Oh, and weirdly, the postscript did not say what I expected it to say when I deciphered it: as best I can tell, it says Karl Ernst made a mistake ("sich...beirrt") in that line, and that his coffin (I can't decipher this word, but it's plain from context) was actually displayed in the Parochialkirche, which is where he's also buried.

Given that he's putting in writing his last wishes and saying, "I want to be buried next to my dad and brother and maternal relatives," saying he got confused is a bit weird. I was expecting something more like "changed his mind" or "that wasn't feasible because..."

German speakers, does "beirren sich" have some meaning I'm not aware of? Or were not only Karl Ernst's requests for no ceremony, but also his request to be buried by his father and brother ignored?

No written notification of his death in the newspaper or anywhere else.

They put together a eulogy to be delivered by the preacher at the church in Jennelt in East Frisia where Karl Ernst had an estate, but maybe that was okay because it wasn't a written announcement?

Btw, that's where I got the bit about him donating regularly to charity.