Iowa journalist Ken Fuson, known for his sharp wit and competence as a wordsmith, penned his own funny and poignant obituary in the days leading up to his death last week from cirrhosis of the liver at age 63. In it he discussed his work, family, gambling addiction, and "faith in Jesus Christ that transformed his life."

"He was diagnosed with liver disease at the beginning of 2019, which is pretty ironic given how little he drank. Eat your fruits and vegetables, kids," Fuson quipped about himself.

Reflecting honestly on the addiction that plagued his life, Fuson wrote:

For most of his life, Ken suffered from a compulsive gambling addiction that nearly destroyed him. But his church friends, and the loving people at Gamblers Anonymous, never gave up on him. Ken last placed a bet on Sept. 5, 2009. He died clean.

Fuson then reflected about how "his faith in Jesus Christ transformed his life":

Ken's pastor says God can work miracles for you and through you. Skepticism may be cool, and for too many years Ken embraced it, but it was faith in Jesus Christ that transformed his life. That was the one thing he never regretted. It changed everything. For many years Ken was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Indianola and sang in the choir, which was a neat trick considering he couldn't read a note of music. The choir members will never know how much they helped him. He then joined Lutheran Church of Hope. If you want to know what God's love feels like, just walk in those doors. Seriously, right now. We'll wait.

He concludes the write-up with "God is good. Embrace every moment, even the bad ones. See you in heaven."

A GoFundMe has been set up for Fuson's cremation and medical expenses, and "any remaining will be donated to the Granger library per his wishes."

The full obituary is reproduced below: