"my mom passed when i was young 1975.this year seem so hard for me.my daughter is living in onther state so i dont have anyone to celebrate with.i wish i had the chance to see her as a granmother.i wish i had her just to talk with.am so sad and dont…"
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Susan Soper
- Atlanta, Georgia
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First Mother's Day without Mom
Journalists are great carriers and receivers of information – particularly when it comes to news about each other. We tend to stick together. Facebook has made that even easier to trade information, tidbits, blog postings and personal news whether happy or sad. Last fall, one of my former colleagues at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution died – a single mom leaving a 10-year-old adopted son. Another colleague,…See More
First Mother's Day without Mom
Journalists are great carriers and receivers of information – particularly when it comes to news about each other. We tend to stick together. Facebook has made that even easier to trade information, tidbits, blog postings and personal news whether happy or sad. Last fall, one of my former colleagues at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution died – a single mom leaving a 10-year-old adopted son. Another colleague,…See More
Collards and Caviar: An Obituary with Flair
As Mother’s Day approaches, there are lots of children, mothers, sisters, spouses who are missing a woman who meant everything to them. Everything. In many cases, their obituaries probably did not reflect enough about them – their core being – to really illustrate the impact of their lives or the voids they left. Unfortunately, as the cycle of life proves over and over, there are also many more in the final…See More
Collards and Caviar: An Obituary with Flair
As Mother’s Day approaches, there are lots of children, mothers, sisters, spouses who are missing a woman who meant everything to them. Everything. In many cases, their obituaries probably did not reflect enough about them – their core being – to really illustrate the impact of their lives or the voids they left. Unfortunately, as the cycle of life proves over and over, there are also many more in the final…See More
The Art of Losing
Just as we are about to move out of National Poetry Month, I want to sneak in an amazing collection of poems that came out last year. The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (Bloomsbury, 2011; now in paperback) is the book acclaimed poet Kevin Young compiled when he couldn’t find one like it to help him through his father’s sudden, accidental…See More
The Art of Losing
Just as we are about to move out of National Poetry Month, I want to sneak in an amazing collection of poems that came out last year. The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (Bloomsbury, 2011; now in paperback) is the book acclaimed poet Kevin Young compiled when he couldn’t find one like it to help him through his father’s sudden, accidental…See More
Barbara Brizius commented on Susan Soper's blog post Obits 101"Not only obituarties should be unique to the person; When my son died suddenly at age 18, everyone in the family and very close friends asked me if they could do thier 'own tribute' to him at the service. One came dressed in a brilliant…"
Celebrating Life with Obituaries
Susan Soper
Susan Soper is the founder and author of ObitKit™, A Guide to Celebrating Your Life. She began her long career in journalism at Newsday, the Long Island paper, as a researcher in the Washington Bureau where she contributed to The Heroin Trail, a Pulitzer prize-winning series. As a reporter in New York, she wrote news and features while covering cultural affairs and personalities. Returning to Atlanta by way of Hilton Head, S.C., she was a writer for CNN before becoming the Features Editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While there, she launched a series called, "Living with Grief," shortly after her father died. Susan's interests include travel, hiking, reading, the arts and people (dead and alive). She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Bo Holland.
ObitKit™, A Guide to Celebrating Your Life
If you’ve ever faced the “Now what?” questions that come when someone dies, you know the value of knowing how to proceed:
• How do you want to be remembered?
• What are the accurate details to highlight in the death notice?
• What kind of service, music, readings suits you?
ObitKit™ allows you to personalize the obituary process while creating a written legacy to leave family and friends.
Susan Soper's Blog
First Mother's Day without Mom
Journalists are great carriers and receivers of information – particularly when it comes to news about each other. We tend to stick together. Facebook has made that even easier to trade information, tidbits, blog postings and personal news whether happy or sad.
Last fall, one of my former colleagues at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution died – a single mom leaving a 10-year-old…
ContinuePosted on May 11, 2012 at 10:30am
Collards and Caviar: An Obituary with Flair
As Mother’s Day approaches, there are lots of children, mothers, sisters, spouses who are missing a woman who meant everything to them. Everything. In many cases, their obituaries probably did not reflect enough about them – their core being – to really illustrate the impact of their lives or the voids they left.
Unfortunately, as the cycle of life proves over and over, there are…
ContinuePosted on May 10, 2012 at 10:00am
The Art of Losing
Just as we are about to move out of National Poetry Month, I want to sneak in an amazing collection of poems that came out last year. The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (Bloomsbury, 2011; now in paperback) is the book acclaimed poet Kevin Young compiled when he couldn’t find one like it to help him through his father’s sudden,…
ContinuePosted on April 26, 2012 at 1:30pm
Gertrude… Going on 102!
Gertrude Murrell DuPont Howland doesn’t want to leave anything to chance. Especially not at this stage of her life. She’ll be 102 in July.
The Richmond native was a dutiful wife and mother until she divorced and became an archaeologist in her 60s, traveling to digs all over the world: from Afghanistan and Turkey to Italy, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. She traversed the Khyber Pass and went to Hong Kong.
Her second husband, now deceased, was happy to…
ContinuePosted on April 17, 2012 at 9:30am — 2 Comments
Suicide and Obituaries
In the wake of the apparent death by suicide of Soul Train legend Don Cornelius, obituary writing expert Susan Soper looks at how obituaries talk about suicide -- and why including this information in an obituary could help save lives.
Last week, a former colleague emailed me wondering if I had heard about another writer from our we know who…
ContinuePosted on February 2, 2012 at 1:30pm — 6 Comments
Comment Wall (2 comments)
- At 8:43pm on January 16, 2012,
Kristina Pentecost said… Hi Susan;
I just joined the group today and I thought you would be helpful in my situation. I was adopted as an infant and my adoptive father just passed away on Dec. 1, 2011. I was "deleted" from the obit by the rest of the biological family.
I was born as an addicted baby and almost died. This left me with disabilities that I struggle to overcome on a daily basis, but with a little help and a lot of encouragement and compassion from friends and in-laws (I got married 2 yrs. ago) I have been doing well in life. They have been an encouragement to me with their positive reinforcement, which is a whole lot more productive than in finger-pointing and criticism, which I had experienced all my life.
Despite having knowledge of my disabilities, the family who adopted me made demands of me that I was never able to attain and because I didn't "measure up" to those expectations, they declared me as a disappointment, as though I were deliberately trying to "hurt" them.
Two Christmases ago, they wrote me off. I tried to visit my dad in the hospital before he passed away, but was not permitted to do so by his biological family. The grief of his death has been made more profound by this rejection, by not being included in the obituary in the paper, and by having been banned from attending the funeral. The family told me that as far as they're concerned I am dead to them.
~*Kristina*~
- At 1:44pm on May 10, 2011,
Carl Mathis said… Hey Susan, just stopping by to say be encourage, You are in my prayers, be bless and have a wonderful day.
Carl
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