Obituary template

Writing an obituary usually falls to a family member in the hardest week. This template lays out what readers look for, in the usual order: the announcement with age, place and date of death, a short life story covering birth, family, work and what they loved, the family who survive them and who went before, visitation, funeral and burial details, memorial donations and the family's thanks.

Templates

Obituary (document): An obituary template for a newspaper, funeral home website or memorial service, with the death announcement, life story, family survived by and preceded by, service details and memorial donations.
Farewell tribute (presentation): Honor a retiring or departing colleague with a tribute to their career, impact, memories and messages from the team.

How to use these templates

Gather the facts with family: full name, dates and places of birth and death, parents, spouse, children, grandchildren and siblings, and the service times and places.
Open the template and tell the AI about the person in your own words, for example "Dad, 82, Toledo, machinist for 40 years at Jeep, loved fishing and the Browns, married 55 years to Carol".
Read the draft aloud with someone who knew them well, and add the one or two details that make it sound like them.
Check the newspaper's or funeral home's word limit and deadline, then send the text as a Word file or paste it into their online form.

Writing an obituary that honours them

Lead with the essentials: name, age, home town and date of death. Many readers only need to know who has died and when the service is.
Include a nickname or maiden name so old friends recognise who it is.
Choose details over adjectives. "Never missed a grandchild's recital" says more than "devoted grandmother".
Ask the newspaper for its price before writing a long version. Many charge by the line or word, while funeral home websites usually publish for free.
Leave out the exact date of birth, home address and mother's maiden name together. Scammers use obituaries for identity theft, and some burglars watch for empty homes during services.
List family carefully and agree on it beforehand. Forgetting a step-child or partner can hurt, so read the list back to a close relative.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an obituary be?

A newspaper obituary is often 200 to 500 words because of the cost. Funeral home and memorial websites have no real limit, so families often post a longer version there.

Who usually writes the obituary?

A close family member, often with help from the funeral director, who may also submit it to newspapers for you.

What is the difference between an obituary and a death notice?

A death notice is a short paid announcement of the death and service details. An obituary tells the story of the person's life, and may be written by the family or by a newspaper's staff.

Can I use this for a eulogy?

An obituary is written to be read; a eulogy is spoken at the service. The life story here is a good starting point: ask the AI to "turn this into a five-minute eulogy in a warm, personal voice".