Over the course of the past few weeks, you have come to know Paul Baumer on an
intimate basis. You have read his thoughts, felt his pain, and his joy. You have lived
with Paul throughout his experience and if like me, you have become emotionally
involved in this book, he is your friend.
Now Paul is dead. You are his only friend that is still living and you have to write his
Obituary, a notice of someone’s death, including a short biography. Use details from the
novel for the general facts, and make up additional ones as needed.
Your obituary for Paul needs to be creative, typed at least one page long, size 12 font,
double spaced.
You will be graded on creativity, accuracy, and format.
Use the following example obituaries and formats to help you in your efforts
Johnson Audrey Lucille , died on Sun, Jan 27, at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. She was a dear
wife to BillyJohnson and loving mother to Jenny Johnson (Daniel J. Towne). Audrey lived a
joyous life and did everything she ever wanted to do. Audrey was born on Apr 24, 1934 at her
family home on Guinea Pike to Frank and Emma Davis. As a young woman, Audrey worked at
Totes and Baldwin Piano, but soon found her niche as a beloved school secretary and 'de facto'
principal at Miami Elementary. Audrey spent 33 years as the heart of the Miami family and
touched countless lives. She was known for her memory and never forgot a face, name or
number. Many students succeeded because of a "deal" with Audrey to encourage good grades,
attendance or behavior. Her approachable and charming personality ensured that Audrey never
met a stranger and Audrey was a caring and vigilant friend, always ready to help (often in the
form of her great cooking or good company). Her energetic zest for life was contagious, though
few could maintain the pace. Audrey leaves behind many friends, family and loved ones who will
miss and remember her warmly. Services for Audrey Johnson will be held at the Debund
Funeral Home in Milford. Visitation will be on Fri, Feb 1, from 5:00-8:00pm. The funeral will be at
10am on Sat, Feb 2, with burial immediately following at the Evergreen Cemetery in Miamiville,
Ohio. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to Miamiville United Methodist Church
(P.O. Box 142, Miamiville 45147).

NAME / ANNOUNCEMENT
o
o
o
o
o
o

Full name of the deceased, including nickname, if any
Age at death
Residence (for example, the name of the city) at death
Day and date of death
Place of death
Cause of death
LIFE
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Date of birth
Place of birth
Names of parents
Childhood: siblings, stories, schools, friends
Marriage(s): date of, place, name of spouse
Education: school, college, university and other
Designations, awards, and other recognition
Employment: jobs, activities, stories, colleagues, satisfactions,
promotions, union activities, frustrations,
Places of residence
Hobbies, sports, interests, activities, and other enjoyment
o
o
o
o

Charitable, religious, fraternal, political, and other affiliations;
positions held
Achievements
Disappointments
Unusual attributes, humor, other stories
FAMILY
o
Survived by (and place of residence):











o
Predeceased by (and date of death):







Spouse
Children (in order of date of birth)
Grandchildren
Siblings (in order of date of birth)
Others, such as nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws
Pets (if appropriate)
SERVICE
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Spouse
Children (in order of date of birth, and their spouses)
Grandchildren
Great-grandchildren
Great-great-grandchildren
Parents
Grandparents
Siblings (in order of date of birth)
Others, such as nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws
Friends
Pets (if appropriate)
Day, date, time, place
Name of officiant, pallbearers, honorary pallbearers, other
information
Visitation information if applicable: day, date, time, place
Reception information if applicable: day, date, time, place
Other memorial, vigil, or graveside services if applicable: day, date,
time, place
Place of interment
Name of funeral home in charge of arrangements
Where to call for more information (even if no service planned)
END
o
o
o
o
o
Memorial funds established
Memorial donation suggestions, including addresses
Thank you to people, groups, or institutions
Quotation or poem
Three words that sum up the life
Paul Baumer : Obituary
12
8
4
1
Ideas
Ideas were
expressed in a clear
and organized
fashion. It was easy
to figure out what the
obituary was about.
Ideas were
expressed in a pretty
clear manner, but the
organization could
have been better.
Ideas were
somewhat
organized, but were
not very clear. It took
more than one
reading to figure out
what the obituary
was about.
The letter seemed to
be a collection of
unrelated sentences.
It was very difficult to
figure out what the
obituary was about.
Length
The obituary has 4 or
more solid
paragraphs
explaining Paul
Baumer.
The obituary has 3
paragraphs
explaining Paul
Baumer.
The obituary has two
solid paragraphs or a
column containing
information
explaining Paul
Baumer.
The obituary is very
short; meeting half or
less of the length
requirement.
Grammar &
spelling
Writer makes no
Writer makes 1-2
errors in grammar or errors in grammar
spelling.
and/or spelling.
Writer makes 3-4
errors in grammar
and/or spelling
Writer makes more
than 4 errors in
grammar and/or
spelling.
Neatness
Obituary is typed,
clean, not wrinkled,
and is easy to read
with no distracting
error corrections. It
was done with pride.
Obituary is neatly
hand-written, clean,
not wrinkled, and is
easy to read with no
distracting error
corrections. It was
done with care.
Obituary is typed and
is crumpled or
slightly stained. It
may have 1-2
distracting error
corrections. It was
done with some
care.
Obituary is typed and
looks like it had been
shoved in a pocket
or locker. It may
have several
distracting error
corrections. It looks
like it was done in a
hurry or stored
improperly.
Format
Obituary complies
with all the
requirements.
Obituary complies
with almost all the
requirements.
Obituary complies
with several of the
requirements.
Obituary complies
with less than 75% of
the requirements.
Content
Accuracy
The obituary
The obituary
contains more than 5 contains 5 accurate
accurate facts about facts about the topic.
the topic.
The obituary
contains 3-4
accurate facts about
the topic.
The obituary
contains 1 or 2
accurate facts about
the topic.
CATEGORY
____ / 72