Lore White
Loré White’s obituary started out “When you read this, I will be at the big beautiful golf course in the sky waiting for my tee time. What a wondrous life it has been…”
What a great way to start out writing your own life story. The obituary ran a full 16 column inches in Sunday’s Albuquerque Journal. She wrote about where she was born, her family members, the different places she lived and how she came to New Mexico. She wrote about her marriage, her travels, her interests and participation in various organizations.
She was involved in the building of the new Albuquerque Convention Center and served on the boards of the Better Business Bureau, Goodwill Industries, the Albuquerque Little Theater, and the Amapola Garden Club. She supported the Santa Fe Opera with exquisite formal holiday dinner parties held by the Albuquerque Opera Guild.
And she loved golf. She was involved with the Sun Country Golf Association, representing and benefiting amateur golfers throughout New Mexico and in El Paso. She was an active member of the Albuquerque Country Club, which she called “the best country club in the State.” She wrote about some of her fellow female golfers, saying, “They’re all up here now playing lots of golf and bridge, and waiting for me to teach them Mah-Jongg.”
Toward the end, she wrote, “What a life! Gotta go. They just called us, God’s ‘Fearsome Foursome,’ to the tee box… See ya, but not too soon, I hope. P.S. No funeral. Much too boring.”
I loved this obituary. However, this life calls for a celebration! I could see a spectacular get-together at the Albuquerque Country Club to recognize the remarkable life of Loré White. How sad that her family and those friends who haven’t yet made it to the Great Golf Course in the Sky won’t have the chance to raise a toast to her at the 19th hole. Here’s hoping her family reconsiders and holds a memorial service worthy of Loré’s remarkable life and attitude.
Have you written your own obituary yet? I suggest you write your vibrant life story and remove the job of writing an obituary from the list of so many other things your family will be taking care of after you die. There’s a great guide to obituary writing in A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.
Got questions? Post them in the comment box below!