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 2013, these 13 obituaries were the stories that most resonated with me:
* Helen Thomas, reporter, columnist and dean of the White House Press Corps
* Abigail Van Buren, advice columnist
* Roger Ebert, movie critic
* Elmore Leonard, author
* Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first black president of South Africa
* Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of Britain
* Ed Koch, former New York City mayor
* Gary David Goldberg, TV producer
* Ray Harryhausen, special effects pioneer
* Tom Clancy, author
* Peter O’Toole, actor
* James Gandolfini, actor
* Jean Stapleton, actress
