Josh Ozersky Memorial Bench
Donation protected
Joshua Ozersky passed away on May 4th 2015 and was cremated.
Instead of a traditional funeral and tombstone in a graveyard, Josh preferred a memorial bench in one of his favorite parks.
The cost of the bench and installation through the Portland Oregon Parks & Recreation department is $5,000 for ten years, $3,000 for each additional ten years, plus $175 for a bronze plaque in the cement at the foot of the bench.
Any and all additional funds raised will be going directly to Josh's family.
Josh's wife Danit explained; "Josh adamantly refused to discuss anything about death with me (therefore no life insurance), but I know his parents were both cremated and it is also my personal preference. He often lamented that there was no memorial space to go for his father - his ashes had been scattered. I agreed that this was sad. I will keep Josh's ashes with me for comfort, but my intention is to have a memorial bench dedicated to him placed in one of the city parks in Portland. This is something we had discussed quite recently and we both thought these memorial benches were very moving. The idea that it was not just a gravestone in a cemetery, but also useful; where other people, not just friends and relatives, would sit and share a moment of their own lives, and look at his name and know that he was a person who loved that park. I'm not sure how much these memorial benches cost, and I was expecting to have to save for a while to request one."
As many of you well know, Josh was not the sort of man to financially plan for his demise. Not that he had any savings to do so. As talented as he was, he never made a financial success of himself. Writing was his life and he didn’t work for the money. One of his great essays; "So You Want to Be a Food Writer” describes the kind of person he related to: “..Always broke, always bloated. No insurance. Lives in a hovel or shanty, getting by on cheap rum and ramen noodles. Most of the time a pauper, except when they go to sleep, gorged with foie gras, on an unmade bed.”
His writing has influenced so many people.. If you are one of those people, hopefully you will consider making a contribution. However, if you cannot, perhaps you can still sit on Josh’s bench one day while you eat a hamburger and reminisce about this great man.
Thank you for your consideration.
Instead of a traditional funeral and tombstone in a graveyard, Josh preferred a memorial bench in one of his favorite parks.
The cost of the bench and installation through the Portland Oregon Parks & Recreation department is $5,000 for ten years, $3,000 for each additional ten years, plus $175 for a bronze plaque in the cement at the foot of the bench.
Any and all additional funds raised will be going directly to Josh's family.
Josh's wife Danit explained; "Josh adamantly refused to discuss anything about death with me (therefore no life insurance), but I know his parents were both cremated and it is also my personal preference. He often lamented that there was no memorial space to go for his father - his ashes had been scattered. I agreed that this was sad. I will keep Josh's ashes with me for comfort, but my intention is to have a memorial bench dedicated to him placed in one of the city parks in Portland. This is something we had discussed quite recently and we both thought these memorial benches were very moving. The idea that it was not just a gravestone in a cemetery, but also useful; where other people, not just friends and relatives, would sit and share a moment of their own lives, and look at his name and know that he was a person who loved that park. I'm not sure how much these memorial benches cost, and I was expecting to have to save for a while to request one."
As many of you well know, Josh was not the sort of man to financially plan for his demise. Not that he had any savings to do so. As talented as he was, he never made a financial success of himself. Writing was his life and he didn’t work for the money. One of his great essays; "So You Want to Be a Food Writer” describes the kind of person he related to: “..Always broke, always bloated. No insurance. Lives in a hovel or shanty, getting by on cheap rum and ramen noodles. Most of the time a pauper, except when they go to sleep, gorged with foie gras, on an unmade bed.”
His writing has influenced so many people.. If you are one of those people, hopefully you will consider making a contribution. However, if you cannot, perhaps you can still sit on Josh’s bench one day while you eat a hamburger and reminisce about this great man.
Thank you for your consideration.
Organizer and beneficiary
Laurie Pila Sheindlin
Organizer
New York, NY
Danit Lidor
Beneficiary
