An obituary to fit the man

March 12, 2013 7:25 AM

Harry Weathersby Stamps, ladies' man, foodie, natty dresser, and accomplished traveler, died on Saturday, March 9, 2013. Harry Stamps' obituary, penned by his daughter Amanda Lewis.
posted by zerobyproxy (27 comments total)

This can only be viewed as his final protest.

Great, great stuff.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:31 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

Made my day...thank you!
posted by shibori at 7:34 AM on March 12, 2013

Wow.
posted by farishta at 7:46 AM on March 12, 2013

"He took extreme pride in his two grandchildren Harper Lewis (8) and William Stamps Lewis (6) of Dallas for whom he would crow like a rooster on their phone calls."

.

A life well lived. Thanks for posting this.
posted by zarq at 7:47 AM on March 12, 2013

I get the feeling that such an obituary for such a man could only have been written by a child raised by such a man. Here's to you, Harry Weathersby Stamps, and the legacy of (shall we say) character that you leave behind.

I would like to add that I am sympathetic to arguments as to the satanic nature of Daylight Savings.
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 7:48 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

Note to family: the spirit/humor of this when the time comes. And yes - gonna have to break out the Norman Greenbaum when you scatter me to the wind please. Loved the humor and the way I *really* knew the guy by the end.
posted by cdalight at 7:50 AM on March 12, 2013

That is great. Godspeed, Mr. Stamps.
posted by maryrussell at 7:50 AM on March 12, 2013

Hate Daylight Savings Time?

Sign the petition to eradicate it.

Do it for Harry.
posted by sutt at 7:54 AM on March 12, 2013 [4 favorites]

(Beat me to it, sutt!)
posted by eviemath at 7:56 AM on March 12, 2013

.
posted by ahimsakid at 8:01 AM on March 12, 2013

For his signature bacon and tomato sandwich, he procured 100% all white Bunny Bread from Georgia, Blue Plate mayonnaise from New Orleans, Sauer's black pepper from Virginia, home grown tomatoes from outside Oxford, and Tennessee's Benton bacon from his bacon-of-the-month subscription.

That sounds like a great sandwhich. I'm hungry now.
posted by Area Man at 8:08 AM on March 12, 2013

That's a thing of beauty.
posted by xowie at 8:09 AM on March 12, 2013

.

That thing cost a FORTUNE to run. One of the most disheartening things to me when my step-father died was how our craptastic local paper has taken to milking the obituary section as one of their few sources of revenue, and not a public service.
posted by DigDoug at 8:10 AM on March 12, 2013

Awe. Some. Someone has just simultaneously thrown down and elegantly upped the standard for the well tempered obit.

Well played, Amanda Lewis. Well played.
posted by anitanita at 8:26 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]

> One of his regrets was not seeing his girl, Hillary Clinton, elected President.

You're not alone in that, my friend.
posted by magstheaxe at 8:29 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

.

I am signing the petition and having a BLT for lunch. (I would also vote for Hilary Clinton given the opportunity.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:30 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]

Like the opening of a great novel. Everyone deserves an obit like this, really.
posted by Missiles K. Monster at 8:55 AM on March 12, 2013 [2 favorites]

He taught them to fish, to select a quality hammer, to love nature, and to just be thankful.


QFT.

also: BLT.
posted by chavenet at 9:27 AM on March 12, 2013

Sounds like a man who enjoyed living. I should think of this when I get pissy.
posted by zzazazz at 9:53 AM on March 12, 2013

My kind of guy.

That supplier of mail-order bacon, btw, is the bidness.

I knew when I posted this obit on my facebook that it was going viral, but I had to anyway.

Living here in London, the other kind of awesome obit are the old spies/soldiers in the Telegraph, they read like ridiculous dimestore novels.
posted by C.A.S. at 9:56 AM on March 12, 2013

One of my goals in life is to leave a legacy that inspires such obviously devoted, observant, and humorous appreciation.
posted by cross_impact at 10:49 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

If my friends and family don't make jokes about my life when I die I'm going to haunt the ever loving crap out of them.

.
posted by DrDreidel at 11:01 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

Someday someone will have to write YOUR obituary. Get to work on giving them some content today.
posted by Brodiggitty at 11:18 AM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

But now I feel like there's some essential knowledge about how to pick a hammer that I'm missing.

*consoles self with BLT*
posted by BitterOldPunk at 12:31 PM on March 12, 2013 [1 favorite]

I had some neat obits come across my desk when I was proofreading at the paper. As much as losing a loved one can suck for the family, there were still some obits that would put a smile on your face. This easily tops 'em all.

(PS - make sure there's a good picture of you available in case your family ever needs it. Trust me on that.)
posted by azpenguin at 1:24 PM on March 12, 2013

.
posted by the sobsister at 4:02 PM on March 12, 2013

For those seeking information regarding donations to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, the relevant employee directory may be found here. I've written asking for further instructions.
posted by grimjeer at 5:09 PM on March 12, 2013