So when he died on July 1, his daughter Juli decided to give the 80-year-old a fitting sendoff: by snapping a photo of an O-H-I-O cheer before his funeral, with Mr. Miracle taking his usual position as the "I" from an open casket.

No one close to the Miracles thought anything of it, even after the photo went viral yesterday. But bloggers nationwide pointed to the picture as the ultimate example of just how far some Buckeye fans go to show their passion.

Some called the picture awesome, fun and a unique tribute to a true fan. Others questioned its appropriateness, saying they were disturbed by seeing Mr. Miracle's body used in such a public way.

Juli Miracle, of Newark, said she did it for her father because it captured his fun-loving spirit and love for the Buckeyes.

"I didn't do it for anybody but Dad and I," Ms. Miracle said. "To me, it was the best honor and tribute to do for him and OSU."

She said that she even led the congregation in an "O-H-I-O" at the end of his funeral service.

The Rev. Mark Chow, who officiated over Miracle's funeral at First United Methodist Church in Newark, said Ms. Miracle meant the photo as a tribute to her father.

"He was a fun-loving man who loved to tease," Chow said.

For the visitation, Ms. Miracle and her mother also put a candy bar in Mr. Miracle's hand to playfully honor his work in the church kitchen.

Ms. Miracle submitted the photo to the Ohio State website www.osu.edu/O-H-I-O with the headline, "Now Dad is the permanent 'I'."

Ohio State officials posted the picture this past weekend, but it was briefly taken down because a junior staff member feared it might offend some people, university spokeswoman Liz Cook said. Officials restored it to the site yesterday morning.

Several ethicists and religious leaders say the family's choice shouldn't be judged.

Families know how best to honor their loved one, said Monsignor Joseph Hendricks, pastor of St. Brigid of Kildare Catholic Church in Dublin.

Royal Rhodes, a religious-studies professor at Kenyon College, said there is a long tradition of family photos of the dead in various poses, as well as athletes and sports fans decked out in their team gear.

"It is a bit like the sensibility one finds in the comic film Weekend at Bernie ' s , in which the corpse is dressed up and positioned so as to give the impression he is still alive," Rhodes said.

Dispatch reporter Jim Woods contributed to this story.

LINK TO PHOTO: 

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/07/14/o-h-i-o-photo-honors-deceaseds-passion-family-says.html