Writing Obituaries

I'm designing a session for reporters on the art and science of writing obituaries. We'll cover the importance of capturing the scope and heft of a person's life; how to research and whom to interview; when and if to include the deceased's failures, crimes, etc.
I'm looking for examples of great obits; anything that's been written on the art of the obit; other issues we should talk about;tips, etc. Suggestions? I'd surely appreciate it.
Candy Page - Burlington Free Press

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You might want to get a copy of "The Last Word,'' a collection of NYTimes obits. Gave a copy to our obit writer here and he learned a lot from it.
Dick Weiss - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Chip Scanlan and I are editing a historical collection of ASNE award-winning stories.
The first winner in the obit category (which they've only done twice, I think) was Jim Nicholson of the Philadelphia Daily News. He is the master of the Everyman and Everywoman feature obit. The work is quite remarkable. I've written a little "appreciation" of Jim's work, which follows.
Roy Clark - Poynter Institute

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On Reading Jim Nicholson
Jim Nicholson worked as an investigative reporter for many years, with brief stints as a political campaign manager and private detective. His "common person" feature-length obituaries won the ASNE's first obituary writing award in 1987. He continues to work the death beat for the Philadelphia Daily News.
Over time, the newspaper obituary desk has become the province of the very young and the very old among journalists. Some pups are sent there to cut their journalism teeth, to learn the basics about reporting, interviewing, accuracy, and the needs of readers. But some old dogs wind up on that porch, too, because the reporting of the obit may seem like the most sedentary of journalistic tasks.
Those who think of the obit desk as the elephants' graveyard should consider the case of Jim Nicholson. When he won the ASNE award at age 45, he looked like an aluminum siding salesman or a guy who plays the corpse in a detective movie.
That's not why he earned the monicker "Dr. Death." It was his invention and mastery of a form of writing known as the feature obituary. Nicholson had to fight to accomplish this task, overcoming the old reputation of the Philadelphia Daily News as a scandal sheet, the skepticism of funeral directors, and the cynicism of his fellow journalists.
"My God," they told him. "Fifteen inches for a guy that fixed toilets -- in our newspaper?"
But Nicholson followed his instincts, checked the rival Inquirer obits for hints of an interesting life, and then used his skill as a telephone interviewer to milk family members and cronies for wonderful details about the deceased, spoken in the working-class dialect of the Philly rowhouses.
So we find out that Marie Byrne smacked her kids for "making the nuns upset" and that she had a "private prayer list with countless people on it." We learn that John Ciavardone, skinny as a lead pencil, cried only once over his terrible war injuries and referred to his buddy, Mickey DiSanto, as his seeing-eye dog, his "canine."
It's an old ideal in American journalism: Everybody's got a story. But Nicholson puts it to the test, and proves it, day after day. The astonishing body of his work also proves James Carey's theory that "news is culture," that the most noble of reporting goals is to chronicle the rhythms of life and the rites of passage, cycles of birth and death, of marriage and divorce, of achievement and failure.
"This stuff will outlive any kind of investigative work I ever did," said Nicholson. "It's hanging on walls. It's laminated….With one old Irish guy I did, the family said, 'Well, Uncle Tommy can read this later,' and they put it in the casket right in his pocket."
Since winning his award, Nicholson has spoken about his craft at national and regional writing workshops, and has been featured prominently in several textbooks about journalism. He helps other newspaper develop the form of the feature obituary.
Robin Hinch at the Orange County Register has gained recognition as a masterful obit writer, with emphasis on the writer part. She worked for me at the Long Beach Press-Telegram and thought her career was over when she was assigned to do obit profiles. Exactly the opposite occurred. Her interviewing, reporting and writing skills made her obits so personal and well-received that people actually called in to ask that she do their obit when they died.
She now writes obits at the Register and has also become a popular National Writers' Workshop speaker. She genuinely turned obit writing into an art form.
Mike Schwartz - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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You may want to build enthusiasm by having everyone read the Gay Talese classic, "Mr. Bad News," before the session. You'll find it in his anthology, "Fame and Obscurity."
Jack Hart - Oregonian

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A colleague just handed me an obit written by Miles Corwin of the LA Times. Well, really it's more of a retrospective on the life of reporter Nieson Himmel. The headline: The Real L.A. Confidential. Reporter Nieson Himmel Saw It All: Murder, Corruption, Fires, Gangsters. He Was the Last Link to a More Lively Era of Journalism, When Crime Coverage Was King.
Might be worth looking at for your workshop. It ran Sunday, July 18, 1999 in the LA TIMES MAGAZINE.
Dick Weiss - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Robin Hinch is a thoughtul, articulate, considerate obituary writer here. We are often told that her biographical obits are compelling stories that capture the essense of the people involved. She is also a very propular speaker about biographical bios on the National Writers' Workshop circuit. Following are her thoughts about biographical obits:
Larry Welborn - Orange Co. Register

• Name
• Nickname (why that nickname?)
• Height and weight
• Build
• Hair (color and style)
• Dress
• Occupation (how long, what before)
• Education (where)
• Residence
• Previous residence
• Raised where
• Smokes (what brand)
• Drinks (what kind)
• Marital status
• Age
• Family
• Military background
• Tone of voice
• Gestures
• Temperament
• Religious
• Hobbies/outside interests
• Clubs/organization
• Voice cadence/accent
• Favorite sayings, expressions
• Values
• Introvert/extrovert
• Eye contact
• Smile
• Excess jewelry
• No jewelry
• Makeup
• Hat
• Speech connectors ("and, uh…" "ya know", "Like, uh," "well, um")
• Scene indicators (wall décor, messy desk, orange sofa with thread-bare cushions)
• Books in bookcase
• Specific style of dress

Tips for getting people to open up:

Make it clear that doing a story on this person is entirely up to the family. "Is this something your family would like? Are you the one who would like to speak for the family?"
Insert yourself into the conversation where it's appropriate to let the family know you're human and understand what they are going through.
"My son is the exact age of your son, and was a rebel at 13, too." Or, "I, too, am horribly disorganized about paper work. Tax time is my biggest dread." It helps put people at ease.
Find a follow-up question for every answer that's given, seeking greater detail. He had a favorite sweater. "Oh really, what color? Was it tattered? How long had he had it?" Or, he loved his car. "Did he use it every weekend? Would he let other people drive it? Did he get many tickets in it?"
If people start to cry, ask a practical question. It snaps them out of tears. "What kind of car did he drive?" Or "What was his favorite TV program?"
Be willing to listen to the longest, most drawn-out anecdotes or recounting of a long illness, even if you know it's stuff you can't use. Good detail can come from those discussions and a comfort level develops for talking to you.
Don't be afraid to ask personal questions. They can refuse to answer, but more often than not, they'll tell you lots of interesting things.