Tag Archives: Janet Scott Lindblad

Cheaper to die than to print an obit

22 Replies

When Jim Lindblad’s mother, Janet Scott Lindblad, died back in June, he thought it would be nice to have an obituary run in the Star-Advertiser. Although her adult life had been spent on the mainland, Janet spent her teen years in Hawaii, graduated in the Roosevelt High School Class of 1945, and retained lifelong emotional ties to the islands. Her son, Jim Lindblad, has lived in Honolulu for over three decades, and I’ve known him much of that time.

So Jim wrote up a narrative and asked the newspaper how much it would cost to publish on a Sunday. The answer: $1770.95. After a revision and a slight reduction in size, the amount dropped to “just” $1,522.26.

The quote was $95 per column inch, plus an additional $50 for the online version, and yet another $50 for a color photo.

Jim’s comment to me: “We paid far less than this to have the body cremated, and the company picked her up from her rest home and needed to store her for a week while we waited for the death certificate.”

“I find it difficult to believe the people I read about whose loved ones died are paying this kind of money for a smallish ad type obituary,” Jim said.

Welcome to the monopoly newspaper.

Jim declined to run the ad at that price.

“I decided my mother would not approve of me spending the $1500 or $1000 or even $500 were she here to help me,” he said later.

The bad thing, for the newspaper at least, is that it is taking advantage of families at their most vulnerable, and they don’t tend to come away with warm and fuzzy feelings towards the newspaper. Many are probably angry, as Jim was, about what appears to be an exorbitant price structure. And now that most classifieds have migrated to Craigslist and other online venues, this is one of the few direct interactions people are likely to have with the newspaper. Wouldn’t you want it to be perceived and remembered positively?

Yes, a free, bare-bones death announcement is available, but it’s not a satisfying memorial for a loved one.

Anyway, at the end of this exchange with Jim, I asked if he would like me to publish what he wrote about his mom. It will be indexed by Google, so other people will be able to find it. Jim agreed, so it appeared this morning as a separate item.

Jim and I would both be interested in hearing your thoughts about how obituaries would be handled in an ideal world, and what real-world alternatives there are today.

Janet Scott Lindblad, 1927-2011

5 Replies
Janet Scott Lindblad, 1927-2011

Janet Scott Lindblad passed peacefully June 9, at 11:06 a.m., in Vancouver, Washington.
Janet was born in Bremerton, Washington, and came to Honolulu with her family in 1939.

Janet’s father, George Rowland Scott, worked in the Pearl Harbor Navy yard, having received a senatorial appointment from then-Washington state Senator Warren Magnusson for a job as superintendent.

JanetJanet Scott was a proud member of Honolulu’s Roosevelt High School class of 1945, and kept in frequent contact with many of her classmates. Janet was very proud of her early years working at the Bank of Hawaii where she met several prominent business persons and told stories over a lifetime of thanksgiving dinners and Xmas celebrations about her adventures as a young woman in Honolulu.

Janet was age 14 during the December 7, 1941 attack at Pearl Harbor and told many stories about the shrapnel hitting her roof top on the family home, the black outs after the attack, and her voyage to the mainland with family members and others from Pearl Harbor’s civilian workers’ force under the escort from the navy, zig-zagging to avoid submarines.

The family stayed with Janet’s mother, Helen Edson Scott and her family in East Jewett, New York until the navy allowed them to return.

Janet loved local Hawaiian culture and set a good example, never judging anyone. She recently sang the birthday song, in Hawaiian to her husband for his 83rd birthday, playing the Martin ukulele given to her by her father George Rowland Scott.

Janet enjoyed Hawaiian music, having memorized many Hawaiian songs by listening to vinyl records during the forties while growing up in Honolulu. Janet sang these Hawaiian songs and danced the hula for many years in and around Vancouver, Washington where she taught Spanish in the local schools, having received her bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate from Portland State University in 1975.

Janet Scott married Waldron Oscar Lindblad, an air force pilot, and lived as a military wife, traveling extensively before settling in the Bay Area of California. Janet received her AA degree from Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz California. Janet enjoyed the Spanish language and was a member of several clubs practicing Spanish during her lifetime. The family relocated to Vancouver, Washington in 1969. Janet’s hard work as a teacher and her added paychecks helped her children graduate from college.

Ann Marie Richmond, James Lindblad, and Cheryl Rene, all graduated from Clark College. Ann later also graduated from Western Washington State University and James graduated from University of Portland.

Janet took special care to assist her son James Waldron Lindblad, who relocated back to Honolulu in 1980, after living in Seattle. Janet enjoyed assisting her son in the usual local business practices & politics in Honolulu.

Janet is survived by her sister, Alyce K. Rome, Punahou class of 1949, her son James Waldron Lindblad, husband Waldron Oscar Lindblad, daughters Ann Marie Richmond, Cheryl Rene Hagelganz, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We will miss her.

Remembrances can be sent to her son, James Lindblad at PO Box 4253, Honolulu, Hawaii 96812-4253.