These sample obituary templates are provided as guidelines to get you started on writing a death notice for your friend or loved one who has died. There are plenty of free templates available on the web, which let you fill the blanks in with details about your loved one so that the obituary virtually writes itself.
As mentioned above, the obituary typically includes the names of those immediate family members and friends that survived the deceased, along with those that preceded the deceased person when they died. An obituary is a short summary of the person’s life, typically including family members’ names, funeral or memorial service arrangements, and preferences regarding flowers and donations. An obituary also serves as a notification that the individual has died, and provides information about any services scheduled.
When reading the examples of obituaries, note how there is still a form of a typical obituary, but also notice how many of these obituaries expand upon the information that you will find in the typical obituary, and include additional information describing the unique person and life lived by the individual that has passed. While several of the different obituary examples differed significantly in length, the simple fact is these obituaries told the story of the person who passed away and included elements from his or her life and why they were important. One is a simpler, shorter obituary; another is a longer version that also could work as a eulogy.
Obituary Templates
When it comes to writing an obituary about your loved one, many newspapers have standardized formats, but others let writers have artistic freedom. Remember to seek assistance in writing a loved one’s obituary if writing it seems overwhelming. Please understand it is okay to seek assistance in writing a loved one’s obituary — regardless of the age of the person who died.
Or, if you prefer some assistance, our editors can create a beautiful, custom-written obituary for your loved one. Anyone, including the family of the deceased, funeral home staff, or longtime friends, can write the obituary. An obituary may be written for death notices in newspapers, or it may be written for a funeral program, prayer cards, and memorial keepsakes.
If you are faced with the task of writing a death notice for a loved one, then it can help to look at examples of funeral obituaries to help you brainstorm some ideas. For more details on writing an obituary, obituary formats, and more examples and ideas for obituaries, please see our articles on How to Write An Obituary, Newspaper Obituaries, and Death Notices, as well as Obituary Templates or obituary examples. Customize the free obituary template or follow these easy steps to create a fitting obituary for your loved one.
You might even want to consider writing an off-the-shelf obituary that includes examples of your loved ones’ fun feats. People often keep obituaries as keepsakes for someone they loved, so be sure that your end product is something that is worthy of a scrapbook, and — even more important — worth the memories your loved one has. An obituary template gives you a structure for creating a meaningful memorial, including all of the essential points related to a person’s life.