who always put the needs of others before her own.
She will be deeply missed by her family and friends,
but her memory will live on through the countless
lives she touched during her time on this earth.
A private funeral service will be held for family
and close friends on (date and location of
service). In lieu of flowers, the family requests that
donations be made in Susie's name to (charitable
organization of choice).
That’s not terrible. It’s a basic template – you
probably use something similar when families
aren’t sure where to start.
What if you ask ChatGPT to write an obituary
but include a few details about the person?
I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your Aunt
Susie. [Again, nice touch.] Here is an obituary that
reflects her life and loves:
Susie, age [insert age], passed away on [insert date]
in [insert location]. She was born on [insert date] to
[insert parents' names] in [insert birthplace]. Susie
was a beloved daughter, sister, aunt, friend, and
successful professional. She will be deeply missed
by all who knew her.
Susie had a passion for music, particularly The
Doors, which she loved listening to and seeing
live in concert. She also enjoyed ballet and loved
watching performances whenever she could. Susie
was a proud Green Bay Packers fan and followed
their games religiously.
Although she didn't enjoy cooking, Susie loved to
dine out with her loved ones, sharing stories and
laughs over delicious meals. She cherished her
Polish heritage and instilled its traditions and
values in her family. She had three sisters, Barb, Pat
and Pam, whom she adored dearly, and her love for
family extended to all her nieces and nephews.
Susie had a successful career in the insurance
industry, working with her best friend from high
school until her retirement. She was a hard worker
and always brought a positive attitude to her job.
She was an inspiration to many, both personally
and professionally.
In her free time, Susie loved to travel and explore
new places. She had a sense of adventure and
was always ready to discover new cultures and
experiences.
Susie will be remembered for her love of music,
family, and adventure. Her legacy will live on
through her family and friends. May she rest in
peace.
Even better – it’s clear by providing more details,
the bot came up with a more personalized
obituary – but still not perfect. But, as I previously
noted, it can’t replicate expert guidance you can
offer to families on providing the nuance and
emotion needed to craft a memorable obituary.
You know the kinds of questions to ask families
and how to tease out stories that will help
you and the family write an obituary and plan
a meaningful funeral.
But, for those of you dread writing obits and find
yourself getting stuck, ChatGPT may be a viable
option to help you develop a first draft that you
can present to the family. From there, you can
work with them to further customize the obituary
and give it the “heart” it needs.
There are even more possibilities – I asked
ChatGPT “Help me plan a Facebook campaign
to promote a funeral preplanning seminar my
funeral home is hosting?” and “I own a funeral
home. How can I educate my community about
green funeral options?”
The responses and suggested tactics were solid,
but somewhat broad. They lacked specific details
on how to bring ideas to fruition or what exactly
might work best given the composition of your
community. That is one key limitation to ChatGPT
and AI in general – it has difficulty understanding
context, background information, and highly
specific information about various professions
and industries.
That’s something only you can bring to the table;
but if you’re stuck and need to jump start your
creativity – and can’t invest in hiring a marketing
expert – ChatGPT may be a good alternative.
Why not test it out for yourself? It’s free and may
be a tool you can add to your arsenal to help you
expand your horizons.
But remember, ChatGPT is a computer. It’s
never going to replace the genuine sympathy
you show when sitting across from a family in
an arrangement conference. It’s not going to
offer a tissue to the widower who’s tearing up
and he shares the story of he she met his wife.
It’s not going to surprise a widow by making sure
the church organist plays the special hymn she
mentioned during the recessional at the church
service.
That is what you do – a role that only a HUMAN
funeral
director
can
fill
and
something
a computer could never do.
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No. 103 – AUTUMN 2023 | THANOS MAGAZINE
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