USING THE RIGHT OBIT PHOTO [R, 2-4-21]

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith & Life for the Years of Winter

USING THE RIGHT OBIT PHOTO [R, 2-4-21]

My friend, Bill White, died 9 days short of his 84^th birthday. All the obits said he was 83. They cheated him out of 356 days! That is why I am today greatly relieved. They can’t cheat me out of any of that 84^th year now. At least they used a good photo of him. Bill had a beautiful smile. It was the right photo to sum up his life.

I read the obits in 3 different newspapers each day. Two of them send them to me by email. I am struck by the number of people who don’t have a good photo available for their obit.

By good, I don’t mean from a photographer’s studio or a church directory. Those are okay, but not necessary. Just a decent shot that captures the soul, that tells us who that person really was.

But so many obit photos are only un-posed snap shots, and look like they were taken with a Brownie by a drunk, [or maybe a drunk Brownie], [I’m assuming you are old enough to remember Brownie cameras and thus realize that I am not belittling junior Girl Scouts by suggesting they drink too much booze] or are obviously cut out of a selfie with a bunch of other folks. It just doesn’t seem adequate. After all, that photo is trying to capture a whole life, show us what that life was like.

I admit, though, that I especially like the photos from when we of the dying generation were young—nurses in their white caps at graduation, soldiers and sailors, college year books. It’s nice to be reminded that we once looked like that. I guess those don’t capture the whole life, but they do show what we hoped for.

So pay some attention to the photo that will go with your obit. Pick it out ahead of time and make sure your heirs or the funeral director know to use it. Be sure it captures your essence, floppy socks and all. 

 

 John Robert McFarland