A few weeks ago, I received an email asking that we change where we place the obituaries on our websites.

The email read: “Is it just me or is it a little unusual and somewhat depressing to see obituaries as soon as you log in to your digital newspaper? I mean no disrespect whatsoever to those who have passed in the local area, but do we have to be subjected to an obituary page on the front page of boothbayregister.com?”

After reading the entire message, where the writer later stated that he is 60 years old and is thinking about his mortality, I wrote back to him.

I explained that obituaries are life stories, that they are one of the most read articles in both print and online. Relatives, friends and acquaintances learn about a person they loved or admired from an obituary, and they need to know when and where to pay their last respects if there is an upcoming service.

The writer did have a point about obituaries ending up “next to a random ad for an oyster shack or pet shop,” but these advertisers help keep our newspapers in business – so I didn’t bother to comment on that part in my reply.

I have read hundreds upon hundreds of obituaries while preparing them for print and online and many of them tell wonderful stories about a departed person’s life. I have written a couple myself for my family, having had the experience, and it is not always the best writing since obituaries are not always prepared ahead of time and remembering what someone has accomplished takes time and effort, especially if you want to make a current issue of the newspaper.

Obituaries are keepsakes – people cut them out of the newspaper and place them in a safe place so people can remember the relative or friend.

No, we are not going to move the obituaries. Ignore the ads if you can but we won’t move obituaries from our website front page – at least as long as I am editor.