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Tips to Help You Write an Obituary

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The death of a family member or friend often comes with many unexpected responsibilities, and few are as daunting as writing an obituary. Summarizing a person's entire life in a few short sentences is hard for even the best writers, and it's made all the more difficult by the need to include important about the funeral and other concerns. Here are some tips to make writing an obituary a bit more manageable.

Start With the Basic Facts.

The first sentence or two of the obituary should contain the most relevant facts. Begin with the name and age of the deceased, and include where he or she lived and when that person died. Doing so provides the reader with the information they need most up front, similar to a headline or lede for news article. You don't have to include the cause of death, especially if you feel uncomfortable about doing so. That information isn't always relevant to anyone outside the family, and interested parties can always learn more at the funeral itself..

List family members.

The next thing to do is list the family of the deceased. List parents, spouse, children, children's spouses and siblings by name. Note the spouses of children in parentheses between the child's first and last name (for example: John (Sally) Thompson). After you name members of the generations before and after the deceased, note the number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and (if desired) nieces and nephews. If any family members died before your loved one, list them afterward as having preceded him or her in death.

Tell your loved one's story.

The next part of the obituary is your loved one's biographical sketch. You want to make it both personal and concise. Get as much information into this part of the obituary as you can, but write it in as few words as possible. Share what he or she did for a living as well as hobbies and interests. Mention achievements as well as any other information that gives readers an idea of what your loved one was like. But be aware: if you're putting the obituary in a newspaper, most papers charge by the word or line, so keep the cost in mind when you're writing.

Give details of the memorial service.

Next, you'll want to provide details about your loved one's funeral or memorial service. Include the date and time, and if the event is public, note the location (including the address) as well. You may also want to list the officiants of the service. Be sure to inform readers of any visitation hours and/or interment or graveside services after the funeral. If the service takes place at a church or any location other than a funeral home, you should also acknowledge the funeral home that is helping with the funeral. Here's where you will also want to include information on the charities or organizations that people can donate to in lieu of flowers.

Proofread and double check for accuracy.

Once you've gathered all the information and written everything out, the most important thing to do is proofread and make sure everything you've written is accurate. There's nothing worse than submitting an obituary only to discover mistakes after it's too late to change it. Check for spelling and grammatical errors, and make sure you've used proper punctuation. Then, you should go through and double check to make sure that all the information in the obituary is accurate, including any dates and the spelling of all names. As soon as you're satisfied with the writing of the obituary and the information in it, you can send it in.