They say to never speak ill of the dead, but what if the dead want you to speak sarcastically?

This summer, funny obituaries have been a growing trend among the dead and dying. Instead of having their deaths written as a tragedy in a newspaper's fine print, more and more people are turning to comedy.

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Though obituaries are traditionally written by family and friends, it has also become popular for the terminally ill, elderly, or dying to write about their own lives (and deaths). For many who choose to do so, it has become a final way with leaving friends and family smiling.

This holds especially true for the late Kevin McGroarty, an advertiser and adjunct instructor in West Pittson, Pennsylvania. McGroarty, 53, had decided to write his own obituary as one final joke to tell to friends.

McGroarty, known for his humorous personality, insisted in his obituary that he died from a long battle with mediocrity. He also found it only fitting for the first line in his obituary to announce, "WEST PITTSON--McGroarty Achieves Room Temperature!"

The humorous opening line gave way to an amusing biography, highlighting a life of "elaborate practical jokes, over-tipping in restaurants, sushi, and Marx Brother's movies" (Times Leader).

He then went on to disclose that he does not have any children....that he knows of. However, he did admit that if he had a son and daughter, that they would be named "Almighty Thor" and "Butter Cup Patchouli" (Times Leader), respectively.

After reminding his friends not to email him, because he is dead, McGroarty went on to highlight the events of his burial ceremony. According to McGroarty, the ceremony would follow "a brief rant of how the government screwed up all the Bugs Bunny cartoons" (Times Leader).

However, McGroarty is not the only one to embrace the idea of comical obituaries.

Johanna Scarpitti, 70, has only just passed away on August 1^st. In her life, Scarpitti had been known for her kind and affectionate personality--especially when it came to her children and grandchildren.

Yet when Scarpitti decided to think about writing her own obituary, she had other ideas for how she should be remembered.

The first few words featured in her obituary written in The News Journal states "Ding dong the witch is dead." While many were shocked to see the saucy introduction, Scarpitti's family assured many readers that the phrase had been a joke they had shared with her.

In fact, Scarpitti made her children promise her that the exact phrase would appear in her obituary. As a Wizard of Oz aficionado, Scarpitti wanted something that would make her children smile.

The film had been something Scarpitti had greatly enjoyed with her children so much so that Scarpitti had insisted on being buried in ruby red slippers--a promise that her daughter, Asunta Lucy, made possible with a quick online order.

As more and more funny obituaries continue to go viral, many are beginning to embrace the idea of leaving hilarious last words. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

TagsKevin McGroarty, Johanna Scarpitti, Asunta Lucy, The News Journal, Times Leader, Wizard of Oz, ruby slippers, Obituary, comedy, tragedy, humor, funny, practical jokes, death, dying