Friday, July 12, 2013

Reading obituaries


We like to check the obituaries in the paper every day.  Not just to see if anyone we know has died, but because some of them are so interesting.  This obit from Durham, NC, was in the Chattanooga Times Free Press this morning.

Seth Kelby Vidal, a ruggedly handsome cyclist and open source software guru was killed Monday, July 8, 2013. He was 36 years old. Seth described himself as a misanthropic humanist. To those who love him, he was a brother, partner, son, mentor, indefatigable curmudgeon, loyal friend and champion for good who believed deeply in community, and worked to improve every one that he was a part of. A constant contrarian and invaluable resource, Seth could build a bike, recommend a restaurant, and upgrade your technology. Seth knew the names of every canine in the neighborhood, and most of their people. He was a brilliant, kind, compassionate, generous, and caring young man whose abilities and knowledge in his field were beyond comprehension. He was known worldwide, and often spoke at conferences in the US and abroad. A wicked storyteller and the consummate traveling companion, he would unabashedly regale road trip cohorts with song. The world will be considerably quieter in his absence. He is survived by his beloved partner Eunice, his parents Alicia and Wade, his brother Wade and sister-in-law Misty, niece-nephews Kelsey and Will, his brother Logan and his partner Kate, his grandfather William Clayton, his grumpy dog, Cori and countless friends. He lives on in our hearts and the friendships he forged. Services in celebration of his life will be held at Clements Funeral Chapel at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, 2013.

This was a man who knew how to live, and obviously had family and friends who knew the sort of tribute he deserved.  Click here to find out more about him and the accident that took his life.
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Table setting in Tennessee Williams' boyhood home, Columbus, MS.

 

3 comments:

Harriet said...

I read them every day, for various reasons. If it's someone I knew, I usually feel that something important was left out.

I think the local newspapers are charging by the word...

Mary Z said...

Harriet, our paper prints 50 words for free, then $0.50/word after that. We've had them run two columns long - really costly.

Bev Sykes said...

What an interesting young man he must have been! I wonder when the trend for these long obits began. I remember when you got very short ones with just the facts, ma'am. Some of these, like this one, are real pieces of creative writing.