Talk about bad timing. When you lose a loved one, you are dealing with grief, having to call family and friends, picking out a casket and planning a funeral. The thought of also having to write an obituary can seem beyond daunting.
“I really wished I would have thought about this with my dad’s obituary because I wrote it and I wrote it fast,” said Cathy Wurzer, broadcast journalist and founder of End in Mind Project, which is hosting an online workshop on Sunday, Feb. 23, to help participants learn how to write an obituary that truly tells the story of their loved one’s life or even their own life. “I just did it to get it done and I did ok, but I didn’t ask anyone else in the family. It would have been a much better story.”
It’s a high-stakes situation even for experienced writers like Wurzer. You are the ambassador of a legacy.
“An obituary notice summarizes the life of a loved one and everybody has a story that deserves to be told,” said Wurzer who, through her nonprofit, End in Mind Project is working to lead a movement to get more people comfortable talking about loss, dying and death and encouraging deeper inquiry into living with purpose at every stage of life.
A workshop on writing an obituary makes death not only the subject of conversation but also words in a newspaper that will last forever. It’s a hefty task. That’s why Wurzer called in two expert obituary writers to help, former Charlotte Observer reporter Ken Garfield, who she calls “a crackerjack obituary writer,” and the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Kevin Duchschere. Both have penned many memorable memorials.
“These two gentlemen are going to walk you through the steps,” Wurzer explained. “Most people don’t consider interviewing other family members or friends for stories. That is important.”
Equally important as input from others is crafting a lead, like what newspaper reporters do every day. It is a sentence or two that summarizes the most important element of a story, or in the case of an obituary, the person’s life. Wurzer says attendees will leave the workshop knowing the lead of their obituary and the steps to tackling the tough job of summarizing a life in a way that honors that person’s contributions and legacy.
“Recently, I was researching a gentleman who was a broadcaster here in the Twin Cities back in the day,” Wurzer recalled. “He passed in Arizona and I found his obituary. I know he had an incredible life and that obituary did not do that man justice at all.”
The workshop on Feb. 23 is also an opportunity for participants to write their obituary, as no one knows you better than you know yourself.
“I don’t know if I’m going to leave it up to someone else,” said Wurzer. “I’m going to be listening to my friends Ken and Kevin and taking my own notes.”
The End in Mind Online Obituary Writing Workshop is Sunday, Feb. 23, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. CST. The cost is $20 and you can register at www.endinmindproject.org.