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.

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

The NYT's Margalit Fox on writing obituaries

That, in essence, is the deep, sometimes bittersweet pleasure of the job – the chance to see, through the lens of personal history, how the world, for better or worse, got to be the way it is.

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.

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.

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.

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)