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How to write an obituary

You do not need to be a writer. You need the facts, a few true details, and about an hour.

An obituary does three jobs: it tells people that someone has died, it tells them when and where to gather, and it says in a few lines who this person was. Here is a way to get it done without staring at a blank page.

1. Gather the facts first

Ask one other family member to check each of these. Dates and spellings are where mistakes happen.

• Full name, including a maiden name or the name everyone used
• Date and place of birth; date and place of death; age
• Parents' names; spouse or partner; children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters
• Who died before them (often written as "preceded in death by")
• Schools, military service, work; faith community, clubs, causes
• What they loved doing, and what people will remember them saying
• Service details: date, time, place, who is officiating, where the burial or reception is
• Where to send flowers or donations, if the family has a wish

2. Fill in the outline

Write one or two sentences for each line. Leave out any that do not fit.

1. The announcement. [Full name], [age], of [town], died on [date] at [place].
2. The beginning. Born on [date] in [place] to [parents]; one detail from childhood or school.
3. The life. Work, service, marriage, the move that mattered. Keep to what shaped them.
4. The person. Two or three sentences that could only be about this person: what they made, fixed, cooked, sang, grew, or always said.
5. The family. Survived by [names]. Preceded in death by [names].
6. The gathering. A service will be held at [time] on [date] at [place].
7. The wish. In place of flowers, the family asks for donations to [name], or simply: flowers are welcome.
8. Thanks, if there is someone to thank: a hospice team, a care home, neighbors.

3. Get the length right

• In a printed funeral program: 120 to 250 words. It has to fit one panel.
• In a newspaper: check the price first; many charge by the line or the inch.
• Online or on the funeral home's page: as long as you like.

Two short examples

The people in these examples are invented.

Brief. Walter "Walt" Dunmore, 77, of Harlan, died on October 14, 2026. A machinist for forty years and a fisherman for all of them, he is survived by his wife, Carol; his sons, Peter and Neil; and four grandchildren. Friends are invited to a graveside service at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 16, at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Warm. Rosa Delgado Finch never let anyone leave her kitchen hungry. She died on May 9, 2026, at the age of 71, and the people who loved her are still finding containers of her soup in their freezers. She taught second grade for thirty years, kept a garden that fed half the street, and called every one of her grandchildren on their birthdays at exactly seven in the morning. Join us to remember her at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, at the Riverside Community Hall. Bring a story.

4. Check it before it is printed

• Read it aloud once. You will hear what is wrong.
• Have a second person check every name, date and time against something written down.
• Check that the day of the week matches the date.
• Leave out the home address, and think twice before printing an exact birth date next to a mother's maiden name in a public notice. That combination is what identity thieves look for.