How to Write an Obituary (With Examples)

Writing an obituary asks you to summarize a whole life in a few hundred words, often within a day or two of losing the person you are writing about. It is a daunting task, but it is a doable one. An obituary follows a well-worn structure, and once you know the parts, you can fill each in gently, one at a time. This guide gives you that structure, a complete worked example to adapt, and the mistakes families most often wish they had avoided.

An obituary and a eulogy are not the same thing: an obituary is the written notice, factual and public; a eulogy is the spoken tribute at the service. If you also need to speak, see our gentle guide to writing a eulogy.

Nearly every obituary moves through the same sequence. You can write it in this order and have a complete draft:

1. 1.The announcement — full name (with nickname or maiden name), age, town, and the date of passing. Some families add a gentle phrase such as "passed away peacefully."
2. 2.Biographical sketch — date and place of birth, parents, upbringing, education, and the shape of their working life.
3. 3.Family — marriage, children, and the wider family, leading into who survives them and who preceded them in death.
4. 4.Life and character — the heart of the piece: passions, faith, community, humor, the things that made them themselves.
5. 5.Service details — the date, time, and place of the funeral or memorial, and any reception.
6. 6.Memorial requests — where to send donations in lieu of flowers, if the family wishes.

Here is a complete short obituary using the structure above. Names and details are invented; adapt the shape to your loved one.

Notice how much warmth comes from a few specific details — "strong coffee," "a good crossword," "a caretaker's heart." These small truths do more than any grand statement to bring a person back to the page.

If you are stuck at the blank page, gather facts first and shape them into prose second. A short list of prompts:

• Where were they born, and what was their childhood like?
• What work or vocation filled their days? What were they proud of?
• Who did they love, and who loved them?
• What did they do for joy — hobbies, faith, travel, sport, food?
• What is one story that everyone in the family tells about them?
• What would they want to be remembered for?

• Getting names wrong. Double-check the spelling of every survivor's name and how each relationship is described. Errors here are the ones families most regret.
• Listing only facts. Dates and jobs alone read like a résumé. One or two lines of character turn a notice into a tribute.
• Making it too long. Newspapers often charge by the line, and a program has limited space. Aim for 200 to 400 words unless you have reason to go longer.
• Forgetting the practical details. Guests need the service time and place. It is easy to pour care into the life story and omit the very information people are looking for.
• Publishing without a second reader. Have at least one other family member read it before it goes to print or the newspaper.

The version printed inside a funeral program is often a condensed version of the full obituary — the life story and character, without the full list of survivors or the donation details, which guests already have. The newspaper or funeral-home website carries the complete version. Write the full obituary first, then trim it gently for the program. Our guide on what to include in a funeral program shows how the biography sits alongside the other sections.