| Writing an obituary can be a daunting task so | | | | memorial gifts can be donated. |
| often funeral homes and mortuaries will write the | | | | An example of an Obituary: |
| obituary for you based on the information you | | | | Ariel Johnstone, of Lake Ridge, Alaska died |
| provide to them. Once you have collected the | | | | Saturday, September 27, 2008 in Sunnybrook |
| information about the deceased that you'd like to | | | | Health Center after a short fight against heart |
| include in the obituary, writing it is not that difficult. | | | | disease. |
| The hardest aspect of obituary writing is collecting | | | | Born in Tallwood, Minnesota, February 4, 1936, to |
| the dates and information about the deceased's | | | | Baxter and Thelma Parks, Ariel was an excellent |
| life. Writing the obituary for a loved one can be a | | | | student and a talented artist; she received her |
| therapeutic and welcomed task. This is your | | | | Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1965 from the New York |
| opportunity to show your loved one in the best | | | | University. |
| possible light and to include information about the | | | | She went on to create art and her works were |
| deceased that may not be widely known. | | | | shown in art galleries and museums around the |
| An obituary is a celebration of the deceased and | | | | world. Ariel took a position teaching art in 1992 at |
| it is an honor to be the one to write it. Now that | | | | the Alaska Community College where she taught |
| you have taken on this task, here are some | | | | until she retired in 2005. |
| ways to make the writing go a little easier. | | | | She was an avid outdoor adventurer and enjoyed |
| How to Write an Obituary, Sentence by Sentence | | | | living in Alaska's rugged environment. She chose |
| If you've read obituaries in the newspaper or | | | | to live out her days in Alaska because she loved |
| online, you'll notice that there is a pattern to them. | | | | the people, the land and the animals. |
| The always have certain elements included and | | | | Ariel is survived by her husband, Jake, her |
| the information flows from specifics of the death | | | | daughter Shelby and her son Christopher; her |
| and funeral, to details about the deceased and | | | | sister Alana and her husband Jonathan and their |
| surviving family. You can find sample obituaries to | | | | two children Alison and Aspen; her Aunt Betty |
| use as inspiration at ObituariesHelp.org. | | | | Oliver; cousins, Joshua, Gerald, and Chrystal; and |
| - The first sentence starts with the full name of | | | | her Uncle Ted Parks, his wife Suzanne and cousins |
| the deceased, the city in which they resided, the | | | | Georgina, Eric, and Shirley. |
| date they died, where they died and sometimes | | | | The funeral service will be held at 2:00 September |
| cause of death. | | | | 30, 2008 at Lake Ridge Funeral Home. In lieu of |
| - The next sentence often tells when and where | | | | flowers, donations can be made to the National |
| the deceased was born, and the names of | | | | Heart and Stroke Foundation. |
| parents. | | | | Writing your own Obituary |
| - Then the obituary can go on to give | | | | Some people write their own obituary before |
| accomplishments and a chronological account of | | | | death so that they include the information that is |
| the person's life and education. | | | | most important and relevant. If you choose to do |
| - A list of surviving family usually is at the end, | | | | this, you will save your loved ones time, but you |
| but can also be included right after the first | | | | might be robbing them of a chance to research |
| sentence announcing the death. | | | | your life and to say goodbye through the act of |
| - The obituary closes with the funeral, burial, | | | | writing your obituary. |
| wake, or memorial details and a foundation where | | | | |