Charming Obituary Written by Son

Robert Spiegel, a 77 year old former English professor, was eulogized by his son in a quirky obituary that has charmed many thanks to numerous Facebook and Twitter postings. Spiegel passed away this week after struggling with cardiac disease and dementia. Some of the more memorable portions of the obituary are below:

• “Robert Spiegel of Kensington was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on May 2, 1934, lived and subsequently died. Most of his noteworthy accomplishments happened in said middle part.”
• The obituary referred to Spiegel’s job as, “a thinly veiled therapy to alleviate the trauma he sustained from coaching arguably the worst Little League team in recorded (or unrecorded) history and from the sufferings he endured from 40 years as a devout Mets fan.”
• “Whereas the disease did thankfully erase most memories of the ’62 Mets season, it eventually also claimed his life.”
• The obituary described Spiegel’s son, Jeff (who wrote the obituary), as someone, “who, if nothing else to show from his lineage, inherited his father’s sardonic sense of humor.”
• Spiegel was predeceased by his “bevy of beagles, all eternally loyal to their benevolent master, if not lacking a tad in their own intellect.”

See Stephanie Reitz, Quirky Obituary Endears Conn. Prof to New Audience, The Associated Press, Dec. 2, 2011.