How to Write an Obituary

Writing an obituary is an important step after the death of a loved one. When faced with a death in the family everything can be made incredibly difficult. Trying to cope with your loss while also covering all of the little details can be overwhelming and make it difficult to put thoughts into words. Additionally, it is hard to sum up the lives of your loved ones in just a few paragraphs. With this in mind, we have decided to put together some basic information with regard to preparing and writing an obituary. For most, this will be a new experience and knowing what information you need to cover can be tricky. Many people stick with traditional points, varying the length from a few sentences to most of a page. Keeping an obituary short and to the point, while touching on one or two highlights, is always a good choice. There will be plenty of time going forward to pay proper respects in detail, but you still don’t want to skimp on the details too much. This is, after all, a public declaration and homage to your loved one and should honour them as such.

As always, there is some basic information that needs to be covered. This gives a general rundown of who the deceased was, as well as highlighting their immediate family.

You should include:

● Deceased’s name

● Place of birth and place of death

● Date of birth and date of death

● Info relating to memorials/donations

● Their immediate family

● Any pertinent information regarding the funeral service (Date, time, location, and any other useful info)

Once you’ve got the basics down, you can start getting creative. While you don’t want to drone on for ages, you do want to touch on some of the deceased more memorable moments or stories. Writing about experiences that highlight their good points and how much they were respected is always a solid choice. Funny stories about good times that everyone can relate to are also a big favourite. 

Many people tend to focus on specific memories that they shared with the deceased. Obituaries are like a summarizing conclusion to one’s public life and remembering the good times you shared will remind others of how the deceased changed their lives for the better. Covering skills and hobbies or mentioning how they used their abilities to make the world a better place are always welcome, too.

Personality is another point that is covered a lot in obituaries. If they were quick to laugh or full of interesting knowledge, feel free to put that in. We can’t stress enough that an obituary is a sort of highlight reel. Too long and people will lose interest, so keep it short, sweet, and engaging. 

When all's said and done, writing an obituary is a very personal experience. The contents, apart from the bulleted points, are all very fluid. The best choice is writing about something from the heart that shows just how much you and everyone else cared about your loved one. If you make your obituary open and honest, while highlighting the deceased’s best achievements, you can never go wrong. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home to clear up any concerns you may have.