My first obituary...

There are many things in this world that irritate me, and one of them is poorly written obituaries in newspapers. No one seems to pay attention or edit them or make sure that they make sense at all. Therefore, I decided this morning that I would be involved in the writing of my grandfather's obituary. It's my first. I hope I don't write lots of them as time goes by. It's definitely not the kind of writing I like to do, but at least I know it won't suck:

James T. Elliott, 77, of Tamworth, NH, died peacefully at his home on April 7, 2010, surrounded by his family. Calling hours will be held at Lord’s Funeral Home, 50 Moultonville Road in Center Ossipee NH 03814 on Friday, April 16^th from 6-8 pm. The service will be held Saturday, April 17^th at 1:00 pm at the South Tamworth Methodist Church on Route 25 in South Tamworth, NH 03883.

Jimmie was born May 25, 1932, to Albert and Gertrude (Berry) Elliott. He graduated from Kennett High School in 1950 and went on to serve in the United States Air Force from 1950-1954 during the Korean Conflict.

In 1958, he became owner/operator of Elliott Brothers Garage, until retiring in 1990. He volunteered for the fire department, Tamworth Finance Committee, and was a member of the Men’s Bowling League. He enjoyed gardening, his grandchildren, watching wildlife in his yard, sitting by the woodstove, his Kubota tractor, cutting his own firewood, NASCAR, the Red Sox, and he had an incredible knack for finding four leaf clovers. He was a unique individual full of ingenious ideas and an incredible love for his family.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy, daughters: Melinda and her husband Peter Heimlich, Melanie and her husband Mark Streeter, Marcia Jayne and her husband Joe Hudak, grandchildren: Casey, Julie, Amanda, Abbey, Dan, Virginia and Josh, and his sister Eleanor Lyman, along with several nieces, nephews and cousins. Jimmie was preceded by his parents, brother Roger and grandson Fred.

Donations can be made in his memory to: The Laura Foundation for Autism & Epilepsy, 1251 Eaton Road, Madison NH 03849, the Make A Wish Foundation of NH, 814 Elm Street, Suite 300, Manchester NH 03101 in memory of his grandson Fred Nathaniel Hatch or The Community School, 1164 Bunker Hill Road, South Tamworth NH 03883. Lord’s Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.