Obit writing is an overlooked art form. There's no template for a good obit (there seem to be templates for plenty of bad ones—find me one dead guy who didn't love to laugh) but in my opinion, a good obit is a loving tribute to the deceased's full, flawed personality and compels strangers who read it to wish they'd had the chance to know that person in life. But encapsulating a loved one's quirks and achievements in a few hundred words while wading through your own grief and shock is difficult work*. Which is why this obituary, from Northern Oklahoma, is a fucking triumph:

Josh was born on Sept. 16, 1978, to Linda Burgert Waller. Josh was a beautiful, unique, kind, and loving spirit man. Joshie endured around ten mind-numbing years of public schooling. He had worked as a pizza delivery boy and call center representative before shockingly becoming independently “wealthy.”

He loved music, beer, movies, vodka, television, and women, but not necessarily in that order. He was also an awesome drummer!/vocalist? and was in several bands over the years. He lived in Ponca City his entire life except for the past year where he was forced to put up with his sister and brother-in-law out in the middle of nowhere — a little piece of terra firma aptly called Haskell.

Go read the whole thing, it gets better.

Hat tip, Gale.

*I've helped write two obituaries in my life—one for each of my mother's parents. One was rejected by the local newspaper for being too irreverent (fucking Idaho newspapers), which is why I'm so happy to see this obit printed as-is.