Are you an obituary reader?

[momsgoofy]

I read the obits faithfully...just like my momma did!

She used to read to see if there was anyone she knew and then later she'd say she was checking to see that her name wasn't there. I've read them for as long as I can remember...doing the same thing...checking to see if there's anyone I know. I'm not forty yet, but have lost 3 classmates already and keep other classmates informed through a website we have and email. I also just find them interesting sometimes...you can learn a lot about a person's life. DH used to think this fascination was weird until he realized I usually knew that so and so died before he can tell me...read it in the paper, dear.

I also am a weirdo who reads the court reports and such...you never know whose name is gonna pop up for who knows what. Unfortunately, I have a sister who is still married to a wacko...don't talk to sis anymore, but if anything happens I'm sure I'll read about it in the paper.

Okay...at least I'm not a total weirdo who listens to the police scanner like my BIL! But again, we can keep tabs on the sister's wacko husband that way...

 

[klmall]

And even though it's a huge metropolitan newspaper I find that as I grow older I am seeing names of more and more people I have known. I'm puzzled too by the fact that so often someone who has died at a wonderful old age of 92 or more has a picture in the obit at age 24 or 28! That can't be the only picture someone still has of their loved one!

I read once that the obituaries are like a 'slice of life' (or death) and vary in style from community to community. So try comparing those published in your hometown to those published in a vacation spot newspaper etc.

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Always. Although most of my health care experience has been in pediatrics, I have also worked in geriatrics, so I read the obits in case any of them have passed away. And yes, my colleagues on the geriatric unit used to think it was really wierd (but somebody else was always finding our patients' obits before me, so I know I wasn't the only one reading them).

 

[JoenAdamnErinnSam]

Yes, two local papers and 2 out of town on line listings..but just a question, obviously Dan IS, but are any of you IRISH??? I always thought that's why I was born to read the obits-it's in the blood.

 

[mom2kazkids]

I am a nurse also and look at the obits to see if any of them listed are former patients.

Barb

 

[BrinxFam]

I read them every night on the internet for the next day...don't go to sleep until they are posted. I can't tell you why I read them so faithfully though because it makes me sound like a terrible person.

 

[LisaNJ25]

my best friend does and I get scared everytime I get an IM with a link.

 

[disykat]

I don't read through them, but I always scan the names. I have to go through all my papers when I return from a vacation to scan the obits as well. I'm always afraid I'll miss someone I know.

 

[luv2nascar]

yeah I read them daily. My parents who grew up here were transferred out of state 13 years ago. So I feel the need to report any deaths they need to know about. Go figure.

 

[Sparx]

I read them. I always thought I was kinda morbid though. I didn't think other people did that too.
I also like to look at gravestones. They tell alot about you/your family.

 

[Mandabella]

Yes, I do read them regularly.

I spent 7 years of my life working in geriatrics. So, I guess it's sorta "normal."

 

[delilah]

I read them in the local paper mainly because I am a doctor, and I want to know if any of our patients have passed away. As a matter of fact, the first thing I do when I get back from vacation is look at the obituary listings in the local paper. I also log onto the hospital computer first thing in the morning to see who is in the hospital. I once tried to unsuscribe from the local paper, because it really doesn't have all that much in it. That lasted all of two weeks, because of my obituary addiction. The local paper actually has a web site, but, in order to access it, you need to subscribe to the paper edition, or pay a fee that is nearly as much as subcribing.

 

[Miranda Danda]

I have reads the obituaries every single morning since I was 7 years old. I guess that's my "morbid" side..... I think it lead to me being a Crime Scene Investigator.

 

[Miranda Danda]

I read them in the local paper mainly because I am a doctor, and I want to know if any of our patients have passed away. As a matter of fact, the first thing I do when I get back from vacation is look at the obituary listings in the local paper. I also log onto the hospital computer first thing in the morning to see who is in the hospital. I once tried to unsuscribe from the local paper, because it really doesn't have all that much in it. That lasted all of two weeks, because of my obituary addiction. The local paper actually has a web site, but, in order to access it, you need to subscribe to the paper edition, or pay a fee that is nearly as much as subcribing.

In the county I live in, the dead person's doctor MUST sign a paper that the person was under their care and the death is something they are away of (not suspicious). If the doctor does not sign, the death is treated as a homicide until proven otherwise (crime scene works the scene and and autopsy is performed). Is it done differently where you live? I am always curious to see how different places handle situations.

 

[delilah]

In the county I live in, the dead person's doctor MUST sign a paper that the person was under their care and the death is something they are away of (not suspicious). If the doctor does not sign, the death is treated as a homicide until proven otherwise (crime scene works the scene and and autopsy is performed). Is it done differently where you live? I am always curious to see how different places handle situations.

