How do you want to die?
Happy Friday! Let’s talk about this!
We have a relatively new database up on STLtoday that describes the ways people in Missouri and Illinois have died. Here’s an excerpt from the introduction to the database, which you can explore by clicking this link:
More than 150,000 people die each year in Missouri and Illinois. The information comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which compiles mortality data for the U.S. from death certificates in each state. Some deaths occur from multiple causes, but an overarching cause is determined for almost all deaths. More than 36,000 people in Missouri and Illinois died of some form of cancer in 2004. In St. Louis City, Jackson County, Mo., and Cook County, Ill., more people died from homicides than motor vehicle accidents in 2004.
In my home county in 2004, for example, 10,712 people died. Of those, the lion’s share were by what is described as “natural causes.” Ischemic heart disease was the leading single cause with 2,529 deaths.
I intend to live a good long life and then die in my sleep quietly at home; it isn’t going to be a surprise to anyone. Wish me luck with that.
How do you want to go?


Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor.
Peaceful and in my sleep, not screaming in horror like my passengers.
Happy. Dreams fulfilled. In the arms of someone who loves me. Unless she went first and is waiting for me.
Complete, totally spent, and present.
In grace with the Lord and at peace with all who know me, especially
family.
When I pass on I would like for it to be out in the middle of the sea on a boat, the water blue as the sky, on a warm summer day, with a light breeze, enjoying the tranquility and not having a worry in the the world. That could be kind of scary too, because what if no one finds me? and when they do I’ll be wickedly scary corpse!!
When I’m 105, riding my Harley and shot by a jealous husband?
Considering how awful everything seems to be in this world now, and how horribly people treat one another on a daily basis on this blog alone, I just hope that however I die, it’s soon.
There is no hope left in this world for any of us. The disgustingness of humanity is on display every singe day right here on TOTD.
I want to go out right after awesome sex. Hopefully there will be someone else there experiencing it with me even…
Be careful what you wish for…
Coincidence, it is my dream as well to greet my demise while standing at the helm of sailboat. Sailing into the sunset on a beam reach in a 15 kt breeze–a glass of an outstanding bordeaux in hand–my 43′ boat silently slices through the pulse of the 3′ seas. I had given know thought to the mess the boat would be in after a few weeks until Nikki mentioned it. Oh well, whoever finds the boat can just clean it up themselves if they want the boat.
Thanks for the reminder Tim, I got it now. Sunset, 43′ boat, outstanding bordeaux, awesome sex, dead. Got it, thanks.
Joey’s Stalker,
Thanks, you just proved my point…
In a daring and high-profile blaze of glory–like Butch & Sundance. (Yes, I know they didn’t really die at the hands of the Bolivian army! I’m talking about the movie!) Even better if it’s pointless and unaffiliated with some “larger cause!”
Let me be shot by some lady’s jealous boy friend when I am somewhere in my nineties.
I don’t
Hopefully in the next few years someone will invent an anti-aging drug that will keep us all going.
Don’t really care how I go because I can’t control it. If I had my choice, it would be in my sleep. I have a feeling that would be alright with my wife as long as it was not in our bed together. O.K. how about in my sleep alone.
Tim has a good idea except it would scare the hell out of the other person involved.
first tom, that’s only IF someone else is involved…
The boat idea is a good one Lunar. Why not go out in the tropical seas on some fancy yacht.
I have to eat sushi and drink champagne that can happen after sex, then I’ll have to kick my boyfriend off the boat so he won’t see me die, sounds too sad!!
I’ve decided not to go through with it.
I would like to die of old age.
After interacting with St. Louisan’s I feel as if I’m dying of boredom.
I hope to die the way my grandfather died. Sleeping peacefully. Not screaming in terror the way to the other 3 people in the car did.
How about a nice massive heart attack in my sleep while I am wearing nice pajamas and my nails are done AND hair fixed:)
While having wild and passionate love making with the most sexist gal in the world.This would diffently leave out my girlfriend!
lucy in the sky with diamonds or white rabbit
I now believe many Americans would willingly die in a False Flag Terror Attack so that the Imperialist US Federal Govt can use it as a pretext for attacking sovereign nations that dare to stand up to the NWO.
On Halloween, dressed as Aldo Cella, plied with wine and surrounded by beautiful women. Aldo always had the wine and women…(sigh).
Steve… Wouldn’t the most `sexist’ gal in the world be a misandrist? She probably wouldn’t want to have sex with a guy.
