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Obituaries
October 08, 2003, 10:57 p.m.
Passed away in her sleep on September 29, 2003. She was only 18 years old. It was such a shock to everyone and she will be so sadly missed by her mother, father, sisters and the rest of her family and friends. I found that in the obituaries today. This is why I read them – I skim the ages, looking for people who’ve died young. I am such a ghoul. You can tell these people weren’t prepared for death, unready to write an obituary, unskilled in the art of it – all the other obituaries skim over the grief with a simple ‘loved and missed by all’, they have allowed the world to see their heartbreak. Why do I look for young deaths? The tragedy, the pain – with people who die at age 80, 90, you expect their family to have reconciled themselves to the fact. People who die young are missed so much more keenly, it seems, for the loss of their futures, and often, the suddenness of it. It’s a sick voyeurism, but I feel so disconnected from loss seen on TV, in movies and shows, even on the news it seems so distant. Here, in the obituaries, you’re reminded of the fact that there are people out, dealing with such loss, that must still go about their daily routines, and in the midst of that, compose an obituary they never thought they would have to.
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