December 8, 2025 • 5 mins
We got a question in for our American Mamas...
Dear Mamas, I’ve noticed people don’t do obituaries anymore. Why not?
If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button.
Dear Mamas, I’ve noticed people don’t do obituaries anymore. Why not?
If you'd like to ask our American Mamas a question, go to our website, AmericanGroundRadio.com/mamas and click on the Ask the Mamas button.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We got a question for American mamas. Dear mamas, I've
noticed people don't do obituaries anymore. Why not, Well, let's
ask our American mama's.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Mama, mama, she said, And.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Joining us now are American mama's Terry Edville and Kimberly Burlesson.
You know, obituaries used to be one of the biggest
ways that newspapers made money. They made money off of obituaries,
they made money off of classified ads. When the Internet
came around, that kind of that that income stream kind
of went away. People stopped paying for obituations, and they
stopped paying for classified ads. They'd go on Craigslist or
something else like that. But I don't know if there's
(00:43):
been an online version of obituaries, like there was an
online version of the classified ads with Craigslist and kneebay
and things like that. Am I missing something?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
No, I'm noticing it too. We saw this woman, she
had this TikTok and she talked about going to a
funeral and she talked about how this family no longer
they didn't put an obituary, they didn't have a funeral,
And she's like, what is this, what is this the
new thing. I think it's the cost. Obituaries are expensive
to put in the paper, right, it's free to put
it online, yes, and it's also forever. That's true, and
(01:13):
I think that's part of it. In funerals, there is
a cost. I know that when my father died, we
had a big gathering at a restaurant after because it
was a huge funeral. We spent thousands of dollars feeding everybody,
which we didn't have to, but it was a cost
because we felt like we needed to. People came in
from all over the country, so we had so I
think a lot of people feel like there's just so
(01:34):
much cost involve the funerals that they would rute. And
I know some people just don't want that and they ask,
don't have a memorial service for me, just have me
cremated and do your own little thing. But I feel
like there is this kind of thing that's missing. There's
like a final thing that you go through to pay
(01:55):
your respects that you need that to kind of well.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
I just think, hereous, you're goodbye, you're honoring the memory
of somebody, honoring in you know, you're right. The obituary
we did our father in law, I didn't realize it
was that much. It's expensive to put it in the paper.
And you have the second thought of no one gets
the paper anymore. You know, everyone gets their news online.
Most everyone gets their news online. And but this lady
that was she said, Look, my my father's I mean,
(02:21):
my husband's side is very fractured. She said. But this
man that was in their family, he died no obituary,
and he was married for fifty something years to the
same woman. He had children and grandchildren, He had a life.
So to not I mean, they're not going to have
the funeral. Maybe it is the cost, but to not
put something on social media if that's your loved one
(02:45):
in obituary form, like you said, it's free. And that's
how I find out really when when people are losing
their parents or a loved one, they post the obituary
on Facebook, on.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Social media social media than others.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, and you know Osborne Funeral Homes. A lot of
these funeral homes have this site where people can go on,
you know, they give the obituary and then there's a
place for people to log on and say something about
that loved one, and then you can get it in
book form. So there's other ways that you can do that,
(03:20):
but the idea of simply not doing an obituary. In fact,
I will say Kevin, I said, Kevin, will you do
my eulogy? Will you you know? If I die?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
He was like, Terry, you have had Terry literally has
had five people ask her to do their eulogies when
they die.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Well, she did an amazing job at your mother's funeral.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
You did an amazing job. That's the problem, that's the thing.
She's so, she's done a lot of successful funerals, and
people want successful funerals, as my grandmother would say, and
she would do a great job, but people aren't doing funerals.
She and I just went to a funeral last week.
And one thing that draws you crazy is when my
husband and says I hate funerals. I'm like, who likes funerals?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
You know?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
That's when you show up and you show somebody how
you care about them. Easy to go to weddings and
have a good time, but showing up at a funeral.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
Well, and and this is a philosophy I have, is
that funerals are not for the dead.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Funerals are for the absolutely the dead. They're fine they're great.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
You know they're they're good.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
They don't hurt anymore.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
You at our mother's funeral, that's six hour drive, like
we that.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Was that day. If I if I cannot miss, I'm
not going to miss a funeral or a wedding. I
realize how important it is. But what I was saying
earlier is I told Kevin. I was like, I'm gonna write.
I'm gonna do a video eulogy for myself because I
know You're not gonna write it. I'm gonna have the
fan blow in my hair. I'm gonna talk to all
the castle women are going to be at his beck
(04:50):
and call the next week, trying to feed him, to
get to get to find his love. And he said,
he goes Terry I. He said, to write a eulogy,
or to even give a eulogy, is one of the
strongest things you can ease it. I don't think I'd
be able to give it out. But what people don't
understand is you don't have to get up there and
(05:10):
give the eulogy. You can write it. So this woman
that was complaining, all she had to do herself was
write something about that loved one. Put it out there.