Wanna go with a bottle of viagra in one hand and a blonde in the other.
Death is a big conspiracy dreamed up by the U.S. Government with the help of aliens so that we can all be enslaved in Matrix-like cocoons and power their war machine. We will spend eternity as heat-generating machines being forced to watch reruns of Beavis and Butthead to numb our senses. Forget that there is absolutely no proof of anything I just said or even that the power-generation thing is thermodynamically impossible, I have sniffed out the government conspiracy!!! I also like to wear pajamas with feet to bed at night to feel safe. Where’s my foil?
The other 1 out of 10… I agree with everything except the Beavis and Butthead part. Instead, we’ll be subjected to continual broadcasts of the Rush Limbaugh show to numb our senses.
On the phone with the CDC, explaining to them that Franklin County Missouri has over 100,000 people, (not in 2000– our population went over in the interim count of 2006, and we’re working on charter government as a result) and asking them the difference between suicide and self-inflicted death. ???
Other than that– just fall over at my keyboard in a warm, well-lighted place would be nice.
If given a choice - I would like to die when I’ve completed my work on this earth. My only request is that I die in a manner where none of my loved ones feel any guilt. But, my bigger concern is my death party and what to wear. You have to wear the right clothes so that when everyone walks by they whisper, didn’t they do a good job - don’t they look natural (my response - no dead looks dead sorry). So no I won’t worry about what suit to wear. Now for the atmosphere of my death party. Hm what would be a good party theme? Should there be an open bar and a DJ or a live band- they are so expensive. This sounds like a better investment to me than the funeral selections from the standard death party (funerals) catalogs. But, I don’t think spiked punch, or jello shots would be appropriate - there probably would be those underage at the funeral. So with no body, no alcohol, no dancing how would anyone have any fun at my death party? Celebrating my life with God and “paying it forward” sounds good to me.
……………………blown to smithereens…….Aaaargh
I wept for Argentina because that post sucked what fun there was in this question. Why don’t you just go to a nursing home and hang around like a spector of death
My path and time of passing from this short life into my eternal one is already decided and known by my Creator. My only prayer, is that my few years on this earth are not all spent selfishly, that I accomplish much if not all of my Purpose and that I leave a legacy of which my children and friends will be happy to remember.
Argentina… I don’t go to friend’s funerals. Who wants to see a friend that way? Now, enemies are another matter.
Wait a sec Allen, if your life is to end at a pre-set time, why do you worry about how much time you spend being selfish? Isn’t your whole life already mapped out for you? Just do whatever because that must be the way it is supposed to be, eh?
After being in Iraq and fighting in a war and coming back alive, I’d say possibly in my sleep or while I’m awake and when I’m by myself reflecting on life’s passing’s. I know Heaven awaits me with the good Lord Jesus waiting for me.
I want to be shot in the back fleeing my lovers jealous boyfriend……at the age of 93.
When I was a firefighter I always thought that I would go in the line of duty. Nothing is more sadder or more prestigous than that. Everybody shows up in uniform and you have the honor guard there with playing amazing grace playing on the bagpipes. Now since I dont have my job any more I no idea!
can’t really say
I want to die on my own terms, with dignity and while I still understand what is going on
with a beer in my hand and a smile on my face.
I am getting ready to take a flight for business. I am not afraid of flying, but the thought of death always seeps into my daydreams leading up to the departures (not many fender benders for airplane accidents). At any rate, I always hope my death is quick with no pain. My biggest hope is that I die after my kids are adults, have become good, successful people, and have fond memories of their father.
Unforchunatly most people are unprepared to meet judge Jesus and will be rejected into everlasting darkness. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.No one will be saying boy how did i end up here you will know why if you don’t know what i’m talking about you should really look into the gospel and Get to church of Christ or the called out of Christ.
Interesting. The subject of death is usually a taboo topic. I don’t particularly care how I die, but I hope that it is not the result of someone’s ignorance, especially my own. I do hope that I live long enough to see my young children into adulthood, and to play with my grandchildren a bit.
One of my favorite lines about death is from ‘Braveheart’ with Mel Gibson playing William Wallace; “Every man dies, but not every man really lives.”
Matt 7:21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
I’m more than willing to die for my country or saving a fellow Soldier but if that does not happen then I need to go before I become old and helpless, a hinderence to my daughter and grandchildren. I will accept any fate as long as it is not long and painful, like cancer or some other terminal illness.
