Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Aaron Joseph Purmort, 35, protected Minneapolis for many years

He is survived by his parents Bill and Kim Kuhlmeyer, father Mark Purmort (Patricia, Autumn, Aly), sisters Erika and Nicole, first wife Gwen Stefani, current wife Nora and their son Ralph, who will grow up to avenge his father's untimely death. (H/T Lisa Sayers)

Friday, October 17, 2014

Salvatore Buchetto,66, measured out at 73 1/2 inches, and a bouncing 232 pounds, 9 ounces

Devoted to a malfunctioning series of TR-6 autos, Sal single-handedly supported the used parts industry for that model over the years. An accomplished photographer, his "Photography by Salvatore" business captured the romance of hundreds of newly wedded couples. He supported Native American causes through his visits to state casinos, and was widely-read through his frequent contributions to the Stamford Advocate editorial page on a wide variety of serious and satirical topics. In tribute to Sal, it's rumored that big screen TVs across the state will be dimmed to half-brightness, and take-out cups of coffee will be served only half full. (It is expected that profits at County TV, Best Buy, Dunkin Donuts and Donut Delight will drop significantly.) Sal was a long time member of Grace Evangelical Church on Courtland Avenue, and loved Jesus. (H/T to Peter Elikann)

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Howard Cocks Dickinson IV, 78, walked through heaven's gate "prick first"

Crow was a lover of hunting, fishing, food, the woods, women, politics, dogs, guns,porn, and last but not least, himself. He was The Master teacher of knife sharpening, iron pan cleaning, lawn mowing, gun cleaning, cooking roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and gravy, making "dredge," double-buttered toast, turning off lights, closing windows, sharpening chain saws ... and much much more!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Raymond Alan "Big Al" Bromley, 82, loved bacon, beer and butter pecan ice cream

Big Al was known for his timeless words of wisdom, including "Life is hard; but it's harder if you're stupid" and "Don't be a jackass." He had a life-long ménage a trois with his homemade chili and Gas-X. He had a great fondness for sardines on crackers, stuffed cabbage (which he lovingly called hunky hand grenades), making turtle soup, and eating BLTs. And his famous holiday eggnog had enough whiskey to grow hair on your chest.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

W.R. "Dick" Dell, 93, died

His sense of humor ­— and grammatical precision — was with him until the end, said his daughter, Paula “Polly” Dell. “He was telling the nurses and doctors, don’t tell me to ‘lay’ down. It’s ‘lie’ down.”

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Margaret (Marge) Aitken Holcombe, 84, leaves a witty selfie

I died at Hilton Head Hospital from a wide assortment of ailments on Tuesday, August 12, 2014. When a friend facetiously asked if I was writing my obituary before or after I passed away, I told her "Carol, I know my limitations."

Monday, July 28, 2014

Kevin J. McGroarty, 53; he'll be right back

He will be laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery, section 7N. He asks to please make note of his new address. McGroarty's headstone reads: "I'll Be Right Back," one of his favorite sayings. (H/T to Jim Romenesko)

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Chris Evans, 62; known for breadth of knowledge

In elementary school, Chris was already known for the breadth of his knowledge. His schoolmates were happy to pay 10¢ for answers to any and all questions, under the auspices of The-Evs-Knows-All Club, of which Chris was the founding president.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Drew Benjamin Dwyer, 20, leaves politically minded family

He graduated Kettle Moraine High School in 2013, and then matriculated to University of Wisconsin-Waukesha, where he was about to finish his first two years of college in an intimate environment without accumulating unreasonable amounts of debt (try it sometime, Obama/Bush). Drew loved to play music, he loved to debate, and he loved to be with friends. Drew hated Spanish.

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Grace Ellsworth, 100, has left the premises

Grace's four children, Elinor Ellsworth, Starr Sayres, Ann-Toy Broughton, and Tim Ellsworth, celebrated her 100th birthday with a big bash last November, with Grace holding court with her usual humor, wit, and elegant style. She will be terribly missed by her immediate family and her extended family, all of whom are quite surprised that she has left the premises, even though she frequently talked about having her bags packed, just waiting for John (who was always late) to come pick her up.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Kerry Lou Ketchum King, 59, lifts her middle finger to cancer

Kerry Lou Ketchum King, aka Mama Bear, Ms. King, Mom, Big Blonde Tiger, Helga, and Speak No Evil, shuffled off this mortal coil June 17 at 4:20 a.m. in her sleep. One can only assume late-night TV literally bored her to death.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Bernard "Bunny" Hartung, drove a "one-way taxi"

A common "Bunny" greeting was "Hey, you bring that 5 bucks you owe me!??" Bunny's colorful expressions and ability to spin a yarn were second to none. You were never quite sure what was true, but it didn't really matter. His stories could go on all day and he was always ready to share his opinion, whether you wanted it or not.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

An interesting blog post by Susan Champlin

Yes, there’s always a ribbon of sadness that winds through cemeteries like a low-lying mist. But I’ve never found them creepy or frightening or dreary or morbid. The opposite: They’re like libraries of lives, the headstones compressed autobiographies, condensed as for Twitter.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Such a good idea! A death doula

The woman sitting opposite me in an Edinburgh cafe is called Rebecca Green. She is in her early 40s, with a soft Birmingham accent and a gentle, smiling face. She is a nurse. But she also does something else – something that has prompted both fascination and animosity in those she has told about it. She is a death doula.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Frederic Hill, 102, rode the rails in Depression-era America

Ida and Fred were married in 1938 and lived at the Chase Hill farm, where their son, Brian, and daughter, Kathleen, were born. Fred then built the first of our two houses in North Stonington where daughter, Barbara, and son, Paul, grew up. There was a sauna in the basement. He usually heated it up every weekend and friends and neighbors would come over to participate, as was the tradition in Finland. Dad liked a hot sauna and he would roar like a bear when he was done.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Stig Kernell, 92, writes short, sweet obit

A Swedish man elected to keep the news of his death short and sweet, instructing a funeral agency to publish an obituary containing only the words 'I am dead', grabbing national headlines in the process. (H/T to Tanya Irwin

Friday, March 28, 2014

Teruko Y. Conley, 84, proves it's the little things ...

