Such was the case with the late Leonard M. Smith, 86, a veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict who died on November 27, 2013. His obituary, published in GreenwichTime.com, was a bit out of the ordinary, to say the least.

"Leonard Smith was a very private man," the obit began. "If you wanted to know his cause of death, he would have told you that it was none of your business. If you asked Penny, his beloved wife, she would tell you that he had cancer, but not to tell anyone. Although his prognosis was dire, he battled on, lived his life and survived several years beyond the experts' expectations. He did not want his obituary to suggest that he lost a long battle with cancer. By his reckoning, cancer could not win, and could only hope for a draw. And so it was. Leonard Smith hated losing."

Apparently, he also hated the left-leaning media.

At the very end of this rather colorful obit, the family wrote: “In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you cancel your subscription to The New York Times.”

The request was a hit with visitors who signed Leonard's on-line Guest Book. As one signer named Cathy B. from Munroe Georgia wrote: "I never had the pleasure of meeting Leonard Smith, but he sounds like a person I would have enjoyed knowing. I don't have a subscription to the NYT, but the next time they send me a subscription offer, I'll persuade my dogs to tear it to sheds, then I'll return it to the NYT in Mr. Smith's honor."

May he rest in peace.