A recent trend in the obituary pages has prompted us to create our very own, extremely unscientific, presidential poll.
A recent trend in the obituary pages has prompted us to create our very own, extremely unscientific, presidential poll. Many obituaries published during the 2012 presidential election campaign have included stories about their loved ones’ support for their favorite candidate and/or requests for donations to the candidates’ campaigns. Some offer a quiet mention of the candidate the deceased supported, while others shout an impassioned plea for sanity as the deceased saw it.
As the trend becomes more popular, the obituary section is beginning to look a bit like “Letters to the Editor”… and according to our (really very, very unscientific) research, it looks like President Obama has a slight edge over Romney. But of course, it’s too early to call… and we expect to be able to build on our poll with a lot more obituaries like these in the coming months.
Barbara Woods Penhallegon, who died June 30, 2012 at age 87, “was very active with Republican Women from an early age and continued to be very politically minded until the end,” according to her obit in the Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, Colorado. With a “Romney Believe in America” bumper sticker proudly displayed on her hospital bed, “her goal was to live long enough to vote.”
Deborah Jane Boyden, who was 78 when she died June 13, 2012, is described in her obituary as a “staunch liberal Democrat and supporter of President Obama.” According to the obit, published in the Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Massachusetts, Deborah “followed politics and current events avidly until her dying day.”
James W. Dix Sr. had “the high honor of preparing a meal for President Barack Obama” before his death July 9, 2012 at age 57. According to his obituary in the Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Virginia, James working as head chef at Hampton University when he met the president. Said James,”He’s the type of guy I would play ball with!”
Also published in the Daily Press was the obit for Romney supporter Carlton B. Cowan, Lt. Col. (retired) USAF, who died June 27, 2012. Carlton “was happiest when discussing politics and philosophy,” his family wrote. “A lifelong Republican, he served as chairman of the Gloucester Republican Committee for the past two years.” The family suggests contributions to Cowan’s church or to the “Romney for President Victory Fund.”
Daniel H Haigh, who died June 18, 2012 at age 74, “was passionate about our nation returning to its founding principles,” according to the obit in the Midland (Michigan) Daily News. In addition memorial donations to Hillsdale College in Michigan, the obituary suggests this unique sympathy gift: “voting for Mitt Romney, our only chance to turn away from socialism and begin the long road back to our roots that made this country the greatest nation in the world.”
Barbara “Bobbie” Frances Lytle Benes was “one of a kind” according to her obituary in the Boston Globe. “Vibrant, sassy, and independent, funny, smart and stylish,” the 82-year-old, who died June 21, 2012, “lived life fully and on her own terms.” Her family asked that memorial donations be made to Partners In Health or “of course, to the Obama campaign.”
Further (and equally unscientific) research shows that many including Dorothy Irby, Roxana Randolph, and Franklin Schultz supported incumbent Obama. Meanwhile, Margaret Friel, Ruth Smith, Richard Koella, and a host of others were rooting for his challenger, Romney.
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.