She was born June 16, 1929, in Kioto, Japan and was married to Frank J. Conley. Teruko had worked as a bridal consultant at the former Blairs store in New London and also did alterations. She also enjoyed gardening and especially liked bright sunshine. Teruko never talked about anyone else.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Walter George Bruhl Jr., 80, is a dead person

Walt was preceded in death by his tonsils and adenoids in 1935; a spinal disc in 1974; a large piece of his thyroid gland in 1988; and his prostate on March 27, 2000. He was born in Philadelphia, Pa., April 20,1933 at 10:38 p.m., and weighed in at a healthy seven pounds, four ounces, and was 22 inches long, to Blanche Buckman Bruhl and Walter George Bruhl. He drifted through the Philadelphia Public School System from 1937 through 1951, graduating, to his mother’s great relief, from John Bartram High School in June 1951.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Najla G. Noujaim, 83, "collected grandchildren"

She both collected and gave memories that last longer than a lifetime and taught life lessons, often without knowing it, including such important virtues as how to perfectly peel a grapefruit, eating an éclair from the "inside out," always jumping on quilts when taking them off a bed, and never, ever forgetting to play. Najla's cooking was legendary, and many freezers and refrigerators will be emptier without her, as will so many hearts in the local area and beyond.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Bill Eves, 76, believed in not holding in farts

While his whole family is deeply saddened by Bill’s passing, there is a rumour floating around that he told some the nurses at St. Mary’s of the Lake that this was all just an elaborate plan to get out of shovelling the driveway. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! (H/T to Simon Lono)

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Len Richmond, 70, the whole of him dwarfed the sum of his parts

Len embraced his fascinating life as a compulsive buffet of smells and tastes, escapades and thrills, convictions and neuroses - once earning him the description of being "rather like a narcotic Tigger." He was hilarious, charming, fearless, brilliant, generous, loving, thoughtful, sweet, soulful, giving, entitled, demanding, intense, obsessive, self-centered and utterly exasperating. But Len never permitted his life to be lived on anything short of his own terms. At the end of the day, that's more than most of us ever get.

Monday, February 17, 2014

James E. Sheridan Jr., photographed by Eisenstaedt in Times Square

Mr. Sheridan proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He served as an armed guard gunner aboard four different liberty ships. He was a part of the "D" Day Invasion of Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. He also served as a Navy air gunners mate flying supplies into China, Japan, and the Philippines. James was pictured in the famous Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of the kissing sailor in Times Square at the war's end. He is the sailor in white, to the left of the kissing sailor. He was also featured in the film "Navy Heroes at Normandy".

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Juliette J. Aeschlimann, 62, wants no 'artificial respect'

There will be no services of any kind except for her best friend, grandson and great-granddaughter. No one cared to see her when she was alive; thus you sure the hell are not going to give your artificial respect now that she has passed on after 20 years of illness. (H/T to Jonathan Kellogg)

Monday, February 10, 2014

Louis J. Souza, 92, member of the Society of Inkwell Collectors

During his golfing career he aced two holes in one. The first was hole #6 at Pequot Golf Course on July 14, 1987, and the second was hole #16 at Winnapaug Country Club July 28, 1990. He was extremely proud, boasting about both every chance he could. Lou belonged to St. Michael's Church, the Stonington Historical Society, the American Legion, and was a life member of the Portuguese Holy Ghost Club, the Mystic Aquarium, and VFW Post 1265. He was also a member of the Society of Inkwell Collectors.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Leonard Mason Smith, 86, died of 'none of your business'

Leonard Smith hated pointless bureaucracy, thoughtless inefficiency and bad ideas born of good intentions. He loved his wife, admired and respected his children and liked just about every dog he ever met. He will be greatly missed by those he loved and those who loved him. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you cancel your subscription to The New York Times.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Robley Henson Tatum, 91, a unique and precious character

He was born December 21, 1922, one of those pre-Christmas babies. He would have killed for a June birthday. He hated combined birthday and Christmas presents, possibly because his brother Charles would give him one sock for his birthday, and another for Christmas. So several years ago we moved his birthday to MLK day. (H/T Jim Romenesko)

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Patricia Ann Sorensen, 57, fiery, fun and smart as a whip

She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Walter and Margaret Mioducki. She was proud to have been a (self- proclaimed) world champion stickball player, and the first girl on her block to own a pair of Levi's. In her early years, she thoroughly enjoyed all manner of rabble-rousing, including beating up on her younger brothers, Willy and Michael, smoking cigarettes with her sister, Sharon, in the bathtub, and other such exploits as punching a nun who pulled her ponytail one day at school simply because Patty-Ann was left-handed.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Lemar Pipkins, 89, fought with brothers over family cow

I will even miss, after his wife had passed, his hilarious attempts to get the pretty nurses to come home with or when asked how he was feeling he would always say 'I feel so good I should be triplets.' (H/T Peter Elikann)

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Marcy Glanz, celebrated her life and death for a month

“It was as if, by facing her death through the prism of love,’’ Ms. Paura added, “she transcended it.” (H/T Bridget Norman)

Monday, January 6, 2014

Ruskin W. Brown, 63, collector of friends

He wanted all to know that he didn't die peacefully; he wasn't quite done with his ever-expanding list of projects, and he left for his trip to heaven kicking and screaming. (H/T to Marianne Lentini Bernarduci)