He wrote his own obituary

This from the Nashville Tennessean:

Written by the Deceased: Charles Fontenay's obituary

BY CHARLES L. FONTENAY

Editor's note: Longtime Tennessean staffer Charles Fontenay penned his own obituary.

Charles L. Fontenay, most of whose half century-plus as a newspaperman was spent with The Tennessean, surprised himself and delighted many of his colleagues by dying yesterday.

His 40-year career on The Tennessean included work as general assignment reporter, science reporter, legislative and political writer and city editor. Since 1968 his official title had been "rewrite editor," but, in fact, his work on the staff was varied, ranging from serving as city editor when needed to preparing advance obituaries on prominent people, in addition to his rewrite chores.

Prior to joining The Tennessean staff in 1946 he worked as an editor for the Associated Press in Nashville, Memphis and Tullahoma, Tenn., and as reporter and editor on two other Tennessee newspapers. A thorough-going romantic who never really adapted to the routine of ordinary life and consequently was frequently at odds with impatient superiors, Fontenay achieved a solid reputation for his abilities as a newspaperman. However, "who he was" depended to a considerable degree on which of the widely differing groups of his acquaintances was talking.

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