For many years, I wrote for a major national newspaper. The paper was famous, but I was not — mostly I reported for a regional section, covering whatever happened in a specific county in New York.
It was a great gig, but every year an onerous assignment rolled around, dubbed “The Lives They Lived.” These were obituaries of people who lived in the county, died the previous calendar year, and made an impact on their community.
I had a good deal of leeway in choosing who to include. It might be a well-known politician or artist, but it also included teachers, devoted volunteers, a compassionate veterinarian, and others who may have been under the radar but affected many lives.