit (presently
400 words).
I generally begin the obit with a flat statement, including full
name and title, of the time, place, and cause (if available) of death.
I then proceed to place of birth, date of birth, age, early
schooling and parents, as available and appropriate, followed by
the source and type of appointment to the Academy. The
description of the Midshipman career is usually very short, but
may well expand if he was an All American, a six-striper, Rhodes
Scholar, or whatever, and I try to include clubs and sports as
available. I always indicate which Company he (or she) graduated
with, as it is invariably asked for by Classmates.
If married, I try to include wife’s maiden name, home, and
date of marriage. If there has been more than one spouse—for
whatever reason—be as accurate as possible—these can be
dangerous rocks and shoals!
I generally follow with his (or her) service career, in as
much detail as possible, but keeping it concise. I ignore routine
“meritorious” and “attendance” medals, but highlight decorations
for valor ships, stations, and aircraft squadrons. I attempt to
pinpoint as fully as possible, but exact dates are not usually
included—they are too hard to get right.
Civilian careers should be covered in similar detail, and
include honors, fraternities, and civic distinctions as appropriate.
Advanced education and degrees are important in both civil
and military careers. Fit them in where they occurred.
In retirement, hobbies, charities, and clearly interesting
activities should be included. Use judgment about detail in listing
survivors—if there are only a few, detail is possible, but if he had
14 grandchildren, don’t try to name them all.
Occasional mild humor is not out of place—but pick your
subjects carefully!
Finish off with known details about place, date, and manner
of final disposal of remains and services. It is probably best to
avoid matters regarding memorial donations unless specifically
requested by family.
Remember that the family will be extremely attuned to
details, so be cautious about making any assumptions as to
relationships. Avoid them if unsure. Try to talk with a member of
the family other than the widow, in most cases, who will be able
to give details without inflicting further pain. I refer here to
divorces, estranged family, live-in girlfriends, deceased or disabled
children, etc., but it refers equally to all details.
Try to get an obit from the local paper—it usually has much
of what you want, but remember that unlike the local Daily
Bugle, you are writing for a specialized audience of Academy
Alumni, who are probably interested in some things that the
paper (and the family!) simply do not understand. References by
hometown papers—and widows—to “steering battleships” when
he was a DD skipper are not uncommon! Correcting that is your
job. Navy acronyms (like COMSUBORDDEVDET) probably
should be avoided if their meaning is not obvious.
If you write the obit, sign it. If the family writes it, credit
them, even if you edit. Keep in mind that the family will
probably clip and retain the obit, and it will be a keepsake for
them. They deserve good work.
And for God’s sake, try to get all the names spelled correctly!
The following is a fictionalized example, but you may find
other useful ones in previous and subsequent issues of Shipmate:
WATER TIGHT DOOR ’47
Water T. Door died of a stroke at Nowhere, NE, on 31 June 200X.
He was 75 years old.
A native of Nowhere, “Leaky” attended Enormous State University
prior to receiving his congressional appointment to the Academy
from Connecticut. He was a varsity fencer, was Fourth Battalion
Commander, and graduated with the Class in June of 1946 as a
member of the 15th Company.
Upon graduation, he served briefly in JONES (BB-96), and
decommissioned her, then operated from the Philippines for a year in
PCE-871 and another year out of Kwajalein in PC-1186. He served
thereafter in NEVERSINK (DD-999) until his resignation in 1949.
In 1949 he began his engineering career with Acme Widget Corp.
where he was to spend his entire civilian working life. He served as plant
superintendent of two widget-producing plants; superintendent of production;
assistant chief engineer, then chief engineer; executive vice-president,
president in 1970, president and CEO in 1971, then chairman and
CEO from 1984 to 1989, when he retired as chairman emeritus.
He served on the boards of numerous corporations, as well as on the
Robert E. Lee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Multiple
Numbness Society, the Boards of Trustees of Beauregard College and of
Agnes Trundleberg Seminary, was a past president of the Nowhere
Chamber of Commerce, and of the Amos Glotz Society of America.
He held membership in numerous professional, business, and technical
societies, was a member of Sigma Chi and of Rotary, and was particularly
active in working to make Nowhere the host city for the 1960
International Widgeting Competition.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, the former Mary Ann
McCarthy of Clam Beach, CA; sons, Water Jr. and Airtight; ten
grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Memorial services were conducted on 4 August 200X at the
Nowhere Memorial Church, with interment at Serenity Memorial
Gardens in Nowhere, and military honors were provided by the
American Legion, Nowhere Post 246.
—Chet Shaddeau ’47
A Fitting Tribute: How to Write an Obituary
By Chet Shaddeau ’47
