Brian, 11, 'became dog legends are made of'

A lover of couches and blankets, Brian had many hobbies. Some of Brian’s favorite activities included barking at things not there, cuddling alongside you, taking over his mother’s bed, licking his butt, acting like a spazz when it was time to be fed, and trying to figure out who exactly was “the good boy.”

Lee Hamilton, 90, changed West Palm Beach skyline

Lee never campaigned for women's equal rights. She just took them. As early as grade school when a publisher offered a bicycle for the most magazine sales in Philadelphia, but excluded girls, Lee signed up under her brother's name and won the citywide contest. It launched a life-long love affair with work and its rewards. (H/T Marianne Lentini Bernarduci)

Minor Rootes, 86, leaves us with an Amazonian Indian word

At this reading, my existence or non-existence will be in another realm. During my 86 years of life, I look back with few regrets though I know I have some forgotten apologies to bestow on people I have slighted. Please accept. (H/T to Bridget Norman)

Corliss Gilchrist, 91; happy to know Trump impeachment looms

Corliss Gilchrist was born May 7, 1925, in Ayrshire, Iowa, one of sixteen children born to James and Arrah Gilchrist. He passed away May 3, 2017, at his home in Altoona, IA. We told him the process to impeach Trump had begun — so that he could rest in peace. (H/T Sally Wisdom)

From 'The New York Times': 'Lights, Camera, Obits!'

Obituaries, by definition, stare fixedly in the rearview mirror. Worse, they begin, as they must, with the bleakest of all possible announcements: Someone has died. Not a juicy premise for a film, one would suppose. Add to that the nature of the enterprise: gathering facts, arranging them, pressing the keyboard with one’s fingertips, cutting a few words and adding a few others. Except for the phone calls, it’s an inward-looking process, at least for the reporters. How do you make drama out of that? [Vanessa] Gould had a few ideas up her sleeve.

'Wall Street Journal' catches up to us, includes several that have appeared here

Regular readers of obituaries know the clichés—the departed were courageous, charitable, devoted to their families. Then there was the death notice for Wayne Brockey, a retired wood-plant manager in Klamath Falls, Ore. The obituary, written by a grandson, opens by alluding to the deceased’s penchant for ordering gadgets and clothing touted by TV pitchmen: “QVC lost a loyal customer on Sept. 28, 2016.”

Emma Morano, 117, last person born in the 1800s

Emma Morano, the world's oldest person and the last one known to be born in the 1800s, has died. She was 117. Read more about her life from The New York Times.