I want to be sold into bondage by a matronly owner at an overpriced fee to an owner in another state and slowly bleed to death when my new owner can’t pay the loan sharks.
I wanna go out the way I came butt-naked and in japan
usahats
What does that have to do with the price of tee in China?
Stick to the Question at hand
How do you want to go?
Getting caught in the gears of a combine. No that’s a way to go.
Shot by an irate husband at age 102 while climbing down a drain pipe from the third floor!
I hope to die without a pulse or respirations. Other than that, I know where I’m going so it does not matter.
I would like to go out in blazing glory.
My prayer is for a happy and holy death - having been anointed and having received Holy Communion from a priest, surrounded by family. Also, how beautiful it would be to be escorted from this world by the Blessed Virgin Mary at the hour of my death.
Eaten by a rampaging pack of rabid chipmunks… Just like my old man.
I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather. Not like the screaming passengers in his car.
I would like to die of a massive heart attack at the age of 89 while sweatfully paying my annual Mile High Club membership fee…
I want to be shot dead, by a jealous Husband, on my 99th birthday
I want to go by being shot by a jealous 25 year old husban!
It doesn’t matter to me how I would die, be it a car accident, heart attack, gun shot, etc…I just hope its instant. I don’t want to sit around in pain for a couple days and I don’t want my family to go through that.
It appears that this question has exposed some strange death fantasies, mostly related to dying while having sex with someone else’s spouse. Perhaps that next question should be, “Who do you recommend for counseling?”
I want to leave a big stain somewhere when I go
Well let’s see. First of all, some of you have some really peacful and tranquil ways of departing into the after life. Others…………..mayyyyyyyyyyyyy………..need to see a shrink. Me personally, I used to shoot squirrels and dogs as a child with my pellet gun. Some of them on purpose, but mostly for tearing my family and I’s trash up and scattering it over half the damn block (terrible stray dog problems in Jennings in the 80’s and early 90’s…LOL). So I always thought I might get eaten by a pack of dogs, but now I own a family dog and love dogs in general. I also used to think my hatred of cops might lead me to shooting it out in a blaze of glory with them, but I’ve since matured from the teen years and have grown to respect their work (not from the crooked ones). If they don’t bother me, I sure as hell won’t bother them. To be honest, I feel as though I’ll never die, even when I’m gone in the physical form, for I am God’s Son. Not the “Big Brother” Jesus, I’m simply a child of God. I feel old age is a beautiful blessing of the wise and wouldn’t mind living to be as old as I possibly can. I used to volunteer with senior citizens at the age of 10 yrs. old and always clung to people older than me rather than people younger than me or my same age. So I guess with all that said, I won’t put a number or description on it. I just hope I’ve been able to learn enough and live godly enough to meet eternal peace and teach those younger than I (most notably my own flesh and blood) how to be decent and comfortable human beings all while loving the Lord. PeAcE!!!!!!!
What an easy question if there ever was one. Bottle of good liquor, bottle of pills.
It would be nice to be sucked up to heaven, body and soul in a big wooshing sound. But I guess it put the undertakers out of work if much of this went on.
Matt… You can’t know that. You can believe that, but that’s all.
Also, usahats: You don’t know that either.
First choice, freeze to death. If I were to come down with a hopelessly terminal illness, I would say goodbye to my family and board a flight to Tibet. Try to climb Mount Everest with no gear! They say after the initial pain of hypothermia, things become delightful, surreal, even euphoric. one dies in a state of bliss.
Other than that scenario, I’d like to be eaten my a huge beastly animal and re-enter the food chain. Instant karma!
Quickly.
“I’m not afraid of dying; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
–Woody Allen
At about 98+ years, in full health and possession of my so-called mental faculties and after used up all my Social Security that I paid into for 43 years, peacefully and during my sleep after having made my last Confession, attended Mass and received Holy Communion leaving no unpaid debts for my descendants.
I would want to die of old age, not before my childern. I would want to just slip away during the night and not be in pain. I would want to live a full life and acomplish everything that i wish to. I might make a bucket list.
Rather than worrying about how one is going to die, concern yourself with living. Death comes to all, but living a good life is real work.
My Mother worked hard and raised three of us, then in her “retirement” she found many different activities to keep herself going. One morning (April 1st) she got up to get her morning newspaper, and died.
For those concerned about living a long life, remember Mozart died at 35.
And Gauguin began to live at 35.
I would like to be sick for 1 month (so my family will not be shocked when I die and I will not linger), then die peacefully in the arms of someone who loves me.
