Memorial Services: Remember and Reflect the Deceased

i feel a memorial service should remember a life that has been lived, and honour the deceased in a respectful, if not slightly irreverent, way, much like Bruce Weber, obituary writer for the New York Times, describes here:

"The general outlook of the obituary department is that our articles are about lives that have been lived, not deaths that have occurred. The idea is to appreciate the character of the subject to the degree that that’s possible, usually based on what we know that person has accomplished and on what we can glean from interviews with family members and others. You never want to make fun of anyone, but you do want to appreciate eccentricities, record unusual events and relay humorous incidents or comments. In that way, a good obituary can be like a good eulogy."

Courtesy of the New York Times, where you should go for the rest of this fascinating and enlightening interview.

NEWS: Matriarch of Interracial Marriage, MILDRED LOVING Dies

It is difficult to believe, but not too long ago, it was actually against the law in this country for two people of different races to marry.

Mildred Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.

Mildred Loving died at the age of 68.

Please see her obituary from the Associated Press.

Celebrate the legalization of interracial couples on LOVING DAY, 12 June.

Also, hear an NPR story celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in favour of the Lovings.