Eulogy & Obituary Writing

Eulogy & Obituary Writing

Crafting a personalized eulogy or obituary can seem overwhelming when you are facing a loss.  Often the funeral home will help you with the obituary, but the material you need to collect for a personalized eulogy will be helpful for writing an obituary.

I have created an information needed form to help you gather the important information about your loved one.

Gather this information and take it with you to the funeral home.  This will make your life easier.

Using this information as a guide then:

  • Create a list of adjectives to describe your loved one adjective resource
  • Begin to jot down thoughts about your loved one.
    What were they like as a parent, sibling, son, daughter, etc.
    Do you have a fun story to share?
  • Now ask yourself, was your loved one a person of faith.
    Did he/she believe in a God or something bigger than they were?
    Did they attend a church or synagogue or mosque?

If yes, then turn to the appropriate books that might provide a couple of readings for the service.

Here are a list of appropriate Bible passages for a funeral service.

  • If your loved one loved did not attend a church, but believed in God there are wonderful ways to honor their faith. Perhaps they believed that a person goes to heaven when they die. There are wonderful ways to express a person’s spirituality during a service. Here are a few examples of ways to express that. Here is an example of a  Spiritual Service. 
  • If you are leaning toward a more secular (nonreligious) service, include a couple of meaningful readings that either reflect on the person, such as poetry, a personal writing, or you can use AI to help write something unique.
  • Music is a beautiful addition to a service. It can be favorite hymns/ faith songs or genre of their music. Did they like rock, pop, rock and roll,  jazz, classical, etc? It is nice to use 2-3 songs during the service.
If you would like personalized support go HERE

Writing a Eulogy

The key to a beautiful eulogy is being authentic about the person.  If a person was stubborn and feisty, don’t try to soften it.  There are ways to express a person’s true nature without being harsh. Lay their personality out there and soften the rough edges with stories.

Example: There was a man who had a harsh and tough exterior. A story was included in the eulogy about how he let his granddaughter put sponge curlers in his hair.  That story was able to give a glimpse into his soft, hidden side.

Starting points…

  • You can begin chronologically.
    Example:  Mary was born on December 10, 1957 to Harry and Joan Smith in Denver Colorado.  She was a daughter, sister, wife, mother and a friend to all.   She grew up in Denver and graduated from Denver High School.  She was active in soccer and softball and loved the spirit of competition.
  • Start with personality traits.
    Example:  Mary never knew a stranger.  When you were in her presence there was a sense of joy and love.  She carried that love in to everything she did.
  • Start with a funny story.
    Example:  I remember when I was 8 years old and…..
  • Start with an attention grabber.
    Example:  One word to describe Mary was feisty.  Like a pit bull she wouldn’t lose and argument if her life depended on it.

If you would like help writing the eulogy go HERE.

Obituaries

Obituaries are very abbreviated eulogies.  They list some of the important information found on the information needed form.