When Aaron Joseph Purpmort’s obituary was published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune last Sunday, we were shocked to learn that Spiderman’s reign as champion crime-fighter had ended. Of course, that’s not the real story. The real story is that a young father had succumbed to cancer. The obituary was Purmort’s way of saying goodbye with grace and humor. According to friends and family, this was quite typical of Aaron.
Nora McInerny and Aaron Purmort lived a very public love story. That ended in an expected tragedy earlier this month. Today, Purmort’s obituary is published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and we’re finally let in on a little secret: The “mild-mannered art director” who was “always the most fun person at any party,” was actually Spider-Man. And he died from “complications from a radioactive spider bite.”
Read the full story: Man Admits to Being Spider-Man in Touching Obituary
The full obituary Aaron and Nora penned just weeks before his death is shown below.
Aaron Joseph Purmort
Purmort, Aaron Joseph age 35, died peacefully at home on November 25 after complications from a radioactive spider bite that led to years of crime-fighting and a years long battle with a nefarious criminal named Cancer, who has plagued our society for far too long. Civilians will recognize him best as Spider-Man, and thank him for his many years of service protecting our city. His family knew him only as a kind and mild-mannered Art Director, a designer of websites and t-shirts, and concert posters who always had the right cardigan and the right thing to say (even if it was wildly inappropriate). Aaron was known for his long, entertaining stories, which he loved to repeat often. In high school, he was in the band The Asparagus Children, which reached critical acclaim in the northern suburbs. As an adult, he graduated from the College of Visual Arts (which also died an untimely death recently) and worked in several agencies around Minneapolis, settling in as an Interactive Associate Creative Director at Colle + McVoy. Aaron was a comic book aficionado, a pop-culture encyclopedia and always the most fun person at any party. He is survived by his parents Bill and Kim Kuhlmeyer, father Mark Purmort (Patricia, Autumn, Aly), sisters Erika and Nicole, first wife Gwen Stefani, current wife Nora and their son Ralph, who will grow up to avenge his father’s untimely death. A service will be held on December 3, 2014 at Shelter Studios, 721 Harding St. NE, Mpls 55413 at 6 pm.
Published on November 30, 2014 in the Star Tribune
Purmort, Aaron Joseph age 35, died peacefully at home on November 25 after complications from a radioactive spider bite that led to years of crime-fighting and a years long battle with a nefarious criminal named Cancer, who has plagued our society for far too long. Civilians will recognize him best as Spider-Man, and thank him for his many years of service protecting our city. His family knew him only as a kind and mild-mannered Art Director, a designer of websites and t-shirts, and concert posters who always had the right cardigan and the right thing to say (even if it was wildly inappropriate). Aaron was known for his long, entertaining stories, which he loved to repeat often. In high school, he was in the band The Asparagus Children, which reached critical acclaim in the northern suburbs. As an adult, he graduated from the College of Visual Arts (which also died an untimely death recently) and worked in several agencies around Minneapolis, settling in as an Interactive Associate Creative Director at Colle + McVoy. Aaron was a comic book aficionado, a pop-culture encyclopedia and always the most fun person at any party. He is survived by his parents Bill and Kim Kuhlmeyer, father Mark Purmort (Patricia, Autumn, Aly), sisters Erika and Nicole, first wife Gwen Stefani, current wife Nora and their son Ralph, who will grow up to avenge his father’s untimely death. A service will be held on December 3, 2014 at Shelter Studios, 721 Harding St. NE, Mpls 55413 at 6 pm.Aaron’s battle was chronicled by his wife Nora’s blog, My Husband’s Tumor. Her most recent post was published yesterday, December 1st. It is a touching reflection of how she feels about her loss and what her final moments with Aaron were like.
The moment he was gone, I wasn’t ready anymore, and I was filled with a crippling sense of doubt. Was I good enough for you? Did I make this easy enough? Why did I get mad at you for forgetting garbage day??
I’m not ready for the big, empty space in our bed. I’m not ready to go to the Sleater-Kinney show without him. I’m not ready to watch The Walking Dead or to tell a bright, inquisitive toddler that his papa is in his heart, not in our bedroom sleeping.
Friends of the couple have established a crowdfunding site in hopes of defraying medical expenses and to care for the couple’s young son. Below is a video for the site.
Read more about Aaron and Nora and the obituary in the Star Tribune
