The Honor of Writing an Obituary When a loved one dies, there are many decisions that must be made in a very short period of time. One of the tasks you may be asked to do is to prepare an obituary for your loved one. With little time to prepare and many emotions rising to the surface, it can often be challenging to recall all of the important things that you may want to convey about the person you have lost.
one’s family and friends. Did your loved one spend part of the year in another geographic location? If so, you may want to run the obituary there as well.
Family Hospice & Palliative Care 50 Moffett Street Pittsburgh, PA 15243
2016 SPRING/SUMMER NEWSLETTER
Think about how your loved one would like to be remembered. What was he or she most proud of? Did he or she have career accomplishments that you might mention? Was there civic or faith organization involvement and/or leadership? What about his or her special skills, talents, or hobbies?
Your funeral home director will generally help you write the obituary. He or she often has a template on the computer and will ask you the basic questions to elicit information that is most often included. The obituary is something that friends and family often keep as a remembrance. If your loved one would have appreciated humor, it is fine to include a quip in the obituary as it will remind others of your loved one’s sense of humor.
Welcome to Our New Chief Medical Officer
Calling hours and memorial service information. As you make plans, consider those who might need to travel from out of town, and children and grandchildren who might be away at school or serving in the military. Who will likely come to calling hours? Are they older friends and family who may no longer drive at night and how might this affect your scheduling?
Here are some questions you may want to think about as you prepare your loved one’s obituary.
Are there charitable organizations you would like to include in the obituary to which donations may be made in lieu of flowers? If so, you may want to include the name and address of the organization.
Do you want to include a photograph? If so, a photo from your loved one’s younger years or something more recent? What family members do you want to list by name, both those who have pre-deceased your loved one and those who survive? Generally, children, grandchildren, and any great-grandchildren are mentioned. Other named relatives may include siblings and/or relatives who were especially close to the deceased. Sometimes close friends or caregivers are mentioned or thanked. In which newspaper(s) would you like the obituary to appear? You’ll want to consider the newspaper(s) most frequently read by your loved
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PITTSBURGH, PA PERMIT NO. 02743
Your funeral director generally submits the obituary to the newspaper(s) and will add the cost to your final bill. The cost is dependent upon the length of the obituary, the number of days you would like it to appear, and the newspaper(s) you select.
Donations needed! Family Treasures Sale III October 8 & 9
A special thank you to our Gold Sponsors, UPMC and Westmoreland Medical Equipment, and Hole-In-One Contest Sponsors Bobby Rahal Automotive Group and USA Compression. Proceeds benefit our patients, their families, and the community through hospice care and bereavement services for grieving adults, children, and teens.
If you are downsizing or cleaning out a loved one's home and looking for a worthwhile organization to benefit from your donated items, Friends of Family Hospice is accepting gently-used, good quality jewelry, accessories (i.e. scarves and purses), china, silver, glassware, mirrors and lamps, linens, collectibles, artwork, and furniture. Contact Pat Lynn at thelynns2@verizon.net or 412-833-7315 to arrange furniture pickup. Items may be dropped off Monday – Friday at Family Hospice from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Questions about donations other than furniture may be directed to info@familyhospicepa.org.
Pictured at this year’s Golf Benefit (from left) are Dan Lapcevic, Dr. Mario Fatigati, Dr. Keith Lagnese, and Dr. Donald McFarland.
Last year’s sale raised more than $18,000 for patients and families!
In finalizing the obituary, take your time to review it carefully and ask others whose input you value to review it as well. Writing an obituary offers the privilege and honor of paying tribute to your loved one’s life and accomplishments.
The 29th Annual Family Hospice Golf Benefit raised more than $70,000 this May.
Family Hospice Hosts TLC’s Dr. Jennifer Arnold Mark your calendars and plan to “Think Big” at an evening with Dr. Jennifer Arnold on Thursday, November 10 at Temple Rodef Shalom in Oakland. New York Times bestselling author and co-star of “The Little Couple”, Dr. Arnold will share with us her guide for dreaming big, overcoming challenges, setting goals, and taking the steps you need to get there. Dr. Arnold is a preeminent neonatologist who completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. She is currently a neonatologist at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director of the Simulation Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. In both her professional and personal life, she has faced prejudice and has dealt with the uncertainties of life with two adopted children from overseas, both born with skeletal dysplasias. Dr. Jennifer Arnold is a cancer survivor. She eagerly shares her wisdom and encouragement for everyone who is dealing with health setbacks. We look forward to welcoming her back to Pittsburgh. Dr. Arnold’s most recent book, Thinking BIG: Overcoming Obstacles with Optimism, will be available at the event, and the author will participate in a book signing following her presentation. For more information, please contact Christine Jamison, Special Events Coordinator, at 412-572-8812. Please plan to join us and help make this event a “BIG” success!
Though certainly not new to Pittsburgh or to hospice care, Dr. Keith Lagnese is new to Family Hospice. He joined the organization in November and brings a longstanding commitment to hospice. Over his decades of medical practice, he has seen firsthand the benefits for patients and their families. He leads a staff of five full-time physicians at Family Hospice, all of whom are board-certified in hospice and palliative care and are well respected in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As a primary care, internal medicine physician, Dr. Lagnese spent his early years in a medical practice that provided a significant proportion of its care to patients in nursing homes. “Rounding at Kane, Manor Care, and other area nursing homes provided me with a depth of experience in dealing with the elderly, many of whom were experiencing life-limiting illnesses,” he states. In the late 1990s when the concept of hospice care was beginning to become more widely accepted, Dr. Lagnese began referring his patients to hospice. He saw it as a form of care that enabled patients to remain in the comfort of their own homes while receiving the necessary medical and supportive services they required. Dr. Lagnese became the medical director of another area hospice, and later, along with a partner, started his own hospice company. According to Lagnese, “This was a significant learning experience for me, as I developed a greater understanding of the tremendous value of the interdisciplinary team – nurse, social worker, spiritual counselor, nursing assistant – all of whom discuss how to best care for our patients.”
Continued inside left
Family Hospice volunteers Donna Laughlin and Joan Gohh were recognized with the 2016 Heart of Hospice award at our recent South Hills volunteer luncheon.
Mission Statement The Mission of Family Hospice and Palliative Care is to provide compassionate, quality comfort care that enhances the lives of people with life-limiting illness and their families.
Board of Directors Robert E. Butter, Chair Bruce Austin, Secretary Paul Winkler, Immediate Past Chair Kathi R. Boyle Kimberly Ward Burns
Barbara Ivanko, President and CEO Barry C. Lembersky, MD Lisa Turbeville Markowski Sandra Tomlinson G. Alan Yeasted, MD
Community Advisory Committee Ruth Foltz, Chair Robert E. Butter Nanci Case Christine Crompton
Marthé Groves Jane D. Johnson Kevin P. Kearns, Ph.D. Lisa Turbeville Markowski
FamilyHospicePA.org