An argument in favor of writing one’s own obituary

Posted by: Scott Tags: obituaries Posted date: February 17, 2013 | 2 Comments

I never met Edward Brinkerhoff Taylor, Jr., who died a few days ago at age 76, but I’ve got an idea he was a hoot.

I only know the man through his obituary that appeared in today’s edition of the Washington Post, which I read because, hey, I always read obituaries. I like seeing the shorthand of a life, and in this case, those final words made me laugh.

Because “despite his best efforts to the contrary,” Taylor “was honorably discharged from the Army,” owned “a series of convertibles bought and wrecked in his retirement” and regretted that he’d “outlived a number of the more venerable restaurants of the capital region and Midtown Manhattan, of which he was a habitual patron.”

I suspect, though I could be wrong, that Taylor had a hand in crafting his death notice, because of the wit that made it stand out from the other far more traditional notices which filled three pages today. Perhaps it’ll turn out that instead was due to his daughters having inherited his spark, but I’ll bet he gave them a few wry tips before lifting that glass of Tanqueray and saying, “end of story.”

Makes me want to start taking notes for that eventuality which I hope is still many decades off. Why leave it up to others, who in their attempts to be respectful might be far too circumspect to tell any sort of truth?

2 Comments for An argument in favor of writing one’s own obituary

Eric Helms Monday

Mr. Edelman, I wrote that obituary–the son-in-law who will indeed miss this extraordinary man. I will go to my own grave with a profound sense of gratitude to him, beginning with the day he gave his blessing to my marrying his wonderful daughter. Mr. Taylor was as advertised, and, having raised quite a few of those Tanquerays with him, I assure you his life was one hellacious story. My wife was of course vested with final editorial approval, and she strongly shared my opinion that no conventional obituary would have done the gentleman justice.

Scott

Which sort of blows my whole argument out of the water then! Unless, of course, you’ll allow that he did have a hand in writing it to the extent he wrote himself upon first your wife’s soul, and then yours.

Sounds like he was a hell of a guy, and I hope it gives you and your wife a small degree of pleasure to know that a complete stranger got all choked up reading this abbreviated story of his life aloud to his own wife late one Sunday morning.