The Charlotte Observer
Gerry Hostetler wrote close to 2,500 obituary columns for The Charlotte Observer; on Sunday the newspaper published her last, about her own life. She was 76. Hostetler started working in the Observer’s newsroom as a part-time obit clerk in 1978, and in 1991 she pitched the newspaper on an obituary column, “It’s a Matter of Life.” In her last column she explains (in third-person) her thinking:
“I would do an occasional obit-news story,” Gerry said, “and they became quite popular. That prompted me to envision a column with more information and above all – more warmth.”
She describes a life of hard work, including 20 years working two jobs. She also offers a bit of advice for journalists doing this work:
Gerry learned to cope with a grieving spouse by asking how the pair met. “Almost immediately, he or she was back in the moment and ended up laughing about their dates. I loved that! I always felt that listening to them reminisce was so healing for them.”
The Society of Professional Obituary Writers gave Hostetler its Lifetime Achievement Award a few years ago. Friends and relatives of some of Hostelter’s subjects over the years are appreciating her work in a guestbook on Legacy.com.
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