Obituaries

[Leafless]

I have a problem with this.

All these characters who include a picture of themselves in the obituary notices are mostly years younger than what they actually are.

Why go to all the trouble of a lengthily obituary and include a picture of a 25 year old when that person is in fact 80.

No one recognizes this photograph and for all practical purposes related to the obituary notice, is useless.

Is this the right thing to do or should the family either omit the photograph completely or publish one that is up to date?

[geoffrey]

It's a personal choice in a privately paid for ad.

[Wilber]

I hope you're not serious.

[newbie]

I have a problem with this.

All these characters who include a picture of themselves in the obituary notices are mostly years younger than what they actually are.

Why go to all the trouble of a lengthily obituary and include a picture of a 25 year old when that person is in fact 80.

No one recognizes this photograph and for all practical purposes related to the obituary notice, is useless.

Is this the right thing to do or should the family either omit the photograph completely or publish one that is up to date?

I don't think my deceased father would have wanted his emaciated cancer picture to go in his obit.

[Leafless]

It's a personal choice in a privately paid for ad.

Excellent observation!

But other than that don't you not think it's hypocritical.

Would a photograph on a bus pass or passport be a valid document if the picture was obsolete, with no resemblance to to what you currently look like?

[Leafless]

I have a problem with this.

All these characters who include a picture of themselves in the obituary notices are mostly years younger than what they actually are.

Why go to all the trouble of a lengthily obituary and include a picture of a 25 year old when that person is in fact 80.

No one recognizes this photograph and for all practical purposes related to the obituary notice, is useless.

Is this the right thing to do or should the family either omit the photograph completely or publish one that is up to date?

I don't think my deceased father would have wanted his emaciated cancer picture to go in his obit.

No of course not, but don't you think a more recent picture would suffice rather than a 25 year totally outdated one?

[newbie]

Actually, we put in a picture that was 21 years old. Dad was in the prime of his life then and he was extremely recognizable to all who knew him.

[Riverwind]

Would a photograph on a bus pass or passport be a valid document if the picture was obsolete, with no resemblance to to what you currently look like?

Who do you think reads obituaries? I have been told it is mostly older people reading about acquaintance and friends that they have lost touch with. In which case placing a younger picture is certainly more appropriate. People who have had an ongoing relationship with the person up until their death are not likely to read an obituary about the person.

[Leafless]

Would a photograph on a bus pass or passport be a valid document if the picture was obsolete, with no resemblance to to what you currently look like?

Who do you think reads obituaries? I have been told it is mostly older people reading about acquaintance and friends that they have lost touch with. In which case placing a younger picture is certainly more appropriate. People who have had an ongoing relationship with the person up until their death are not likely to read an obituary about the person.

Obit's are popular with a lot of readers as this publication tells the tale. Just another gossip column to many people.

http://www.nicholascountian.com/home/modules.php?name=Top

[BubberMiley]

But other than that don't you not think it's hypocritical.

Hypocritical? You don't even know what hypocritical means, do you?

[Canuck E Stan]

Obit's are popular with a lot of readers as this publication tells the tale. Just another gossip column to many people.

http://www.nicholascountian.com/home/modules.php?name=Top

When reading the obits I have notice two things:

1. I'm never on the list

2. People die in alphabetical order, why is that?

[theloniusfleabag]

Dear Canuck E Stan,

When reading the obits I have notice two things:

1. I'm never on the list

2. People die in alphabetical order, why is that?

Well done. I Have also wondered what they mean when someone 'passes away suddenly at age 92'. (Well, every death is 'sudden' really, one minute you are alive and suddenly you are dead.)

Leafless,

How can you complain about obituary photos being misleading? Any photo of them while alive would be 'misleading'. Would you rather a photo of the corpse?

[Leafless]

Leafless,

How can you complain about obituary photos being misleading? Any photo of them while alive would be 'misleading'. Would you rather a photo of the corpse?

So, then why don't we just leave out the picture, like most obit's were anyways before publishers decided: 'Why don't we make a little extra moolah by including a photograph'.

[Drea]

Leafless,

How can you complain about obituary photos being misleading? Any photo of them while alive would be 'misleading'. Would you rather a photo of the corpse?

So, then why don't we just leave out the picture, like most obit's were anyways before publishers decided: 'Why don't we make a little extra moolah by including a photograph'.

