When writing a death notice, you will want to include a short summary of the life of the deceased. An obituary typically includes more details of a person’s life and accomplishments. An obituary is not meant to be a complete biographical account; rather, it is meant to highlight significant events, milestones, and achievements of a person’s life.
An obituary will usually contain personal details, and will therefore typically be written by a family member or a friend. Even the most sensational obituary needs to include the essential details of a person’s life and death. An obituary documents a decedent’s life and informs the public about their death.
It is important to keep in mind that the obituary should be a statement of death, with a short biographical summary. An obituary does not just share a person’s birth and death dates, it typically includes at least one photograph of someone, as well as highlights about their achievements or even personality. An obituary also serves as a notification that someone has passed and provides information about any services scheduled.
An obituary usually lists survivors of the deceased person as well as people who have preceded their loved one to death. Other people, like extended family members or close friends, may be listed in the obituary, too, if you believe that your loved one would want to include others. As family members, you will want to make sure to memorialize the deceased or have someone designated to write the obituary.
Funeral Program Templates
If the deceased was close with his cousins, you may include these names in the section surviving relatives of an obituary. While you do not need to name each grandson and cousin, it is important to write an overall summary of family members who passed away before your loved one, and of surviving families. You will also want to share names and relationships of those who survived the person who died, and lastly, include details about the funeral services at Hillaire, where flowers or donations can be sent, and any other pertinent information for the grieving.
If you choose to post a picture with the obituary, be sure that it is a clear, headshot of your loved one, and something that would please them. It is a wonderful treat to look at older photos and to remember all of the life that took place before aging and death, but if friends cannot identify the person in the picture, then they might not read the obituary.
When reading the examples of obituaries, note how in some forms, the typical format of an obituary is still present, but how many of these obituaries expand upon the information that one would find in a typical obituary, and include extra details describing the unique person and life lived by the person who died. Family members and close friends are often perfectly happy to contribute helpful facts, anecdotes, and insight — all of these things that make an obituary more meaningful for the people reading it. Many times, the obituary has to be much, much shorter, because of any number of factors, including not being able to reach friends and relatives in early years.
