Five Steps To Writing a Meaningful Obituary
An important step in the funeral planning process is writing an obituary, if you have never written one it can seem like a daunting task. The obituary serves as a tool to announce the passing of a love one, share some details about their life, and announce service information. We have broken down how to write out an obituary in five steps below and will give an example of a full obituary at the end.
- Announcement of Death – Typically, obituaries begin with the announcement of death. It is important to choose language that you are comfortable with, for example, some author’s choose “died” but others feel that it is too blunt and go with “passed away” or “left us”, but what is most important is that the family discuss and agree upon the type of language used for this portion of the text.
- Biography – This portion of the obituary is where you can talk about the details of your loved one. It is common to highlight their occupation, hobbies, and accomplishments. We believe that it is important to focus on the special qualities and relationships that your loved one had. For example, “he loved to play board games with his grandchildren” or “she was an excellent story teller.”
- Family – This part of the text is where you list those your loved ones survived and those that preceded them in death. Typically, we list survivors, starting with the closest relations: significant other, children, grandchildren, great and great-great grandchildren, parents, and siblings. If any of these relations are nonexistent or have died, skip and move to the next relation. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren are often numbered, and if you not sure you have all the names, use a number or say ‘many grandchildren’ to avoid leaving anyone out.
- Service Information – This portion of the obit is where you list information about the services planned. Be sure to include the time, date, and location. Also be sure to include if there is a visitation or rosary planned. You can also include the officiant and interment information.
- Special Message – This is an optional portion of the obituary. You can include some like “in lieu of flowers please make donations to…” or “the family would like to thanks to…” or if your loved one had a favorite verse or quote it would be appropriate here.
Below is an example of an obituary that can be used as a template:
Jane Doe, 87 of Springdale passed away Monday, July 12, 2020 in Springdale. She was born August 20, 1932 in Springdale to Jack and Jill Doe.
She worked for Walmart for over 24 years. She enjoyed listening to gospel hymns, playing the piano and gardening. She loved her four dogs: Maddy, Max, Lexi, and Reece. She also loved to tell stories. She was a member of First Baptist Church.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, John Doe and one sister, Sue.
Survivors include one brother, Josh Doe of Dallas, Texas; two sisters Maggie Smith and husband Jay of Rogers; one son, Alex Doe of Lowell.
Graveside services will be held Saturday, July 18, 2020 at 12 PM at Bluff Cemetery in Springdale.
Visitation will be Saturday from 11am to 12pm at Sisco Funeral Chapel in Springdale.