An obit is the same price picture or no picture. Cost is determined by the amount of space ie; 2 columns x 5". Whether or not this space is filled with text or photo or a combination makes no difference.

[leonardcohen]

I have a problem with this.

All these characters who include a picture of themselves in the obituary notices are mostly years younger than what they actually are.

Why go to all the trouble of a lengthily obituary and include a picture of a 25 year old when that person is in fact 80.

No one recognizes this photograph and for all practical purposes related to the obituary notice, is useless.

Is this the right thing to do or should the family either omit the photograph completely or publish one that is up to date?

Is it the deceased or the surviving relatives who decide what type of picture,if any is put in the Obituary?

I for one,would like to be remembered as a young man,at the height of my physical and mental powers, in my salad days,so to speak,but that's just me

[Leafless]

Leafless,

How can you complain about obituary photos being misleading? Any photo of them while alive would be 'misleading'. Would you rather a photo of the corpse?

So, then why don't we just leave out the picture, like most obit's were anyways before publishers decided: 'Why don't we make a little extra moolah by including a photograph'.

An obit is the same price picture or no picture. Cost is determined by the amount of space ie; 2 columns x 5". Whether or not this space is filled with text or photo or a combination makes no difference.

So, more space = more money.

Our newspaper pertaining for instance automobile photo's that accompany the ad, cost x-number of dollars.

[RB]

I have a problem with this.

All these characters who include a picture of themselves in the obituary notices are mostly years younger than what they actually are.

Why go to all the trouble of a lengthily obituary and include a picture of a 25 year old when that person is in fact 80.

No one recognizes this photograph and for all practical purposes related to the obituary notice, is useless.

Is this the right thing to do or should the family either omit the photograph completely or publish one that is up to date?

a friend and mentor of mine died accidentally about 5 years ago and they published a much younger picture even I didn't recognise the chap - but it was a favorite picture and has much more than special meaning for the grieving families, you'd be surprise how difficult it is to find that one picture when you really need it.

[Drea]

Yah, RB. The picture that is truly "them".

Leafless,

a car ad is different than an obit. A word ad for a car will take up about 1/2 cm (x 1 newspaper column wide). The picture has to take up an additional 1/2 cm, doubling the amount of space required.

An obit takes up about 15 - 20 cm so adding the photo doesn't have much of an impact on the size. The newspaper adds the photo at no extra charge.

[geoffrey]

Do newspapers check up on the deaths, or could I post the death of Leafless or anyone else in the Herald tomorrow?

[Drea]

Gee, I'll have to ask about that. *insert red face*

I've worked in newspaper for 15 years and have never ran across it or even questioned an obit when I was in classifieds...

[RB]

Do newspapers check up on the deaths, or could I post the death of Leafless or anyone else in the Herald tomorrow?

sounds like you are up to lots of juvenile mischief - I imagine you are liable for what you pay to publish.

I meant thats just not the way to wipe out a man

[Leafless]

Do newspapers check up on the deaths, or could I post the death of Leafless or anyone else in the Herald tomorrow?

sounds like you are up to lots of juvenile mischief - I imagine you are liable for what you pay to publish.

I meant thats just not the way to wipe out a man

Means nothing anyways, it's only on paper.

Gotta love these paper tigers!

[geoffrey]

Sorry Leafless, I was just using your name as your the author of the thread, hopefully no offense was taken.

[Leafless]

Yah, RB. The picture that is truly "them".

Leafless,

a car ad is different than an obit. A word ad for a car will take up about 1/2 cm (x 1 newspaper column wide). The picture has to take up an additional 1/2 cm, doubling the amount of space required.

An obit takes up about 15 - 20 cm so adding the photo doesn't have much of an impact on the size. The newspaper adds the photo at no extra charge.

This in fact is not true.

In Ottawa after checking with our major newspaper, space in obituaries is sold at $4.75 per line.

The average size picture (size of a larger postage stamp, 1"x1.25") that accompanies the obit, after determining line charge, amounts to about $28.00.

So, in fact you pay for the photo, it is by no means free.

[Drea]

Different newspapers do things differently I suppose -- at our paper, we don't sell it by the line but by the column inch (cm).

And I just asked our classifed rep... we do not check the legitimacy of an obit. So feasibly one COULD put in a fake one...