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Kentucky man's 'second favorite son' pens funny obituary for dad: 'He will be moderately missed'

Arizona man writes viral obituary for Kentucky father, calling him a ladies' man who loved beer, fried food and family

By Gretchen Eichenberg Fox News
Published

A Eubank, Kentucky, man who died this month got a rip-roaring but heartfelt final tribute from his son in an obituary that mentions his beer drinking, love of fried food, women and Mustangs — and that he will only be "moderately missed."

"I wrote it to point out some of the memories that I have of my father," Rocky Loveless of Arizona City, Arizona, told Fox News Digital. "And I wrote it to, you know, make my family and some of his friends laugh."

"I never knew that people all over the world would relate or could relate," he added. 

"A lot of them were like, ‘Hey, I didn't even know this guy and I moderately miss him already.’"

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In James Loveless’ obituary, Rocky Loveless is named as a survivor and his father’s "second favorite son." 

James Loveless, 60, of Eubank, Kentucky, died on June 14, 2023. His obituary, which is attracting attention online, reads, in part: "We don't know if he was married, but he definitely was a [ladies'] man. There was Kathy, Mary Lou, Tammy, Debra, Carrie, Tina, etc., etc. 'It's the bones,' he told us as he proudly pointed to his skinny, pasty-white legs. 'Women love a good shin.'" (Rocky Loveless)

Rocky Loveless wrote that his dad, also known as Jamie, "a divorcee, father, grandfather and proud owner of a few lots in the trailer park, had had enough and up and died on us on June 14th in order to avoid another presidential stolen-election mishap in the near future."

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"I think the only person who would not have been surprised about the whole thing is him," Rocky Loveless said, "because he knows what type of personality I have. He knows I really don't have much of a filter, which I'm OK with. He was also really open-minded and I think the overall reception of this has been really positive."

He added, "Why mourn a death when you can celebrate a life?" 

James Loveless worked in the restaurant business, Rocky Loveless said, managing a steakhouse and owning several restaurants throughout his career. 

He also cooked for his neighbors and friends.

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"On many occasions in life, James was seen in his backyard at the trailer park during the early hours of the morning, hammering beers, standing over country-style ribs," the obituary reads, as "his party guests were slurring remarks about needing to speed up his cooking style."

"Why mourn a death when you can celebrate a life?"

— Rocky Loveless

"People loved to be around him," Rocky Loveless told Fox News Digital. 

"He wasn't super flamboyant or super loud. Well, the later it got, the louder he got — and then that included his AC/DC and Ozzy Osborne. Actually, it also included him. It wasn't like a belligerent loud, it was like a joyful loud. He was the life of the party."

Most of the time, Rocky Loveless said, his dad was pretty quiet — until after work. 

James Loveless poses in a swimming pool alongside his ex-wife, Debbie Branscum, who is the mother of his children. His obituary states that Loveless enjoyed swimming. (Rocky Loveless)

"That’s when he'd crack open a Busch and relax," Rocky Loveless said. "He was really laid back, easygoing, carefree, jovial. I have those same traits and I do get in trouble for being too jovial."

Rocky Loveless said his father was definitely a family man.

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"My mom and my dad got divorced when I was two," he said. "There was a time where we didn't really see [my dad] a whole lot, but he definitely sent the message that he loved me and my twin brother. No matter how hard he partied, he worked just as hard and he always met his responsibilities."

Rocky Loveless of Arizona, pictured here, wrote a humorous obituary to honor his father, James Loveless. The notice of death mentioned James Loveless' love of beer, cooking and more. (Rocky Loveless)

But in the obituary, Rocky Loveless quipped that there may have been a few things his dad loved as much as his family.

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The exceptions included, in part, "ice-cold Busch, room-temperature Busch, T-bones, New York strip, prime rib, shrimp, swimming, poker" and more.

The obituary garnered at least 600,000 views, the director of Pulaski Funeral Home told Fox 56 News in Lexington, Kentucky. 

There’s also a long list of guestbook comments on the funeral home's webpage where Loveless' obituary is featured, the station reported on June 20.

Rocky Loveless said he does not think his dad would not be offended by what some might consider an inappropriate account of a person’s life.

"I think he would be like, ‘Hey, where's the case of Busch? Who's got the barbecue sauce?'" he added. "I think he'd be ready to have fun and celebrate."

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Rocky Loveless said someone made a comment that, from the obituary, it appeared his father wasn't a good role model for the younger generation. 

He disagrees, however.

"I don't think that at all," he said. "I think he was a great model for everybody. Hey, you do you. You live your life on your own terms. If you want to do it, do it. Be true to yourself. And that was my dad. That's who he was. He was true to himself. And I applaud him for it. I'm proud of him."

Gretchen Eichenberg is a contributing reporter for Fox News Digital.

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