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Monday, January 7, 2013

Obituaries, "But wait what lurks there?"

Deserted bluebird box  along
backside of garden  
I have a habit of reading the obituaries, in the paper each day, not as necessary here where we do not know near the  people as when we lived in CA  for more than 40 years, but the  habit stuck.  The only reason we still subscribe to the daily newspaper is because Jerry reads it cover to cover with his pot of morning coffee.  I often do not read it until later in the day  or maybe even the next day or not at all.  But yesterday, as usual on a Sunday, I set with the local rag and the St Paul Pioneer Press which I pick up each week for more state level news and the reviews of plays, books, theater.. 

My friends father joked that he checked the obituaries first  thing each morning and if he did not see his name, he knew it was a good day to get on with the daily drill.  So yesterday afternoon after laundry, church, brunch and a nice walk in the cold outdoors, I was astounded when on the obituary page I  saw  my name, Patricia L Morrison!    I said to Jerry,  "Good Lord, I died!" and while he was tuned to football on the TV he said, "what?"  Well the woman  was older than me and lived  across the river in Wisconsin and in FL,  but sure enough there it was.  A very odd feeling, especially because it was a tiny paragraph, promising more later.  And then I said, "hey no body called to see if I'm here!"  Well  they'd seen me at church and after all the people who know me here know where I live and  my age, so the vitals did not match.  Still, don't you think someone might have commented?  A few week ago another Pat Morrison submitted a recipe for a Twinkies cake and several people commented on that, no it wasn't me.  But the obituary?  Not a word, today I laugh.
 

I understand that in in 1888, Alfred B. Nobel, inventor of dynamite, awoke to read his own obituary in the newspaper, a careless error made by  a reporter.  His brother had died, the death of the wrong brother was documented.  Nobel was shocked by reading his obituary that described him as “the dynamite king, the industrialist who became rich from explosives.” This  was his call to action, and he 
 resolved to change the course of his life, and to do something positive for society. He left his entire fortune to be awarded to individuals who have done the most for the benefit of humanity. The result was the Nobel Prize – five prizes awarded each year, the most notable of which is the Peace Prize.

I doubt I can top that, but it is an off putting feeling, ala Scrooge looking at the ghost of Christmas yet to be..  I had a doctor's appointment today and all is well, a simple  check up.  I forgot to mention to my  doc that I was reported dead but all evidence indicates every sign of life here.  We are packing up to head south in the motor  home and this will be a dandy story to share with friends along the way.  

4 comments:

  1. Pat, I can only imagine how strange it must have been to sight your name in the obituaries! I had never heard that story about the Nobel Prize. That was so interesting. I can see how reading your own obit could change your way of thinking. Safe traveling, and enjoy sharing that you are a traveling ghost! laurie

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  2. Posting this email reply from Tom because I no longer allow anonymous postings: To the best of my memory, I haven't been featured in a local obituary column yet. But with a name like Thomas Williams, I have been featured in a number of personal mix ups, including exciting things like NSF checks that weren't mine, being arrested in another county, etc. Sometimes amusing and sometimes a real nuisance. I have even had the pleasure of meeting at least two others with my name, one even with the same middle initial. I am happy to discover that you were able to read your obituary. That is a good sign and may indicate that there is life in the 'old girl' yet. Jerry must be pleased, too, but I wouldn't ask if I were you. T :-)

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  3. I think it was Mark Twain or ?? who once said, "the reports of my demise are overstated." Not sure if that was a result of an obituary misstatement or what. I have had other experiences with Pat Morrisons. One a Los Angeles Times reporter who spelled her name Patt. Sometimes when her columns appeared, colleagues wondered if that was me with a pseudonym.

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  4. Pat, how coincidental to read this post as I always read the obituaries and it doesn't matter where we are, usually travelling since there is no daily paper in this area. And while I have not seen my own name (thankfully) there have been some pretty interesting life stories in some. I am not sure how or where I got into this habit, but it never fails that the obits are read. Hopefully, I will not read of someone with my name because that would indeed be unsettling.

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