Former New Orleans firefighter William Ziegler passed away on July 29 at the age of 69, but his four children didn’t want their father’s obituary to make people sad. They wanted it to make them laugh.
Photo via NOLA.com.
The obituary, which was published on NOLA.com earlier this week, explains that Ziegler’s family believes he died “on purpose to avoid having to make a decision in the pending presidential election.” And that’s just the second line.
According to NOLA.com, Ziegler, a New Orleans native who moved to the Houston area after Hurricane Katrina, was fond of collecting odd obituaries and sending them to his children. It was this hobby that inspired them to pen a humorous one for their father.
“He would have loved this,” Ziegler’s daughter Sharah Currier told the publication. “He probably would have forwarded this obituary to us.”
Take a look at Ziegler’s obituary below, and rest assured that “Bob” is a reference to a running joke between the former firefighter and his children, not a real person.
The full obit reads:
William Ziegler escaped this mortal realm on Friday, July 29, 2016 at the age of 69. We think he did it on purpose to avoid having to make a decision in the pending presidential election. He leaves behind four children, five grand- children, and the potted meat industry, for which he was an unofficial spokesman until dietary restrictions forced him to eat real food. William volunteered for service in the United States Navy at the ripe old age of 17 and immediately realized he didn’t much enjoy being bossed around. He only stuck it out for one war. Before his discharge, however, the government exchanged numerous ribbons and medals for various honorable acts. Upon his return to the City of New Orleans in 1971, thinking it best to keep an eye on him, government officials hired William as a fireman. After twenty-five years, he suddenly realized that running away from burning buildings made more sense than running toward them. He promptly retired. Looking back, William stated that there was no better group of morons and mental patients than those he had the privilege of serving with (except Bob, he never liked you, Bob). Following his wishes, there will not be a service, but well-wishers are encouraged to write a note of farewell on a Schaefer Light beer can and drink it in his honor. He was never one for sentiment or religiosity, but he wanted you to know that if he owes you a beer, and if you can find him in Heaven, he will gladly allow you to buy him another. He can likely be found forwarding tasteless internet jokes (check your spam folder, but don’t open these at work). Expect to find an alcoholic dog named Judge passed out at his feet. Unlike previous times, this is not a ploy to avoid creditors or old girlfriends. He assures us that he is gone. He will be greatly missed.
