As anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis (yes, both of you!) know, I love obituaries. I especially love the local obituaries from Southern Maryland because they have a flair I have not found in those I have read in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Virginia. Obituaries here appear to be written by the deceased's family members who come to praise their loved ones, not just bury them. Fulsome praise is, at times, combined with grammatical errors, misplaced words, an inexplicable spelling. Nonetheless, this type of obituary can give one a clear idea of the deceased's life -- often one of a life well-lived.
Anyway, Doris Williams passed away at age 69 on September 16. She "truly be missed for her gentle spirit and her enormous heart that embraced each and everyone who crossed her path." A woman of faith, she worked as a phyical therapist aid until she retired because of illness. And here is where a wrongly-used homophone adds another dimension to the meaning of her life:
"Doris was a hard worker and in her own rite became a Spiritual Counselor to every patient she served."
True, I believe, in both the intended and the unintended meanings of the sentence.
Another person -- one of many -- I wish I had known.
May she rest in peace.
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