Yes to Life, Obituaries

Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey Saying “Yes” to Living Guest: Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle, authors of “Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey Saying ‘Yes’ to Living” So many firsts came in the final year of Norma Jean Bauerschmidt’s life. At age 90, she got a terminal cancer diagnosis, but instead of opting for treatment, she chose to spend her final year on the road with her son, daughter-in-law, and their poodle. Before long, her adventures went viral and half-a-million people were following along on Facebook. Just before the journey ended and Norma passed away last fall, her story got a book deal. That book is now out, written by Norma’s son and daughter-in-law, Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle. It’s called, “Driving Miss Norma: One Family’s Journey Saying ‘Yes’ to Living.” Obituaries Are All About Life Guest: Vanessa Gould, director and producer of the documentary “Obit”; Bruce Weber, former obituary writer at The New York Times, author of "As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires" and "Life Is a Wheel: Love, Death, Etc., and a Bike Ride Across America" It’s true that anyone can have an obituary published in the local paper, as long as they’re willing to write it and pay a handsome fee. But only a select few get an obituary written by a reporter of the paper, and they are usually famous, noteworthy or notorious. The pinnacle of obituary pages is The New York Times, where an entire team of seasoned reporters crank out some of the most memorable stories in the paper each day. And, as the new documentary “Obit” makes clear from the start, obituaries are not really about death.