Should you lie in an obituary?

[Date_a_Snob]

Updates

+1 y

I read an obituary for a friend who recently passed away. She was a good friend and a great person but reading her obit made me thinking she was holier than the pope. I don't understand why they felt the need to do that...

[WindAtMyBack]

Most people talk about the good things in obituaries. They tend to list a person's accomplishments in life. It's not the time or place to dwell on the negative.

The family writes the obituary at a time when their head is spinning with their loss. They really miss the person and will be thinking about all the good things that they miss. This is a normal reaction when someone dies.

On the other hand, there are some things that should never be lied about or exaggerated. The obit is an official record, and I think it is legally required. It's used as a historical record. So basic factual things should never be lied about.

[AviatorTom]

Obits almost always emphasize the good. No one wants to hear that the dead person was a dumb jerk.

One that I usually question is when it says they "battled cancer for years". In many cases, they didn't battle anything, they got the disease and died from it.

[Anonymous]

Wait til you see Biden's or Pelosi's, it will be nothing but lies.

[katiesmuff]

No and I can't think of a reason one might want to lie!

[Friendlybro79]

Because that's how people cope. They tell the best examples of them. You said yourself was a great person yourself.

I can't tell from how you typed the question but it appears to lack empathy for the family and your friend. A follow up question to you is why does this even bother you enough to have to ask?

[exitseven]

A family member has to write the obit. It is a pretty weird task. How does the average person go about doing this? They want to portray the person in the best possible way. Sometimes the truth gets bent

[slatyb]

Yes, you should. Say that the deceased won multiple Nobel prizes, the Fields medal for mathematics, was a EGOT winner, and had Olympic medals in multiple sports.

[Drumlin2001]

Most people do. Seems every kid killed in inner city gang violence was a cherub who wouldn't hurt a fly. Not sure if people are trying to lie to the world or just to themselves

[love_conquers_lust]

The obituary of my recently deceased aunt was anything but exaggerated. I was surprised at the remarkable life she lived.

[Dargil]

How do dead people lie in an OBIT? Pre-write it?

[Mark987]

When someone passes.. let their soul rest in peace. If they want to leave that type of persona let them. It doesn't affect anyone...

[Sparkie460]

I don't think they lie, they just exaggerate the truth a little bit.

[Anonymous]

No. You just embellish the good points while minimizing the bad ones. If mentioning them at all... probably not at all.

[The-Stud]

No I'll lie in my bed instead

[Anon_desi]

I don't think one should

[Mansearching]

I won't write mine

[Joker_]

embellish a little

[eagle1951]

never