“She was the final word on so many lives.”

Heartbroken to report that award-winning obituary writer Alana Baranick died on April 10 from cancer. She was 65.

For those of you who didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Alana, she was a talented journalist who spent 16 years working at The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. During that time, she penned nearly 2,000 obituaries. She was also the founder of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the co-author of “Life on the Death Beat” and a dear friend.

Here is the lovely obituary that appeared on the front page of The Plain Dealer’s website. Read it and you’ll know exactly why I adored Alana.

I will miss her so much.