Death is never easy and it often leaves us feeling heartbroken when a loved one dies. Whether death is sudden or expected, it brings with it a slew of emotions for those left behind. Final arrangements can be daunting, not the least of which is writing a proper obituary or eulogy. Capturing someone’s essence in just a few words is challenging. Charles Boehm, however, knew just what to do when describing his dad.
He wrote a hilarious obituary about his father, Robert Adolph Boehm, that quickly went viral. It’s witty and, at times, irreverent, but it perfectly describes Robert, whose loved ones will miss him like crazy.
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Boehm didn't know what to write, so he consulted Google.
The 41-year-old told the Washington Post he’d never written an obituary and went to Google for guidance. He found a funny obituary about another beloved father from Connecticut. Boehm quickly decided that’s exactly what his dad would have wanted.
He began with a bang: “Robert Adolph Boehm, in accordance with his lifelong dedication to his own personal brand of decorum, muttered his last unintelligible and likely unnecessary curse on October 6, 2024, shortly before tripping backward over ‘some stupid mother****ing thing’ and hitting his head on the floor.”
The obituary continued to jab at his father.
The jokes continued. “Raised Catholic, Robert managed to get his wife Dianne pregnant (three times) fast enough to just barely miss getting drafted into the Vietnam War by fathering Michelle, John, and Charlotte between 1967 and 1972. Much later, with Robert possibly concerned about the brewing conflict in Grenada, Charles was born in 1983,” the obit reads.
Boehm also poked fun at his father's fashion sense and interests.
He wrote, “A man of many interests, Robert was not to be entranced by historical weapons alone, but also had a penchant for fashion, frequently seen about town wearing the latest trend in homemade leather moccasins, a wide collection of unconventional hats, and boldly mismatched shirts and pants.”
Boehm added, “Robert also kept a wide selection of harmonicas on hand — not to play personally, but to prompt his beloved dogs to howl continuously at odd hours of the night to entertain his many neighbors, and occasionally to give to his many, many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren to play loudly during long road trips with their parents.”
Boehm's parents died just months apart.
He wrote in the obituary, “Earlier this year, in February, God finally showed mercy upon Dianne, getting her the heck out of there for some well-earned peace and quiet. Without Dianne to gleefully entertain, Robert shifted his creative focus to the entertainment of you, the fine townspeople of Clarendon, Texas. Over the last eight months, if you have not met Robert or seen his road show yet, you probably would have soon.”
He ended with a quip: “We have all done our best to enjoy/weather Robert’s antics up to this point, but he is God’s problem now.”
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The obituary got a lot of laughs.
Boehm sent the obituary to Robertson Funeral Directors, Chuck Robertson told the Washington Post, and he nearly choked on his breakfast in laughter.
“I told people in the office, ‘Well, this is going to get us some attention,'” Robertson said. “I’d never had a family come through the doors that wrote an obituary as classic as that one. It immediately puts a smile on your face.”
Robertson posted it on Facebook, and people in the comments section loved it.
Someone wrote, “You ever read an obituary and think, ‘Dang, I’m sorry I never had the chance to meet them. They seemed pretty cool’ That’s me with this guy. What a gift to have left a legacy of humor and love to your kids and grandkids. I sure hope he’s reunited to ‘annoy’ his wife for all eternity.”
Some many agreed, such as this person who commented, “I’ve never been so sad to have missed a chance to meet someone, he sounds like he would have been a riot!! May he rest easy and his family have peace.”
