Write a mother's obituary for the local paper with ChatGPT (partial)
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- by Krys Boyd and Drew Harwell (KERA Think)
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- How we verify
Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
PartialThe source says it only partly worked, or had a significant problem a person had to deal with.
What went wrong: The obituary ran and Fargo found it passable, but a reporter who read it found it templated, without the emotional resonance Fargo had put in.
Context: Second-hand account: Fargo's story comes from Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell, speaking on KERA's Think.
Outcome
Soon after Jeff Fargo's mother died, while Fargo was still emotionally raw, the mother's friends started asking about an obituary. Fargo asked ChatGPT for an obituary to memorialize the mother and typed for a really long time to capture the nuance of who the mother was. The result was printed in the local paper. Fargo felt it was passable and saw it as a gift, since it didn't take a lot of time or more emotional effort. Washington Post reporter Drew Harwell, who read it, found it 'serviceable' but almost 'templated', without all the emotional resonance Fargo had poured in, and suggests using AI drafts as a head start to edit and make your own.
AI tool
Prompt Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.
I want an obituary to memorialize my mom, to run in the local paper. Here's everything about my mom: [LIFE STORY, FAMILY, WORK, WHAT MY MOM LOVED, STORIES]. Capture the nuance of who my mom was.
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Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish. Goal: Help me write an obituary that sounds like the person I knew, starting from my own stories, as a draft I'll edit. Questions to ask me first: - Who was the person, and what are the key facts (dates, places, family)? - What two or three things most capture who they were? - Where will it be published, and is there a length limit or required service details? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Facts (full name, dates, places, family members as they want to be listed): [FACTS] - Stories and qualities in my own words: [STORIES] - Service details: [SERVICE DETAILS] - Length limit: [LENGTH] Rules: - Use only facts and stories I give you; never invent achievements, hobbies, quotes or relationships. - Lead with what made this person distinctive, using my specific details rather than stock phrases. - Avoid clichés unless I ask for them. - Keep my phrasing where I've written something meaningful. - List names exactly as I gave them, and keep service details word for word. Checkpoint: Show me a short draft and ask what's missing or doesn't sound like them before polishing. If you get stuck: If a fact is missing or unclear (a date, a spelling), leave a [CHECK] marker rather than guessing. Verify before you finish: Check every name, date and service detail against what I gave you and list them for me to confirm with family. Output: An obituary draft within the length limit, plus a checklist of facts to confirm before submitting. Done when: I have a draft that sounds like them, with every fact confirmed, ready for me to edit and send.
Source
https://think.kera.org/2026/02/11/a-i-is-writing-obits-now/
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