Wife writes the most amazing obituary for a 'dead sexy' husband and everyone is loving it

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 13, 2022. It has since been updated. 

Obituaries tend to be terribly sad, reminding the living how much they have lost. Crystal Sauser, a woman from Nebraska, decided against following tradition. To capture her husband Eric Sauser's personality and leave a more lasting impression on readers, she decided to write an obituary worthy of his legacy. The couple had been married for 13 years when Eric, aged 43, lost a two-year battle with cancer on February 26, 2021. In addition to his wife, the former dental technician left behind daughters Amelia and Violet, aged 11 and 9, respectively, and son Benjamin, aged 5, Good Morning America reported.

"I think his face is so red," Sauser said in an interview with the news outlet when asked about how her husband would react to all the attention her obituary received. "He's completely embarrassed by me saying things [in the obituary] like, 'He's dead sexy,' but he would be so happy that he wasn't cookie cutter." The obituary, which made note of his many quirky characteristics, was published by Omaha World-Herald. This gave Eric's friends and family a way to remember him beyond his fight with cancer.

According to Sauser, her husband had "gotten winded after carrying their daughter upstairs to bed" on one particular night in 2019. He also experienced night sweats. Shortly thereafter, Eric was diagnosed with leukemia. "We were shocked," she explained. "Eric said nothing but, 'Oh well, it's fine. We are going to just deal with this.' So, that was our mantra and that's what we followed." Reportedly, the wife and husband were "complete opposites." Nonetheless, they managed his diagnosis together, as a team. She shared, "We went in with open eyes and said, 'We are going to do what we have to do to fight this.'"

Sauser's husband underwent a stem cell transplant, experimental therapy, as well as several other treatments. Unfortunately, cancer came back in 2020. "At that point Eric said, 'Enough is enough. I'm putting you guys through way too much,'" the wife stated. "But through the entire journey, Eric was such an amazing guy. He always had a smile on his face. He was more worried [about] what was going on with everyone else [other] than him. I'm sad because I have a broken heart, but I'm not sad because we didn't win our journey. Eric never wanted pity. We kind of maintained that in writing the obituary." Although she had several options to pick from at the mortuary, none of them felt right. That is when she decided to write her own.

Among other things, the obituary reads, "Eric A. Sauser, AKA Super Dad, AKA Easy, just a rockin' dude passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, February 26, 2021, at the age of 43 with his wife by his side... His departure was just in time for him to make his spiritual appearance at every Red Sox spring game. Eric is survived by his wife, Crystal, and three children, Amelia, Violet, and Benjamin, all of whom will likely sleep in the same bed for many years to come (sorry, Eric)... We are not positive, but we think the cause of death was either leukemia or more likely being 'dead sexy.' Eric, we've always loved you and miss you already." Since the obituary was first posted online, Sauser has received many kind responses. "Some of the coolest things [I read] are, 'This guy's an inspiration' and 'I hope this changes the way obituaries are written today,'" she said. "He would be happy that this story is generating inspiration and love. If there's anything Eric and I can do, it's send some love out there." You can read the full obituary here.