From the Files: Newspaper Obituaries

Newspaper Obituaries

In memory,
With love,
We have peacefully passed away
Or maybe not so peaceful
At home
In hospital
Alone or with others

But now at rest

We were born
To parents
Maybe siblings

Family

We learned
At school
At college
Art school
A trade
From Father
Mother

But we learned something

We loved
Person
People?
Place
Job
Thing

Most of all we loved

We grew older
Like trees spreading branches
Leaves brushing against others
Touching lives
Lives touching ours

Too soon, a solar eclipse at noon
Or
Deep into sunset years
Moonlight drifting across the path

We left them behind
And went on to see others
Parents and siblings
Sons and daughters
Grandchildren
Lovers and friends

We’ve gone on
We each know where

Now a snapshot of our lives
Etched out in news print
A lingering breath

A note card tucked in the end pages

We lived
We learned
We loved
We grew

We want you to, too.

—

Annie Louise Twitchell
March 12, 2023

For my day job I end up handling and posting the obituaries for most of Franklin County and the surrounding communities. I make a point of reading through each one and studying their story. I will never know many of the people I read about but in the minutes I take to read about them, there is a story to learn and to remember.