About a million years ago when I was studying journalism at WKU, I remember one of the most uncomfortable assignments ever… learning to write an obituary. The first part of the assignment was a bit weird and just a little fun… writing my own obituary. However, then we had to choose a family member and a classmate to compose their obits. That was downright uncomfortable.
Over the past 50 years I have written a few and I never fail to remember that assignment. Back then there was AP Style to follow, along with appropriate newspaper traditions. Needless to say, most of that guidance has fallen by the wayside in recent years. One of the reasons for the change came when newspapers realized they could turn obituaries into a source of revenue. Then obits became one of the main and final reasons people maintained their subscription to the local newspaper.
In today’s world, with so many newspapers having less than half the readership they had just a few years ago… or, sadly, in many cases totally shut down, there just isn’t a dependable and easy source of information about those who have recently left us. Until now.
Effective this month, SOKY Happenings has established the website… SOKYobits.com. Our obits website will be a single source for all area obits. Our team is covering 14 communities and nearly 30 area funeral homes and providing a comprehensive list of all those who have passed in the area in the past seven days.
We are proud to provide this service to our area. Each name listed will be a hotlink to the individual’s obituary as listed on the funeral home’s website that is providing the service to the individual and his/her family. However, even visiting the website can be an intrusion on your day, so we also offer a daily email. You can go to the SOKYObits.com website and sign up for our daily email. That will allow you to see at a glance if a friend, business associate or distant family member has passed. Needless to say, we will be protecting our email subscribers’ privacy and not sharing their addresses nor sending anything other than the requested email.
As uncomfortable as death is to discuss, it is truly a part of life and it is, even in today’s changing world, still important to know when someone passes so you can offer support and comfort to those left behind.
