Andy Rooney and other curmudgeons people couldn’t help but love.
Famed television commentator Andy Rooney died just a month after delivering his 1,097th and final piece for “60 Minutes.” The award-winning pundit, writer, and producer was well-known for complaining about whatever crossed his mind. But even with all his negativity, viewers still seemed to love him.
“True to his occasional crotchety nature, though, he complained about being famous or bothered by fans,” David Bauder wrote in an Associated Press obituary about Rooney. “His last wish from fans: If you see him in a restaurant, just let him eat his dinner.”
Though none of the following folks became famous for being cranky as Rooney did, they too were beloved for their curmudgeonly demeanor — so much so, that when they died, their families used the word “curmudgeon” in their obituaries. Here are a few lovable and beloved curmudgeons who have died in recent weeks.
Geert “Hank” Prinz had a “strong spirit and sharp wit,” according to the obit his family published in the Bellingham (Washington) Herald. In fact, “one of his favorite things to do was offend people.”
Hank’s best friend once said, “I love Hank dearly, but I can’t take him anywhere.”
But, “to know him was to love him,” said his family. “Anyone who took the time to get past the curmudgeon found a huge generous heart.”
“Opinionated, articulate and witty, he could turn the answer to a yes or no question into a 20 minute story.” That’s how the family of Robert W. Dees Jr. of San Pedro, California, described him in his Daily Breeze obituary.
Robert’s family also thanked his friends, caregivers, and the hospice nurse, who stuck by him while he was ill with colon cancer and bestowed “many kind favors on our curmudgeon.”
“He was one of a kind and left a huge hole in our hearts.”
Jay Charles Pratt who “kicked the bucket” Nov. 7, 2011, “was a Yankee curmudgeon and a true Renaissance man living the American Dream.”
“Known for his Yankee accent and attitude, storytelling, and sense of humor, he may best be remembered for the creation of Pratt Gardens in Sharptown, as well as his square cookies and letter writing,” said his obit in the Sunbeam of Salem, New Jersey.
A nature lover, Pratt “taught a Home School Botany Class about the birds and bees using his own beehives” and even took his dedication to education to the grave: “The family would like people to know that he is still spreading the joy and wisdom he enjoyed sharing with everyone by ‘teaching’ at Rutgers University Medical Department where he has donated himself for the furthering of education.”
The obituary for Frank M. Ermers of Appleton, Wisconsin, provided a brief bio, a list of relatives, and funeral information before adding this personal note:
“Dad, You were a curmudgeon! We had made our peace with each other. I will miss the walks around our yards looking at our gardens. Thank you for all you have given me, especially that last smile and squeeze of my hand. I’ll see you in that big garden someday and we will walk together again.”
This post was contributed by Alana Baranick, a freelance obituary writer. She was the director of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers and chief author of Life on the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers before she passed away in 2015.
