This final installment in helping to write an obituary has a template and last set of guidelines to use while writing to ensure you have covered all the important items. The guidelines at the end will repeat some information already published. Here is a single paper you can use as an outline, checklist, sample format, or template to help you write an obituary.
These articles are just general guides. You are the judge of what you want to include or exclude.
NAME / ANNOUNCEMENT
Full name of the deceased, including nickname, if any
Age at death
Residence (for example, the name of the city) at death
Day and date of death (remember to include the year)
Place of death
Cause of death
LIFE
Date of birth
Place of birth
Names of parents
Childhood: siblings, stories, schools, friends
Marriage(s): date of, place, name of spouse
Education: school, college, university, and other
Designations, awards, and other recognition
Employment: jobs, activities, stories, colleagues, satisfactions, promotions, union activities, frustrations
Military service
Places of residence
Hobbies, sports, interests, activities, and other enjoyment
Charitable, religious, fraternal, political, and other affiliations; positions held
Achievements
Disappointments
Unusual attributes, humor, other stories
FAMILY
Survived by (and place of residence):
Spouse
Children (in order of date of birth, and their spouses)
Grandchildren
Great-grandchildren
Great-great-grandchildren
Parents
Grandparents
Siblings (in order of date of birth)
Others, such as nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws
Friends
Pets (if appropriate)
Predeceased by (and date of death):
Spouse
Children (in order of date of birth)
Grandchildren
Siblings (in order of date of birth)
Others, such as nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws
Pets (if appropriate)
SERVICE
Day, date, time, place
Name of officiant, pallbearers, honorary pallbearers, etc.
Visitation day, date, time, place
Reception day, date, time, place
Other memorials, vigils, or graveside services if applicable: day, date, time, place
Place of interment
Funeral home in charge of arrangements
Where to call for more information (even if no service planned)
END
Memorial funds established
Memorial donation suggestions, including addresses
Thank you to people, groups, or institutions
Quotation or poem
Three words that sum up the life (See ‘six words’ paragraph below)
More Obituary Writing Tips
Web resources:
Obituary Template https://www.obituaryguide.com/template.php
Delicate Questions https://www.obituaryguide.com/questions.php
Pitfalls https://www.obituaryguide.com/pitfalls.php
Resources https://www.obituaryguide.com/resources.php
Writing Your Own Obituary https://www.obituaryguide.com/writeyourown.php
Research your newspaper. Ask the paper where you are planning to place your obituary if they have a format they prefer, whether obituaries are free or what price you must pay. They can also advise you whether they prefer a particular format, procedure, and length.
Be aware of identity theft. Covered more in-depth in a previous article.
Strike a balance between life and death. In my opinion, your writing should be not only a basic notice of the death, but also a compelling story of a life lived. I wish I had known some of the interesting folks I have read about all too late on the obituary page.
Focus on the deceased, not the obituary’s authors. Do not start with “the family announces . . .” and do not refer to the deceased, for example, as “Mom” or “Dad.” Describe the deceased as an individual, in the third person.
Decide how many family members to include. This includes the number of “predeceased by.” How many generations do you want to go back? Grandparents – be careful about just naming the ones that the deceased personally knew and forgetting the others. Stepfamilies? Uncles and Aunts? (Be careful about naming just some and not others unless you are intentionally selecting some members of the family.)
Show, rather than tell. Show characteristics rather than listing facts. Show actual examples of charity rather than just saying he was “charitable.” Show by writing interesting stories, rather than just listing dry facts.
Think of three words. Find three words that sum up the life lived. These words could be at the end of the obituary and used elsewhere, such as at the funeral or epitaph at the grave. (Or, think of six words; see the review at: https://www.obituaryguide.com/review-six-words-to-describe-a-life.php “Six Words To Describe A Life?”) One of my favorites is, “Not quite what I was planning.” Others include, “Not afraid of anything anymore” and “I wouldn’t change it a bit.” They range from the happy, “Ran away with circus, never returned,” to the incredibly sad six-word example, often misattributed to Hemingway, showing how an entire story could be told in only six words, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” It saddens me thinking about the background story.
Consider writing several versions. A short one for a paid classified ad, a longer one for background to the eulogy at a service, and an even longer one for family scrapbook, history, or website. One source recommends a suggested word length for newspaper could be about 150 to 500 words. Https://obituaryguide.com has multiple resources you can use for a life story, memoir, or family history; all which will be much longer than a newspaper obituary. Memoir at https://www.livewelldogood.com/memoir-writing.php has ten tips for writing a memoir and several good links to other good sites.
“Complete information to follow.” If you need to submit a short notice of a death and funeral information, then do so. If you plan to submit a longer one later, then actually get around to doing it.
Revise and edit. Review what you have written a day or two later. Have someone else read your writing, I always have my wife Teresa reread anything I have written to ensure I did not miss anything. She also helps me improve my style by spotting things I thought were clear but were not clear to her. Better to prepare something ahead of time than to rush between the death and the funeral.
Proofread. Then proofread again.
Writing an obituary or even thinking about death is not something many of us want to do. On the other hand, we all want to be remembered. Hopefully, these latest articles will help you.
Danny Leo Green,
Coroner, Cedar County
Facebook Comments