Obituaries in The New York Times give account of the lives of the people around us — what they accomplished and how they lived — and reading them can be an exercise in discovering, or rediscovering, the marvelous things they created.

Here is a sampling of obituaries from recent weeks showcasing the legacies of creative people.

A Life Legacy

Bill Ray was there when Pvt. Elvis Presley blew kisses to fans before shipping out. He was there when Jacqueline Kennedy married the billionaire shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. And he was at Madison Square Garden when a movie star sang “Happy Birthday” to a president. Mr. Ray was one of the last surviving photographers who had made their names at Life magazine, which provided a photographic chronicle of its times.