Town of Topsail Beach, North Carolina official statement, September 14th, 2024: “With great sadness, the Town of Topsail Beach regrets to announce the passing of our beloved Mayor Steve Smith, who passed away peacefully on September 13, 2024. Mayor Smith served the Topsail Beach Community faithfully for almost a decade, as both a Commissioner and Mayor, dedicating his life to improving the quality of life for its residents and visitors. Mayor Smith was a visionary leader who had a passion for serving his community. His commitment to preserving the town’s unique character and natural beauty was evident in his many accomplishments over the years. He served on countless boards and committees to better serve Topsail Beach. In addition to being a true friend and a dedicated public servant to Topsail Beach, he was also a loving husband, father and grandfather who was adored by his family. Mayor Smith leaves a huge void in the Town of Topsail Beach. His leadership, wisdom, and compassion will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Town of Topsail Beach, North Carolina official statement, March 3, 2025: “With great sadness, the Town of Topsail Beach regrets to announce the passing of our beloved Mayor Morton Blanchard, who passed away yesterday afternoon. [Several items of career/biographical info unique to Blanchard] Mayor Blanchard then served the Topsail Beach Community faithfully for over a decade, as both a Commissioner and as Mayor for the past five months. Mayor Blanchard had a passion for serving his community and has worked on many initiatives for the Town but worked especially hard on trying to bring public sewer service to residents and property owners. Mayor Blanchard served on countless boards and committees to better serve Topsail Beach. In addition to being a true friend and a dedicated public servant to Topsail Beach, he was also a loving husband, father and grandfather who was adored by his family. Mayor Blanchard leaves a huge void in the Town of Topsail Beach. His leadership, wisdom, and compassion will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

Originally this was supposed to be an article making a joke about how the next mayor has a death wish, but both of these guys were pretty old, likely in their 80s. Instead it’s about their official, town government-approved obituary already being written and ready to be mad-libbed. It also appears that they tried to cover-up the self-plagiarism as the update about Smith’s death seems to have been removed from the town’s “news” page, but had been pasted in a Facebook post.