Personal Essays

Desperately Seeking the Funeral Director With a Matinee Idol Name

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Four years after my grandmother’s death, I was determined to track down — and thank — the mortuary staffer whose kindness (and name) I will never forget.

Rebecca Odes for Modern Loss

DNA and Middle C

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My son's resemblance to my father was always striking. But after my dad died, it took on new meaning.

Father's Day listicle

Random Acts of Dadness

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From rejecting perfectly good restaurant food to donating to worthy causes, I'm spending the first Father's Day after my dad's death trying to emulate his character.

My Father Is My Grief Mentor

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Dad raised me on his own after Mom died. So when I, too, lost my spouse young, he showed me how to find happiness again.

Meet the Widex

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Eight years after we divorced, my sons’ father was dead — and I went from the ex to something more complicated.

What My Dad’s Suicide Taught Me About Resilience  

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A wellness coach offers practical advice for finding your center amid complicated grief.

‘I Have Some Very Bad News’

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Tasked with making and fielding calls to let people know Dad had died felt like collateral damage.

That Would Have Been a Great Story

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My high school boyfriend and I lost our respective spouses just months apart — and reconnected over our grief. I would like to be able to say that we fell back in love and lived happily ever after. Something else unfolded.

Courtney Maum Modern Loss

A Miscarriage Saved My Marriage

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I didn’t wish for this loss. But it happened, and brought uncommon gifts.

Operation Orchid

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Grandpa was totally dead. In his honor, I decided to bring my mostly dead orchids back to life.

My Father’s Death Reminded Me I Married a Good Man

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My dad, on the other hand, was a cherished friend and a terrible husband.

Bring Soup, Not Salad

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And other rules for feeding mourners from a pair of foodies who’ve been there.

Losing My Son’s ‘First Mommy’

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When the troubled woman who gave birth to my little boy died at age 31, I realized just how much I’d been riding on her imagined recovery.

When the Grim Reaper Visited My High School

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Decades later, a favorite teacher’s death resonates still.

Four Days

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It is fundamentally heartbreaking to meet the love of your life so soon after losing the person who was most fanatically committed to your happiness.

Weaver Modern Loss

My Dad Died From Cancer — So I Made a Movie About It

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Thing is, expressing loss through art didn't heal my wound. It just exposed it to everyone, in feature-length format.

Sabin Modern Loss

My Summer of Few Words

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In the quiet of my solitude after loss and abuse, I noticed a voice I hadn't heard before -- mine.

It’s Katie Fisher Day!

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Starting a cookie-baking social media memorial holiday would have been a strange move for anyone, but perhaps stranger for me than most.

Dad’s Dead. LOL?

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I used to joke that I wanted to die before my dad. The order didn't work out -- but I found I could still laugh.

La La Land Modern Loss

With the Swish of a Skirt, “La La Land” Triggered My Grief

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With the swish of a skirt, the musical suddenly triggered my grief.

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