JUNE 26 "WHAT WILL YOUR OBITUARY READ LIKE?"

 An 80-year-old woman’s seemingly straightforward obituary took a dark turn that no one could have predicted.


The obituary for Kathleen Dehmlow (Schunk) first appeared in the Redwood Gazette this week. It stated she was born on March 19, 1938, and resided in Springfield, Minn. She married Dennis Dehmlow in 1957 and had two children with him -- Gina and Jay.


The next sentence is where the obituary’s tone appeared to change.


“In 1962 she became pregnant by her husband’s brother Lyle Dehmlow and moved to California. She abandoned her children, Gina and Jay who were raised by her parents in Clements, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schunk,” the obituary reads.


OBIT: COLONEL LEAVES BEHIND WIFE, KIDS, BAD BELTWAY DRIVERS


The next two sentences were particularly crushing.


“She passed away on May 31, 2018, in Springfield and will now face judgment. She will not be missed by Gina and Jay, and they understand that this world is a better place without her,” the obituary concluded.


What an odd obituary; if I've ever read one.  How can one's whole life be summed up in two negative paragraphs? 


Life is a gift and we should take that gift and live a life well lived; that leaves others, once we passed, the pleasure of writing a beautiful obituary that celebrated "a life lived well".

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