Some people view obituaries as morbid stories, but in truth only one line of an obit deals with death. The rest of the story focuses on the amazing lives people lead. In 2014, these 15 obituaries were the people/stories that most resonated with me:
* Robin Williams, comedian and actor
* Josefa A. Platzer, restauranteur
* Archibald Andrews, comic book hero
* Philip Seymour Hoffman, actor
* Ben Bradlee, editor
* Jay Lake, author
* Margot Adler, author
* John Pinette, comedian
* Frank Mankiewicz, former president of NPR
* Hal Douglas, voiceover actor
* Eli Wallach, actor
* Mickey Rooney, actor
* R.A. Montgomery, author
* John Tull, survivor of the plague
* Timothy Dowd, police detective
Other wonderful obituaries that shouldn’t be missed (and people who shouldn’t be forgotten):
* H.R. Giger, artist
* Arthur Gelb, journalist
* Edwin Kagin, atheist attorney
* Milton William Jones, one of the last Pullman porters
* Larry Agenbroad, paleontologist
* Jean Beliveau, hockey Hall of Famer
* Mike Nichols, director
* Betty Jo Simpson, Internet sensation
* Ralph White, actor
* Don Pardo, broadcaster
* Maya Angelou, poet
* Ruby Dee, civil rights activist and actress
* Shirley Temple Black, actress and ambassador
* Harold Ramis, director
* Joan Rivers, comedian
* Casey Kasem, DJ
* Lauren Bacall, actress
* Pete Seeger, folk singer
* Gabriel García Márquez, author
* Jean-Claude (Baby Doc) Duvalier, ruler of Haiti
* Ariel Sharon, former Israeli Prime Minister
* Marion Berry, former DC mayor
* Oscar de la Renta, fashion designer
* Sir Richard Attenborough, director
* Sid Caesar, comedian
* James Garner, actor
* Elaine Stritch, actress
* Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, boxer
* Joe Cocker, singer
* Ann B. Davis, actress
