What do you want to be remembered for?

[LWJ]

The "Claim to Fame" thread got me thinking. When I am gone, how do I want to be described?

I told my child if someone said "He really loved Porsche" it would be an indicator that said person completely missed what I am about. Yes, I do love the Porsches I have owned. But Porsches are a means to an end. They are fun. Ultimately, I love having fun.

Mostly, I really enjoy a select set of people. My family and some friends. They mean everything to me.

And I love nature.

And dogs.

And I love DIY and am pretty good at it.

And I love sellling / problem solving. It is how I have made my living.


This is opposed to the WORST memorial I ever heard. "John was a good provider." They said this three times and nothing else positive. John had a lousy memorial.

What do you want to be remembered for?

[Zeke]

Helping others while having fun. On the flip side I will be remembered as a harsh critic of stupidity. I'm like Speeder in that respect. In fact, I think we are quite a bit alike. I doubt he'll agree.

[Evans, Marv]

Being remembered for something isn't important to me. I've led a pretty low level life in terms of memorable achievements, but always tried to broadcast some semblance of positivity around me. Nothing to do with religion. I've always tried to be a helpful, carring person who tried to promote good feelings among people I've interacted with without being intrusive in their lives. While working in education, I had lots of positive feedback from students and many kept in touch afterwards to discuss situations and directions of their lives. Leaving whatever general good I can in my wake is good enough for me. I'm going to tell my wife not to notify people when I'm gone, just let them know when they try to contact me.

[rfuerst911sc]

I think I have been a good provider/husband/father and not been a burden on society . Always willing to help others when asked . That's it in a nut shell . I realize I can't control what others think and really don't want to . There's an old saying that goes something like " it's not what you do when others are around , it's what you do when no one is around " . I'd like to think I act the same in front of an audience as well as by myself . I am a product of my parents .............. I'd like to think they did a damn good job

[cabmandone]

Being a good dad.

[Noah930]

Who gives a schit? (And I don't mean it in an ugly way towards the OP--this is a good, thought provoking question.) But am I living my life for me? Or for some sort of legacy?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by LWJ

The "Claim to Fame" thread got me thinking. When I am gone, how do I want to be described?

I told my child if someone said "He really loved Porsche" it would be an indicator that said person completely missed what I am about. Yes, I do love the Porsches I have owned. But Porsches are a means to an end. They are fun. Ultimately, I love having fun.

Mostly, I really enjoy a select set of people. My family and some friends. They mean everything to me.

And I love nature.

And dogs.

And I love DIY and am pretty good at it.

And I love sellling / problem solving. It is how I have made my living.


This is opposed to the WORST memorial I ever heard. "John was a good provider." They said this three times and nothing else positive. John had a lousy memorial.

What do you want to be remembered for?

Interesting thread, and something to think about.

Originally Posted by Zeke

Helping others while having fun. On the flip side I will be remembered as a harsh critic of stupidity. I'm like Speeder in that respect. In fact, I think we are quite a bit alike. I doubt he'll agree.

I enjoy/appreciate your posts and sharing of your knowledge and experience. I feel like you try to help folks when you can based on your presence on the board. I am a bit younger, but completely understand your proclivity to be a harsh critic of stupidity. I share that trait to some extent. There are times that I embrace it, although, I'm not sure that it's the best/healthiest way to be. I try to temper it some, although I'm probably not very good at it.

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Being remembered for something isn't important to me. I've led a pretty low level life in terms of memorable achievements, but always tried to broadcast some semblance of positivity around me. Nothing to do with religion. I've always tried to be a helpful, carring person who tried to promote good feelings among people I've interacted with without being intrusive in their lives. While working in education, I had lots of positive feedback from students and many kept in touch afterwards to discuss situations and directions of their lives. Leaving whatever general good I can in my wake is good enough for me. I'm going to tell my wife not to notify people when I'm gone, just let them know when they try to contact me.

That doesn't sound like a bad way to go. Spreading positivity and touching lives in a positive way is a good way to go through life, IMO.

As long as my family thinks fondly of me after I'm gone and feels that I made a positive difference/contribution to their lives, I'll be content. If anyone other than my family has any similar feelings, that's great too.

[KFC911]

I will be remembered for being an owl....

Who ?

[wdfifteen]

The only people who know me well enough for me to care how they remember me are the members of my family. Extended family will probably say something like, "He really made something of himself." My son will say, "He always supported me, no matter what I wanted to do."
Everyone else has only seen fragmented parts of my life. Their memory of me will be based on what they saw at the time, some will be bad, some will be good.

[pwd72s]

I'd prefer to be forgotten

[Baz]

I'd prefer to be forgotten (no green font)

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Baz

I'd prefer to be forgotten (no green font)

Well, you won't be.

[Racerbvd]

Hell, people don't want to remember me while I am alive, they will be happy I'm gone..

[rfuerst911sc]

Byron somewhere on your tombstone it will have to say you were open to trades 😁

[gregpark]

I'd like to be remembered as being frank and ernest but I'll always be Greg the wise ass

[stevej37]

When I'm dead...it really doesn't matter to me.

[bivenator]

Being immortal.

[Nordwest]

Being cool.....

[ckelly78z]

Obviously from my "claim to fame" post, I have survived damned near everything that most people will never encounter, and I did it with a sense of humor, and a "suck it up buttercup" attitude.

I love being out in nature, so my wife, friends, and I enjoy going hiking, biking, kayaking, and just cutting firewood on a sunny Winter day.

I find my groove in home projects, and DIY mechanical projects, and have designed/built multiple attachments for my garden tractors, and ATVs.

I am a very stable person that is happily content with what I have (wife of 32 years, 2 grown kids, a nice farm with animals), and not out there prowling for new.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Evans, Marv

Being remembered for something isn't important to me. I've led a pretty low level life in terms of memorable achievements, but always tried to broadcast some semblance of positivity around me. Nothing to do with religion. I've always tried to be a helpful, carring person who tried to promote good feelings among people I've interacted with without being intrusive in their lives. While working in education, I had lots of positive feedback from students and many kept in touch afterwards to discuss situations and directions of their lives. Leaving whatever general good I can in my wake is good enough for me. I'm going to tell my wife not to notify people when I'm gone, just let them know when they try to contact me.

That is you, Marv. I have never met you in person but that is the exact sense I get from reading your posts over the years..

I can tell you what you won't be remember for: Paragraphs

For me it all revolves around what I learned early from my parents. They were both honest, forthright and kind as well as very stalwart. They had perspective but wouldn't be dicked with.

When my mother died the funeral was a bit much, more people than I could have imagined. My Mother was the head of the local ASPCA, a real estate broker and helped in a wide variety of endeavors.

The common refrain as spoken to me at her funeral was, from people I had never met, "she helped me find an apartment when I was desperate, a better place when I could afford it, a house when I got married...she always treated me like I mattered."

That is the key.

My Father was exactly the same. He wanted zero fanfare when he died so there was none....I was the Executor and complied. Cremated, notice in two papers and a quick interment at West Point. Family only.

I received hundreds of emails from former colleagues and friends.

Overarching theme: "Your father was a good man. He mattered to me, helped me."

That is the key.

Do that.