New Orleans firefighter William Ziegler may have passed, but his memory lives on in his obituary. Following his death, Ziegler’s four children worked together to provide a humorous obituary to honor their father’s memory. Although Ziegler officially passed away on July 29th, his obituary has since been making rounds over the Internet.
According to Sharah Currier, one of Ziegler’s kids, the idea was a group effort among the siblings. Each one of them put effort in completing the text before finally posting it after a few weeks. Their reason lies in preserving the memory of their father who notably collected and forwarded humorous obituaries to each of his kids. From that habit, they felt it only fitting to provide a funny obituary of his own.
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.
The obituary for William Ziegler quickly went viral around Facebook shortly after its posting. Its rapid popularity even drew the attention of the Daily Mail website from the U.K. While the brief moments of fame are flattering, the family seems more pleased with the obituary itself. "He would have loved this," Currier said. "He probably would have forwarded this obituary to us."
According to the obituary, Ziegler died at the age of 69 on July 29, 2016, likely to avoid having to make a decision at the upcoming presidential elections. He previously volunteered for service at age 17 for the United States Navy but only “stuck it out” for one war in Vietnam. After his service, he returned to New Orleans in 1971 where he spent the next twenty-five years working as a firefighter. The obituary reads "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)."
After twenty-five years, he eventually retired from the service. He then lived in New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina displaced him to the Houston area where Currier and his son also live. Ziegler is survived by four children and five grandchildren. His obituary states that “well-wishers are encouraged to write a note of farewell on a Schaefer Light beer can and drink it in his honor.”