In our county, the doctor signs the death certificate. If a patient dies unexpectedly, the police will call and ask if we will sign the death certificate or if we want the coroner to sign it (in cases where the death needs to be investigated for cause). I have been in practice for about 15 years, and have only been called by the police or ER physician about whether we would be able to sign the death certificate about 10 or so times, and this is in cases where the patient may not have been seen in our office for years, and then passed away. Usually the obituary shows up in the local paper before we would get the death certificate in our office, which is usually the day of the funeral and burial. If the patient has been ill and in the hospital, of course, we would know right away if the patient has died, but, we have 7 doctors, so I am only on call every seventh weekend and only every other Tuesday. The other days, the doctor on call would be notified of the death. If I were out of town, nobody would call me until I got back to town. Actually, recently, one of our patients died in a really dramatic, unexpected way. Her husband dropped her off in front of the church, then went to park the car. In the time it took him to park and walk back to the front of church, she had fallen and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. She either died that day or a couple days later. She wasn't my patient, but, I saw her obituary, and asked my partner what had happened to her.

 

[Miranda Danda]

In our county, the doctor signs the death certificate. If a patient dies unexpectedly, the police will call and ask if we will sign the death certificate or if we want the coroner to sign it (in cases where the death needs to be investigated for cause). I have been in practice for about 15 years, and have only been called by the police or ER physician about whether we would be able to sign the death certificate about 10 or so times, and this is in cases where the patient may not have been seen in our office for years, and then passed away. Usually the obituary shows up in the local paper before we would get the death certificate in our office, which is usually the day of the funeral and burial. If the patient has been ill and in the hospital, of course, we would know right away if the patient has died, but, we have 7 doctors, so I am only on call every seventh weekend and only every other Tuesday. The other days, the doctor on call would be notified of the death. If I were out of town, nobody would call me until I got back to town. Actually, recently, one of our patients died in a really dramatic, unexpected way. Her husband dropped her off in front of the church, then went to park the car. In the time it took him to park and walk back to the front of church, she had fallen and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. She either died that day or a couple days later. She wasn't my patient, but, I saw her obituary, and asked my partner what had happened to her.

Oh, okay! That sounds like what we do here! Awesome, thanks for taking the time to explain it. That is sad what happened to that lady.

 

[lilostitch]

Are you Gradma Mazur from the Stephanie Plum series? I love that old lady!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I don't read the page that lists the names alphebetically, just the ariticles.
Especially when i see over 90 and they describe their life back in the teens and 20's. I find it fascinating.

I like cemeteries, my husband thinks I'm sick!

 

[momsgoofy]

And even though it's a huge metropolitan newspaper I find that as I grow older I am seeing names of more and more people I have known. I'm puzzled too by the fact that so often someone who has died at a wonderful old age of 92 or more has a picture in the obit at age 24 or 28! That can't be the only picture someone still has of their loved one!

I read once that the obituaries are like a 'slice of life' (or death) and vary in style from community to community. So try comparing those published in your hometown to those published in a vacation spot newspaper etc.

I had a conversation about the photo thing once before my mom died...her take on it was that she wanted to have a photo of when she looked good...the way people knew her...not what she looked like when she was sick, which had basically been the last 9 years of her life. She'd had cancer (of many kinds) that left her with one third of her neck missing because of surgeries, her hair was quite thin due to various medications, she had lost quite a bit of weight and looked like the saggy baggy elephant, and the back third of her head was bald where the last surgery was performed. Mom was also not a fan of the camera...always thought she never took a good photo, but she had gone and had a photo taken at one of the portrait studios about 10 years before she died as a gift to us, her daughters. It was this photo that she wanted us to use when the time came. So, we did.

I'm not sure if it's just a local thing, but around here it is common to have many photos of the deceased throughout the person's life on display at the visitation and funeral. So, we all gathered our photos and showed our mom from her childhood through the end of her life with her family and friends. I guess it's a nice way to pay tribute to the deceased and the life they have lived and shared with others. Both of my nephews are quite proud of the last photo they each have with their grandma...it's a funny shot even if not so pretty. During the last few weeks of Mom's life she was very weak, but I happen to have taken the same shot of each nephew as they helped their grandma...Mom was sitting on the edge of her hospital bed with the grandson beside her holding her catheter bag and her signing to the camera "I love you".

Well, sorry for getting OT here...the post just got me to thinking about this.

 

[MNmom2]

I have read them for as long as I can remember! Also like walking thru cemetaries and reading headstones.