Harrison Smith
@harrisondsmith.bsky.social
I edit and write obituaries for @washingtonpost.com. More interested in life than death. Get in touch at harrison.smith@washpost.com
There are more remarkable people than we will ever be able to write obituaries for. Our desk is a fraction of its former size, down from four staffers at the start of the year to just one today. But if you find these stories meaningful, or have other feedback on our obits, I'd love to hear from you.
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December 30, 2025 at 11:21 PM
There are more remarkable people than we will ever be able to write obituaries for. Our desk is a fraction of its former size, down from four staffers at the start of the year to just one today. But if you find these stories meaningful, or have other feedback on our obits, I'd love to hear from you.
There were dozens of worthy candidates for this project. In narrowing down the list, we tried to spotlight a patchwork of lives from across the region, from 10-year-old Kasey Zachmann, who loved Christmas, to 101-year-old Cynthia Burress Dolvin, the daughter of one Army general and wife of another.
December 30, 2025 at 11:21 PM
There were dozens of worthy candidates for this project. In narrowing down the list, we tried to spotlight a patchwork of lives from across the region, from 10-year-old Kasey Zachmann, who loved Christmas, to 101-year-old Cynthia Burress Dolvin, the daughter of one Army general and wife of another.
In looking back on 2025, we also wanted to showcase some of the everyday but extraordinary people who *didn't* get an obit. For @washingtonpost.com, we profiled 10 Washingtonians who were mainstays of their communities, even if their names were not well known.
🎁🔗 wapo.st/49aCcC5
🎁🔗 wapo.st/49aCcC5
Remembering 10 extraordinary lives lost in 2025
They never got a Post obituary. They rarely made the news. But across the Washington area, they shaped and enhanced their communities.
wapo.st
December 30, 2025 at 11:21 PM
In looking back on 2025, we also wanted to showcase some of the everyday but extraordinary people who *didn't* get an obit. For @washingtonpost.com, we profiled 10 Washingtonians who were mainstays of their communities, even if their names were not well known.
🎁🔗 wapo.st/49aCcC5
🎁🔗 wapo.st/49aCcC5
It'd be silly to try to distill an entire life into a single moment or lesson. But this project offered a chance to showcase wisdom from folks like David Lynch, who thought ideas were like fish, alongside lesser-known figures like Marian Turski, a Holocaust survivor who said, "Don't be indifferent."
Marian Turski, Holocaust survivor who warned against silence, dies at 98
Mr. Turski, a Polish journalist who survived Auschwitz as a teenager, urged the world not to be indifferent to the persecution of minorities.
wapo.st
December 30, 2025 at 11:21 PM
It'd be silly to try to distill an entire life into a single moment or lesson. But this project offered a chance to showcase wisdom from folks like David Lynch, who thought ideas were like fish, alongside lesser-known figures like Marian Turski, a Holocaust survivor who said, "Don't be indifferent."
Reflecting on 2025, we wanted to try something different at @washingtonpost.com, looking back on the deaths of Rob Reiner, Jane Goodall and other notables by highlighting some of the wisdom they left behind.
🎁🔗 wapo.st/4secXYh
🎁🔗 wapo.st/4secXYh
A few life lessons from Robert Redford, Jane Goodall and others who died in 2025
Keep your cool. Less is more. Don’t forget the duct tape. And more wisdom from lives well lived.
wapo.st
December 30, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Reflecting on 2025, we wanted to try something different at @washingtonpost.com, looking back on the deaths of Rob Reiner, Jane Goodall and other notables by highlighting some of the wisdom they left behind.
🎁🔗 wapo.st/4secXYh
🎁🔗 wapo.st/4secXYh