What sort of legacy will you leave?
It's a question many ask themselves. But some pay no attention at all to how they will be regarded when they shuffle off this mortal coil.
A Galveston, Texas, man named Leslie Ray Charping died last month of cancer at age 74.
And his family decided to be brutally honest in his obituary, published on the Carnes Funeral Home website.
"At a young age, Leslie quickly became a model example of bad parenting combined with mental illness and a complete commitment to drinking, drugs, womanizing and being generally offensive,' the obituary reads.
After noting he joined the U.S. Navy to escape a criminal charge and spent much of his enlistment in a mental hospital, the obit continues "Leslie was surprisingly intelligent, however he lacked ambition and motivation to do anything more than being reckless, wasteful, squandering the family savings and fantasizing about get rich quick schemes. Leslie's hobbies included being abusive to his family, expediting trips to heaven for the beloved family pets and fishing, which he was less skilled with than the previously mentioned. Leslie's life served no other obvious purpose, he did not contribute to society or serve his community and he possessed no redeeming qualities."
His family does note he had a quick wit that was "amusing during his sober days."
"With Leslie's passing he will be missed only for what he never did; being a loving husband, father and good friend," the obituary continued,
His passing proves, the family concludes, that "evil does in fact die."
Pretty devastating. The story has gone viral with a lot of comments on news sites and social media, some supportive, some saying you should not "speak ill of the dead."
His daughter, who wrote the piece, had little use for critics.
"Although I appreciate everyone's concern, it would have been much more appreciated at any time during my childhood. For those being cruel, please remember that you now resemble my father and I would be more than happy to pen your obituary as well," she said in a statement to Houston's ABC 13 Eyewitness News.
Now, most of us won't be so unfortunate as this man, no matter how we live our lives. It goes against the grain for folks to air such grievances in a public way, even if they feel they are justified.
So our obituaries will either highlight the good and ignore the bad or just be a bland litany of dates and facts.
But the memories, good and bad, will remain. You can do great things, be a hero in strangers' eyes. But how you treat those who know you best is your real legacy. Something to think about.