For some of us, humor defines who we are and how we cope with life. If this is the case for your loved one, insert a spoonful of it into the obituary and a larger dose of it into the eulogy. And if your loved one did not take well to a joke, perhaps just leave it out altogether.
The trick with humor is that it has to be just the right kind and it needs to lean the right way (or the left way) depending on your loved one's personality. If you are off on the humor, the result can be insulting (or disastrous). But, if used properly, you'll elicit huge smiles and stifled snickering from those who loved Uncle Bob and his indiscretions. Are you up to the task? If so, get to work!
Some thoughts for selecting humorous quotes and anecdotes for an obituary or eulogy:
• Is this a quote/anecdote that Uncle Bob used himself (and repeated at Thanksgiving every year)? If so, this could be a slam dunk.
• Is the quote/anecdote from an actor, writer or politician that Uncle Bob loved?
• Is the quote/anecdote from a iconic person of Uncle Bob's generation? (and of his political bend?)
• Is the quote/anecdote from a movie, book or song that Uncle Bob revered?
• Is there intrinsic value to the quote/anecdote from which to expound on in the eulogy? (or is it just a shallow albeit funny one-liner?)
The point when adding humor to a eulogy is that it needs to be Uncle Bob's humor, not yours, or it could come off as your just poking fun at Uncle Bob. The goal: everyone should be having a good laugh with Bob wiping tears from his eyes from beyond the grave.
The best way to find quotable humor is this: google Bob's favorite comedian, movie, or book with something like "best quotes from George Carlin" or "best quotes from Fast Times at Ridgemont High." You'll likely find exactly what you're looking for. Or google something more general from Uncle Bob's heyday like: "funniest quotes from the civil war."
"The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself." Oscar Wilde
"That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it." George Carlin
Jack Handey writes his own obituary: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/03/31/how-i-want-to-be-remembered
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