I had the enviable task of compiling all of these interviews, hoping to make some inferences on the general public’s opinions of obituaries. Our sample of interviewees comprises men and women, between the ages of 21 and 42, residing in locations from New York to Boise.

One of the first questions on our list was, “When you think of an obituary, what comes to mind?” Not surprisingly, most responses sounded something like, “Death,” “Death” and “Death.” The older the interviewee was, the less likely they were to give such a straightforward answer.

Similarly, the younger a person was, the less likely they were to read obituaries on any kind of a regular basis. And why not? “The connotation of obituaries is so melancholic that it isn’t an emotion I want to tap into that often,” one responder answered. Since the start of this project, I have said that we need to let people know that obituaries are not just about death. Yes, death is the cause of the article, but it isn’t the content. (I believe this was also mentioned in Marilyn Johnson’s The Dead Beat, as well).

We got mixed reviews on our proposition to hire a professional journalist to write a loved one’s obituary. Some said “absolutely not” and others were quite keen on the idea. “It’s the quality of the writing that matters.” Anyone out there in blog land have an opinion on this idea?

There was also a wide range of answers to questions on advertising content. Several said that there shouldn’t be any advertising, which, I mean, come on. We all need to eat! Even the folks over at Legacy. Others just said to keep it tasteful, and suggested that a cigarette ad shouldn’t be on the memorial page of someone who died of lung cancer.

One of my favorite responses was to a question on what would be inappropriate on a site like Legacy.com. “Good time stuff,” one person said. She was adverse to the idea of memorial pages including adds for strip clubs, escort services and the like. I think we can all agree on that.

Personally I think advertising can be somewhat consoling in difficult times. Imagine the following scenario: You have just returned home from the funeral of a relative, such as an aunt or uncle. You’re rather bummed out and aren’t sure what to do next. You flip on the TV, and there is the talking baby E-Trade commercial. Always good for a laugh. Next comes a spot for Sonic, or some other local eatery. Now with your spirits slightly lifted, you and your other grieving relatives decide not to wallow in your sorrows and go have dinner together. With a meal in your stomach, (eating is not a grieving person’s first priority) you start to remember the funny stories about Uncle Jim, rather than just dwell on the sad fact of his death. But that’s just me…