Last week, the News Journal in Delaware ran an obituary on 70-year-old Johanna R. Scarpitti, the opening line of which read, "Ding dong the witch is dead." While at first glance it does seem a bit crude, but it was all Scarpitti's idea.
She made her daughter Assunta "Sue" Lucy promise to begin the obituary with the classic line because the two were huge fans of The Wizard of Oz. Via Delaware Online:
"That was something between us and there was nothing that was going to stop me," Lucy said. "Even if I ended up getting bad reports and people going against me, it had nothing to do with them. This is something she wanted me to do so I did it."
Don't worry, Lucy made sure her mother's character made out okay in the rest of the obituary:
"Ding dong the witch is dead, but the memory of our mother lives on. Johanna Scarpitti, age 70, of New Castle, DE, passed away unexpectedly August 1, 2014 at her summer home.
Johanna was a kind-hearted woman; a loving mother and wife who spoiled her grandchildren without complaint. She was sweet with a side of zest. Johanna loved the beach, boating, kayaking and that incredible drink from The Lazy Lizard. She will be incredibly missed by all who knew her… [a] whole bunch."
Scarpitti was such a Wizard of Oz fan that she insisted that her body be dressed in all black with white stockings and red ruby slippers after her death.
What a touching way to commemorate someone's life. I hope that when it's my time to go, my loved ones will dress me in that Game of Death-inspired yellow jumpsuit Uma Thurman wears in Kill Bill and writes "Wiggle your big toe" in my obit.