It is a well-known axiom that all funeral rites are for the living.  Presumably the deceased have moved on, whether to realms of glory, the bosom of Abraham, or stardust, and don't really care whether they are reposing in a luxury casket or being burnt to ashes or liquified or dissected by medical students.  Therefore, all the rituals surrounding death exist to help the living close the lid and move on to their new lives without the beloved (or not) deceased.

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Obituaries comes in many shapes and sizes, but all of them share the purpose of a fairly brief, public summation of a person's life.  A post-mortem, if you will, in which the high and almost always only good points are touched upon: There he goes.  Here's her resume.  Lord, we're gonna miss them.

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And sometimes not.  Sometimes the deceased don't rate a polite send-off.

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