What kind of an awful topic is this?? Couldn’t the P.D. think of a more cheerful article to post??
On my 100th borthday, of a post coital heart attack.
As long as this bizarre question was asked hasn’t anyone said they’d like to die at 130 or 150 therby reaching new limits of the human lifespan? With medical science AND a healthy lifestyle someone living on earth today will live at least 130 years old if not longer. The future will probably see a human live to 150 or more but probably not in our lifetime.
In a gigantic explosion whilst battling an army of zombies, or archery hunting for cape buffalo.
Jay… Don’t you know that some cultures actually rejoice when someone dies and mourn when someone is born. Just depends on your viewpoint.
I hope to die with dignity and respect, not connected to tubes, machines, and tons of medications keeping me artifically alive. I feel that if we have come to the end of our time here on earth we should be afforded the respect to determine when enough is enough and be allowed to go as pain free and calmly as possible. Our society will allow us to gently and lovingly help our canine and feline friends into the next world when they are beyond our help for healthful improvement. But we allow our human friends and loved ones to be poked, prodded, subjected to days or weeks of lingering with pain or tubes and medications simply delaying the inevitable. Please, allow me at the end of my time to get as much pain medication as I may need to keep me relieved from suffering and allow me to pass on with dignity.
I want to die in a huge explosion, possibly in an old, abandoned warehouse. Quick, relatively painless, and AWESOME.
StayYng, animals don’t go anywhere when they die. Their bodies are incinerated or buried, the molecules of their corpses eventually returning to the soil to be used by other organic life in their fruitless attempt to continue their species line even though all life in the universe is doomed to end. Their atoms will eventually come to rest in a black hole or on a dark, cold body flying through space for all time as the universe tears itself apart. The same thing will happen to you.
Time HAS no memory.
And you know this for sure how Reaper? Remember: most everyone’s really agnostic.
I want to go quickly. I don’t want to be in the hospital hooked up to a machine for years where my family is put through the mental suffering and having to pay to huge medical expensives.
I have no intention of dying.
I’m going to ascend.
In a hail of gunfire.
An hero.
I want to go whistling by the graveyard.
In the arms of the only woman that I ever loved. If that happens I know that I will have spent my last minute on this earth very happy.
Hopefully of a heart attack in my sleep. I live alone so I hope someone finds me rapidly. I don’t want to lie there and stink for a week.
Ms. Knowitall… How can you be Ms. Knowitall when my ex-wife knew it all?
Right after I leave the confessional,or in the confessional.
Fast and painless, doing one of the many things I love! (I’ll forgo the fast and painless part if I am fortunate to be doing one of the many things I love)
I want this topic to die so we can move on to something else!
I want to go to sleep and just never wake up
Jamming to some tunes
Sitting next to a large oak tree in the back 40 in the waining hours of a COLD DEC.afternoon. Throwing down a bottle of Maker’s. Watching and listening to the sounds of woods until i just go to sleep . : )
wow, Rob, i was going to type something very very similar. probably wine or a good beer instead of the whiskey, and it doesn’t really matter what time of year. if that doesn’t work out, drifting off with a fishing pole in my hand would work for me; gently listening to the waves lap against the dock/boat/canoe and just barely hearing someone yell “i got something big” while the drag on the reel just zings away! i also liked the person who said “in the arms of someone who loves me” as long as that doesn’t terribly scar them, and most of my friends and family could handle it i think.
skip lingering death and being a burden on the family and friends. Quick and easy. I can pass on pyramids being built, a dumpster if fine.
Quickly.
How do I want to die? Shot by a jealous husband when I’m 108.
The lady who I love, and loves me & cares about me more than anyone ever has - for her to accept me being in a better place . I know she’ll miss me, and maybe my kids will too. How to die though ? I like some of the comments in here : next to an oak tree & to fall asleep , or on a mountain top letting cold take my body . Peacefully, as I talk to my God as I drift off. Hope it is not painful, as I do not like the pain I am experiencing now - it sucks ! Dumpster will work for me too ! Save the money kids !
I’m going to be weird here and say that I kind of want to die of TB. Okay, now that sounds kind of morbid because it’s not funny or pleasure-related in any way, but I do want to know I have a disease that’s killing me so it’s not sudden. TB seems like a good disease because it’s got the right amount of pain and suffering that would let you know you’re dying without being cancer, which is a scary word and makes much less romantic Victorian storytelling.
I don’t.