My mom has an ornament of a coroner on her Christmas tree. He stands proudly, displaying a certificate of death. A little Macabre for Christmas, you say? No, not when that coroner is a character from the beloved 1939 classic Wizard of Oz.

Hallmark issued this ornament of the Munchkin coroner and mayor in 1998.

That little Hallmark ornament on my mom’s tree was the first thing that came to mind when I heard the sad news of the death of 94-year-old Meinhardt Raabe, the munchkin coroner from the Wizard of Oz.

As a child, I watched that movie on tape more than I’d care to admit. While my favorite character was always the Tin Man, who can forget the Munchkins? The mayor, the lollipop guild, and of course the coroner who examines the body of the Wicked Witch of the East and declares “she’s not only merely dead, she’s really most sincerely dead.”

Here is my salute to the Raabe, forever remembered delivering that famous line as the Munchkin coroner. His performance left such a lasting impression that 50 years later, in 1998, Hallmark issued an ornament of his character.

Name another coroner people would put on a Christmas tree?