You don't need permission from anybody.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
And again with social media, you don't necessarily have to
pay for an obituary. You can post it and your
friends will share when they care about it. So well,
if you'd like to ask our American mamas.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
A question, it's very easy to do. All I got
to just go online to American Grow Radio dot com,
slash mamas and click on the ask the Mama's but
Terry Needevillekiberly Brothersten, Thank you so much, Thank you,
We got a question for American mamas. Dear mamas, I've
noticed people don't do obituaries anymore. Why not, Well, let's
ask our American mama's.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Mama, mama, she said, And.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Joining us now are American mama's Terry Edville and Kimberly Burlesson.
You know, obituaries used to be one of the biggest
ways that newspapers made money. They made money off of obituaries,
they made money off of classified ads. When the Internet
came around, that kind of that that income stream kind
of went away. People stopped paying for obituations, and they
stopped paying for classified ads. They'd go on Craigslist or
something else like that. But I don't know if there's
(00:43):
been an online version of obituaries, like there was an
online version of the classified ads with Craigslist and kneebay
and things like that. Am I missing something?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
No, I'm noticing it too. We saw this woman, she
had this TikTok and she talked about going to a
funeral and she talked about how this family no longer
they didn't put an obituary, they didn't have a funeral,
And she's like, what is this, what is this the
new thing. I think it's the cost. Obituaries are expensive
to put in the paper, right, it's free to put
it online, yes, and it's also forever. That's true, and
(01:13):
I think that's part of it. In funerals, there is
a cost. I know that when my father died, we
had a big gathering at a restaurant after because it
was a huge funeral. We spent thousands of dollars feeding everybody,
which we didn't have to, but it was a cost
because we felt like we needed to. People came in
from all over the country, so we had so I
think a lot of people feel like there's just so
(01:34):
much cost involve the funerals that they would rute. And
I know some people just don't want that and they ask,
don't have a memorial service for me, just have me
cremated and do your own little thing. But I feel
like there is this kind of thing that's missing. There's
like a final thing that you go through to pay
(01:55):
your respects that you need that to kind of well.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
I just think, hereous, you're goodbye, you're honoring the memory
of somebody, honoring in you know, you're right. The obituary
we did our father in law, I didn't realize it
was that much. It's expensive to put it in the paper.
And you have the second thought of no one gets
the paper anymore. You know, everyone gets their news online.
Most everyone gets their news online. And but this lady
that was she said, Look, my my father's I mean,
(02:21):
my husband's side is very fractured. She said. But this
man that was in their family, he died no obituary,
and he was married for fifty something years to the
same woman. He had children and grandchildren, He had a life.
So to not I mean, they're not going to have
the funeral. Maybe it is the cost, but to not
put something on social media if that's your loved one
(02:45):
in obituary form, like you said, it's free. And that's
how I find out really when when people are losing
their parents or a loved one, they post the obituary
on Facebook, on.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Social media social media than others.
Speaker 4 (02:59):
Yeah, and you know Osborne Funeral Homes. A lot of
these funeral homes have this site where people can go on,
you know, they give the obituary and then there's a
place for people to log on and say something about
that loved one, and then you can get it in
book form. So there's other ways that you can do that,
(03:20):
but the idea of simply not doing an obituary. In fact,
I will say Kevin, I said, Kevin, will you do
my eulogy? Will you you know? If I die?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
He was like, Terry, you have had Terry literally has
had five people ask her to do their eulogies when
they die.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Well, she did an amazing job at your mother's funeral.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
You did an amazing job. That's the problem, that's the thing.
She's so, she's done a lot of successful funerals, and
people want successful funerals, as my grandmother would say, and
she would do a great job, but people aren't doing funerals.
She and I just went to a funeral last week.
And one thing that draws you crazy is when my
husband and says I hate funerals. I'm like, who likes funerals?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
You know?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
That's when you show up and you show somebody how
you care about them. Easy to go to weddings and
have a good time, but showing up at a funeral.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
Well, and and this is a philosophy I have, is
that funerals are not for the dead.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
Funerals are for the absolutely the dead. They're fine they're great.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
You know they're they're good.
Speaker 5 (04:24):
They don't hurt anymore.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
You at our mother's funeral, that's six hour drive, like
we that.
Speaker 4 (04:29):
Was that day. If I if I cannot miss, I'm
not going to miss a funeral or a wedding. I
realize how important it is. But what I was saying
earlier is I told Kevin. I was like, I'm gonna write.
I'm gonna do a video eulogy for myself because I
know You're not gonna write it. I'm gonna have the
fan blow in my hair. I'm gonna talk to all
the castle women are going to be at his beck
(04:50):
and call the next week, trying to feed him, to
get to get to find his love. And he said,
he goes Terry I. He said, to write a eulogy,
or to even give a eulogy, is one of the
strongest things you can ease it. I don't think I'd
be able to give it out. But what people don't
understand is you don't have to get up there and
(05:10):
give the eulogy. You can write it. So this woman
that was complaining, all she had to do herself was
write something about that loved one. Put it out there.
You don't need permission from anybody.
Speaker 5 (05:22):
And again with social media, you don't necessarily have to
pay for an obituary. You can post it and your
friends will share when they care about it. So well,
if you'd like to ask our American mamas.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
A question, it's very easy to do. All I got
to just go online to American Grow Radio dot com,
slash mamas and click on the ask the Mama's but
Terry Needevillekiberly Brothersten, Thank you so much, Thank you,
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