WEST PITTSTON, Penn. – It’s not every day that an obituary goes viral, but this unique send-off has brought smiles to people around the country.
When Kevin J. McGroarty sat down to write his own obituary, he did not take the situation nor himself too seriously. Friends describe the West Pittston, Pennsylvania man as the life of the party. Now thousands of people are getting to know him, WNEP-TV reported.
“Kevin J. McGroarty, 53, of West Pittston, died Tuesday, July 22, 2014, after battling a long fight with mediocracy,” the obituary began. “He was baptized at St. Cecilia Church, Exeter, which later burned to the ground, attended Butler Street Elementary, which was later torn down, and middle school at 6th Street in Wyoming, now an apartment building.”
McGroarty’s best friend, who knew him since Kindergarten, said he is sad his friend is gone, but he is also scared.
“I’m thinking he’s gone, I know all these stories and he’s the only one that could back them up,” Brian Langan said.
“McGroarty was a pioneer in Apple computing, purchasing one of the first in the Wyoming Valley in 1985,” the obit continued. “He would like to remind his friends: ‘Please, don’t email me, I’m dead.'”
McGroarty ended his obituary with some advice.
“It costs nothing to be nice” and “Never stick a steak knife in an electrical outlet.”
