How to Write a Great Obituary

mourning candle

After losing a loved one, it is quite overwhelming for family members to make decisions midst of their grief. One of the things to take care of is writing an obituary. If you are not sure where to start, you can find tips shared in this post useful. Follow this step-by-step process to write a great obituary.

Announce the Death

You should start by announcing the death of your loved one. Thus, you should provide the name, brief description, the age, and the day of passing. Squeezing the information in a single sentence is possible.

Biographical Information

You need to include biographical information like upbringing, marriage information, birth date, work history, education, and accomplishments. It is a good idea to be precise and compact with your wording. The aim, in this case, is to get out the meaning in a few words as possible.

Make It Personal

man writing an obituaryWhen writing a great obituary, it is necessary to capture the spirit of your loved one. Come up with a paragraph that describes not just what your loved one did, but also why he or she was loved. For instance, you should focus on personal characteristics, passions, and hobbies. You should note that newspapers will charge you by line, inch, or word depending on the publication. Therefore, you should avoid writing more than you can afford. A factual, short obituary can be all you need. However, if you want to write a personalized, special obituary, then you need to include such details.

Listing Family Members

Although you do not have to mention every cousin or nephew by name, it is a good idea to give a general overview of the family members who have passed away before your loved one and also the surviving family. You can get close family members who are listed by name and relatives can easily be referred to in a general way.

Funeral Information

You need to provide the time, location, and date of the funeral. It is also a good idea to include vital information about condolences, flowers, and donations.

Review for Mistakes

writing an obituaryYou need to check and re-check your obituary for grammar mistakes. When you are satisfied with the final copy, pass it off to your friend to review it. The fact that obituaries are composed during difficult times, it is vital to take into account the writing tone.…