Townbroadcast columnist “Army Bob” Traxler not long ago made a quality suggestion about publishing death notices by saying they all should provide information about the cause of death.

Some people believe that such a practice constitutes an invasion of privacy of the dearly departed, an assertion that has a grain of truth, but the positive effects of telling people the cause of death can be instructive and could help save others’ lives.

Many have inquired about what killed Pat Staley, 70, the former Globe reporter, Kiwanis Club president and Wayland Township trustee. I learned second hand that it was cancer, which made it more troubling because her younger sister, Nancy Grevenstuk, died of the same disease earlier this year. But rather than respond by wringing our hands, perhaps some of us might seek advice or treatment from medical professionals a little earlier.

A recent death that raised, but didn’t answer questions was that of 18-year-old Delaney Bush, co-captain of the state champion Otsego cross-country team and a biology major at Central Michigan University. Her obituary only reported that she died in her sleep July 19, which only makes the reader and many who knew her wonder what possibly could have happened to such an apparently healthy, successful, smart and vigorous young lady.

I understand there are many who still believe that death by suicide sometimes carries negative baggage, but they don’t seem to understand that reporting these tragedies just might reduce their numbers. And if a young person is cut down in the prime of life by some kind of health glitch, it is important for people to be aware of it.

In my career, I have tried as best I can to determine the cause of death, short of calling the family in their hour of grief.

The tragic story of Kaelee Noble’s death of brain cancer at age 11 brought the community of Hopkins together to grieve. A couple of decades ago, the story of Kathryn Brenner, who died of cystic fibrosis only a few months after she graduated from high school, was a tragedy Wayland people mourned together.

But Army Bob went further in saying that knowing what people die of can help others to learn in order to help themselves. To be sure, observant readers easily can note most deaths are the result of heart disease, cancer or diabetes complications. But there are many other problems.

Just this week, I was saddened to learn that Arizona Senator John McCain has the same kind of cancer that killed Congressman Paul Henry in 1993. This knowledge helps us prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

Death notices and obituaries have been the bread and butter of community journalism over many years, but the process of reporting them is in jeopardy for the future. As newspapers continue their death spiral and print editions less than half as often, it is possible for too many people to miss services in order to pay their respects because they didn’t know until it was too late.

Obituaries too often in the past have been paid notices, which sometimes means poor people can’t afford to tell of their deaths and their lives. And now there are fewer opportunities to let others know.

When I started this on-line news service more than five years ago, I pledged to have obituaries published free of charge because they are too important to be ignored or overlooked. Just ask the good folks at the Then & New Historical Library in Dorr, which continues to chronicle the lives and deaths of people who have gone before us. It’s history. And history, the story of us, is important.