Epitaphs (200)

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Memories of the dead

Go To: Introduction
From the dead
Go To: Pre-World War II
Go To: The Modern Era
From the living
Go To: Fiction
Go To: Some final words




Introduction

Throughout my life, I have seen and heard peoples epitaphs. In my life of reading newspapers, I have occasionally come across single frame comic strips of tombstones bearing an unusual or amusing epitaph. Then, one evening, while attending a small group Bible study, my pastor asked the question, "If you could write your own epitaph, what would it be?" I was dumbfounded. Most people answered with something sweet, anecdotal or humorous. Several around the circle answered before it was my turn. When it became my turn, I repeated a few funny ones I had remembered from the paper, but finally I was stumped. I mumbled something about my grandparents (my parents are living) being a "beloved wife" and a "beloved husband", so maybe I could be a "beloved son, father, husband". It was enough to move the focus to someone else. Nevertheless, I was still dumbfounded.

That night was the beginning of months of thoughts on how I'd like society to remember me. If I was not sure how I wanted to be remembered, how did others feel about this potentially 'touchy' and possibly morbid subject? After all, it's memories of the dead that we are talking about. Regardless of leaving legacies of children, trusts, inheritances, donations to charities and the like, an epitaph is a final statement of memory of us after we are gone.

These works are divided up into two sections: Epitaphs from the dead, and those from the living. The epitaphs from the dead are divided into two groups, pre-WWII, and post WWII, the modern era. In these two groups, all are taken from actual tombstones standing in cemeteries of all ages and sizes located all over the United States. The pre-WWII group are epitaphs from tombstones of people who have died before the advent of WWII. The modern era group are from tombstones of people who have died during and after WWII.

The epitaphs from the living are also divided into two groups, fiction and "I wish I'd said that." They are taken from living people of all walks of life (or death), from all parts of the United States. The fiction group is a collection of humorous epitaphs. The "I wish I'd said that" group is a collection of zings, or those epitaphs that just hit right on target, so much so that...you'd wished you'd said that.



Pre-World War II

Do you remember ...



The Modern Era

Beloved wife -- EK, Austin, May 1990
Beloved husband -- AEK, Austin, May 1992, WW I veteran




Fiction

Logged Off! -- computer programmer
Oh sure, NOW you bring me flowers -- Anonymous, a man standing over his wife's tombstone holding a bouquet of flowers.
If "ifs" were skiffs, we'd all be out on the gulf -- John "Guvnor" Nelson, seaman




Wish I'd said that

See, I told you I was sick. -- Anonymous



Some final words

What would you say about yourself if someone gave you the chance? What would you like your friends to know about you after you are gone? How would you sum up your life experiences in a brief statement or dogma?

If you could write your own epitaph, what would it be?

Write your epitaph. Write anything or else write nothing. Be serious or funny, Be shy or bold. If offended, write it. Write anything. But be sure it is how your epitaph should truly read, because just as in real life after your demise, you will not have a chance to revise it.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to use the Internet and he won’t bother you for weeks", Unknown

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