A Minneapolis man named Aaron Joseph Purmort died last week at the age of 35 after battling cancer, and his obituary, published Sunday, Nov. 30 in the Star Tribune, has gone viral.
Purmort wrote his own obituary, putting a creative spin to his life story. In it, the art director-by-day claimed he was Spider-Man, and pleaded with his young son Ralphie to avenge his father's death against cancer.
His obituary read: "Purmort, Aaron Joseph age 35, died peacefully at home on November 25 after complications from a radioactive spider bite that led to years of crime-fighting and a years' long battle with a nefarious criminal named Cancer, who has plagued our society for far too long. Civilians will recognize him best as Spider-Man, and thank him for his many years of service protecting our city. His family knew him only as a kind and mild-mannered Art Director, a designer of websites and t-shirts, and concert posters who always had the right cardigan and the right thing to say (even if it was wildly inappropriate)."
A self-proclaimed storyteller, Purmort was also a comic book junkie; hence, his desire to be remembered as Spider-Man.
"Aaron was known for his long, entertaining stories, which he loved to repeat often," his obit continued. "In high school, he was in the band The Asparagus Children, which reached critical acclaim in the northern suburbs. As an adult, he graduated from the College of Visual Arts (which also died an untimely death recently) and worked in several agencies around Minneapolis, settling in as an Interactive Associate Creative Director at Colle + McVoy. Aaron was a comic book aficionado, a pop-culture encyclopedia and always the most fun person at any party."
The obit concluded with mentions of his family members — both fictitious and real. "He is survived by his parents Bill and Kim Kuhlmeyer, father Mark Purmort (Patricia, Autumn, Aly), sisters Erika and Nicole, first wife Gwen Stefani, current wife Nora and their son Ralph, who will grow up to avenge his father’s untimely death," it read.
Purmort's wife Nora took to her Tumblr to discuss what it was like to write her husband's obit with him. "We had time to sit down and write his obituary," she said of the time leading up to her husband's death. "I've never laughed and cried more in one sitting, but I’m so glad we got to do this. I love this man so damn much."
Later, she told BuzzFeed News that her husband was "a healthy 32-year-old" when he suddenly became sick with cancer. "Most single guys in their 30s don’t have life insurance, and Aaron was no exception," she told the site. "Please, for the LOVE OF PETE, if you are a young, healthy person who plans on falling in love and getting married, get life insurance NOW. Hopefully your family doesn’t need it until you are very, very old, but they just might need it sooner."
To help cover costs of Aaron's treatment, and to help support his family, Nora's sister created a fundraiser with the goal of raising $100,000. To date, the family has raised more than $105,000.
