The Peaceful Presence Project 2026 Continuing Education Series Presents:

How to Write Your Own Obit in Four Easy Steps

Thursday, August 13th, 2026 from 5:30-6:30 pm Pacific Time ONLINE VIA ZOOM

Guest Presenter: Jamie Passaro

About the Workshop:

Writing your own obituary is an opportunity to reflect on your life, your accomplishments (and foibles!), your passions, your quirks. What do you think people love about you? What do you want this world to remember about you? It’s a tough assignment for sure, but why not start a working document that you can edit through the years? Your family will thank you for it. Join us for a presentation that focuses on your personal legacy. Led by Jamie Passaro, a Eugene writer and editor who runs dear person obits, this workshop will help you prepare a thoughtful, well-written obit.

Participants will walk away with a start to their obituaries and a pdf of Jamie’s 27-page booklet on obit writing and a free spot on Elegy.us, a website that features memorial tributes with words and photos.

About the Guest Presenter:‍ Jamie Passaro

Jamie Passaro is a writer whose articles, interviews, and essays have been published in The New York Times, Oregon Humanities, Full Grown People, The Washington Post parenting blog, TheAtlantic.com, The Sun, and Utne Magazine, among other places.

She comes to the work of obituary writing with a love of personal stories and the ways they can be captured and passed on, creating and invigorating memories and soothing grieving loved ones. She encourages clients to consider the gap between the things we always say and the truth.

Jamie lives in Eugene, Oregon, and enjoys porch-sitting, impromptu gatherings, meandering walks and bike rides, reading books with her kids or on her own, and officiating the occasional wedding.

Jamie has written her own obituary, which she hopes is honest. Along with her life story, it includes how bad she is with money and housekeeping and her poor recollection of historical and scientific facts.