IV-Shipmate Obituaries:
The Class Executive Committee policy is to have an obituary published for each deceased classmate. The obituary is a permanent record of the life of each alumnus, and is retained in the Naval Academy Archives, which is a unit of the National Archives. A classmate is asked to volunteer to prepare the obituary for someone whom he knows well, and, of course, coordinates with the family in preparing and submitting to Shipmate. Consider writing your own obituary now, even if you are in perfect health. Instructions for writing an obituary for publication in Shipmate can be found below.
A Fitting
Tribute: How to Write an Obituary
By
One of the most difficult tasks a person can
have is writing the obituary of a friend or shipmate. This is especially true
for younger writers, who, fortunately, have not had the duty of doing so. How
does one do it? Where to begin? A few of our Alumni have become very adept at
writing obituaries for publication. They include Jesse Gay ’35, Bill Ruhe ’39, and Chet Shaddeau ’47.
I have asked Chet Shaddeau ’47 to provide a “Dutch
Uncle’s Guide” to writing obituaries, as a service to those who face this
difficult task. Perhaps this will be of some help as you try to prepare a
fitting and dignified tribute to a fallen shipmate. —Mike Collins
First of all, get the obit into print ASAP. The
normal print lag is about seven weeks. Don’t add to it! I generally begin the
obit with a flat statement, including full name and title, of the time, place,
and cause (if available) of death.
I then proceed to place of birth, date of birth,
age, early schooling and parents, as available and appropriate, followed by the
source and type of appointment to the Academy. The description of their
Midshipman career is usually very short, but may well expand if he was an All
America, six-striper, Rhodes Scholar, or whatever, and I try to include clubs
and sports as available. I always indicate which
Company he (or she) graduated with, as it is invariably asked for by
Classmates. If married, I try to include wife’s maiden name
(or husband’s name), home, and date of marriage. If multiples, be as
accurate as possible—these can be dangerous rocks and shoals!
I generally follow this with his (or her)
service career, in as much detail as possible, but keeping it concise. I try to
ignore routine “meritorious” and “attendance” medals but highlight decorations
for valor. Ships, stations, aircraft squadrons I attempt to pinpoint as fully
as possible, but exact dates are not usually included—hard to get right.
Civilian careers should be covered in just as
much detail, and include honors, fraternities, and civic distinctions as
appropriate.
Advanced education and degrees are important in
both civil and military careers. Fit them in where they occurred.
In full retirement, hobbies, charities, and
clearly interesting activities should be included. Use judgment about detail in
listing survivors—if there are only a few, be detailed, but if he had 14
grandchildren, don’t name them all.
Finish off with known details about place, date,
and manner of final disposal of remains and services. Probably best to avoid
matters regarding memorial donations unless requested by family.
Remember that the family will be extremely
attuned to details, so be cautious about making any assumptions as to
relationships. Avoid them if unsure. Try to talk with a member of the family other than the widow, in most cases, who
will be able to get details without inflicting further pain. I refer here to
divorces, estranged children, live-in girlfriends, etc., but it refers to all details.
Try to get an obit from the local paper—it
usually has much of what you want, but remember that you are writing for an
audience (Academy Alumni) who is possibly interested in some things that the
paper (and the family!) may not understand. (References to “driving battleships”
when he was a DD skipper are not uncommon!) Correcting that is your job.
If you
write the obit, sign it, if you wish. If the family writes it, credit them, even if you edit. Keep in mind
that the family will probably clip and retain the obit, and it will be a
keepsake for them. They deserve good work.
For God’s sake, try to get all the names spelled
correctly!
The following is just one (fictionalized)
example, but you may find others in previous and subsequent issues.
WATER TIGHT DOOR ’47
Water T. Door died of a stroke at
A native of Albion, “Leaky” attended
Upon graduation, he served briefly in Jones (DM-36), and decommissioned it,
then operated from the
In 1949 he began his engineering career with
Southland Widget Power Co., where he was to spend his entire civilian working
life. He climbed the corporate ladder, and on the way up served as plant
superintendent of two widget producing stations; superintendent of production;
assistant chief engineer, then chief engineer; vice-president, executive
vice-president, president in 1970, president and CEO in 1971, then chairman and
CEO from 1984 to 1989, when he retired as chairman emeritus.
He served on the boards of numerous businesses,
as well as on the Robert E. Lee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the
Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Board of Trustees of
Beauregard College and of
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, the
former Mary Lee; sons, Water and Explosion; ten grandchildren; and one great
grandchild.
Memorial services were conducted at the
Chet
Shaddeau ’47
***Please note that we have recently instituted a maximum word
limit of 400 words. Obituaries may be submitted electronically to
obits@usna.com, or via USPS to: Shipmate
obituaries,