The articles you’re referring to are human interest stories. Their purpose, by definition, is to motivate the readers. People who don’t enjoy those types of stories probably shouldn’t read them.
Obits are generally written by family members. They’re free to write whatever they choose, and if that’s how they want to remember their relative then they should be able to do so without having to worry about criticism from the readership. I don’t think the authors are writing them with the intention of modeling appropriate behavior for others. Many, if not most, obits are written in times of great emotional stress, on a deadline, and with a firm cap on the number of words. They’re difficult to write under the best of circumstances. I wouldn’t take anything they said personally.