Saying goodbye to a loved one is always almost impossible.
Still, writing an obituary for your favorite person could be a form of tribute you give to the beautiful soul.
In the grievous times of losing your treasured human, drafting an obituary may seem challenging.
Download a love-filled obituary template here for a beautiful start.
There are different types of obituaries depending on your relationship with the deceased person. Plus, the obituaries may also differ in terms of format, styles, looks, etc.
You may want a simple obituary to send out the news in the most basic way.
You could do this by picking a colorful template or one that talks about the deceased’s life.
Depending upon how you wish to create an obituary, you can choose one from the following types:
- Mother’s obituary
- Father’s obituary
- Fill in the blank obituary
- Newspaper obituary
Note that each of these obituaries may have several other sub-categories.
Plus, if you want to prepare an obituary for any other relative or friend, this article got you covered.
You could still take inspiration from the beautiful templates mentioned below and modify them as you wish.
Following are the scenarios and different types of free obituary templates.
Free Printable Obituary Templates
Sample Obituary Templates For Mother
You need not necessarily write a long obituary. A short one will be an amazing tribute to your dear mother.
However, it would be best if you made sure what you write is meaningful and heartfelt. Plus, a detailed obituary will be better for your friends and family members to read and cherish your beloved mom.
Though most obituaries have a specific chronology, you need not follow it completely.
Instead, you can focus on her life accomplishments as a woman, her role as a mother, or other personality attributes.
Here are a few points you can include in obituaries for mother:
- Her favorite things
- Family incidences or stories
- Her sayings or beliefs
- The ways she expressed her love
Along with each of the obituary templates mentioned here, you will find a brief on how to go about obituary writing.
For Single Mother
For example, for a single mother, you can write an obituary just as you would for a married one.
However, here you will mention more about her kids and family and how important she was to them.
You can start by mentioning the full name, age, date of death, and cause of death.
Following the basic information, you can provide information about her family, primarily the name and age details of kids and parents.
In the next section, you can include the funeral program details like the date, time, and location (mention the city).
Though it is an optional message, you can also request the deceased’s kins to donate for her children’s future.
You can use these guidelines in a simple or colorful mother obituary template given here.
For Stay-at-Home Mother
A stay-at-home mother devotes all her time to the upbringing of kids and catering to her family.
Though she may not have any significant professional background, she sure has earned her family members’ respect and love.
Plus, if she didn’t like a lot of attention, writing a short obituary would be a great idea.
Start by writing the full name of the deceased, time, and date of passage, along with the cause of death.
You can then mention how she loved tending to her family while sacrificing her professional carrier.
You can choose to invite only the close ones for the funeral program or send out a public invitation.
In the latter case, give detail about the date, time, and funeral home or church where the service will be held.
You can easily enter details online and print several copies within minutes.
Template Highlighting Mother’s Professional Accomplishments
There is no better way to celebrate an individual than with their accomplishments.
Reminiscing a working mother with her professional accomplishments is an excellent idea, just like in the obituary template given above.
You can honor the predeceased mother by glorifying her achievements on the professional front and personal ones.
For example, talk about her career milestones, how they helped her grow as a human, and her family’s role in the same.
Highlight how the superwoman perfectly created a work-life balance.
As you write, it will come out as a great story that all your friends and family members will cherish.
Template Based On Mother’s Personality
Each individual has a distinct personality and aura of their own, which people remember them for.
Talking about a mother’s nature is an excellent way to cherish the deceased mother and show her importance.
After stating the basic information like name, time, date, and cause of death, you can describe her character.
For example, you can talk about how she filled the room with her positivity or her brilliant sense of humor.
You can choose to invite all her friends and close ones like siblings, friends, children, great-grandchildren for the memorial service.
Alternatively, you can mention in the obituary about a small funeral service only for the family.
You can organize a lunch for everyone who wishes to offer condolences.
Free Editable Obituary Templates For Father
Writing an obituary for a father is as difficult as for a mother, sometimes, even more.
Dads may not express their love, but you know that they treasure you more than anything in the world.
Here are a few points you can add to the given template to customize it.
His favorite topics of discussion
Sports matches he never missed
How passionate he was about work
The most memorable family trip or incidence
Note that the free obituary template given here is blank.
So, you can quickly enter information and print it for posting.
For Step Dad
While writing an obituary for a stepdad, you can highlight how easily he mingled with and showered love over his new family.
Start by stating the name of the deceased, date, time, and cause of death.
You can then share facts no one would know about, like the place of birth (city), parents, siblings, school, city, etc.
Write about the activities and games he loved.
You can then jot down about how he remarried and found a family he always wished for.
Lastly, mention the funeral service detail (optional) along with an invitation to all.
For Father-in-Law
A father-in-law is among the most extraordinary family members and often ends up becoming your best friend.
You can talk about the lively nature of your dad-in-law, that always cheered up the entire audience.
Or, talk about how helpful he was, whether it was providing support or any other help.
You can begin the obituary with the basic information about the deceased.
Write about the roles he played – father, husband, brother, son, etc., and responsibilities that he always fulfilled.
You can also mention fun things like how famous he was in school/college or how his humor was the best in the family.
Please talk about the family he left behind, including spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, etc.
Next, you can draft an invitation message for your close ones.
Invite them to his funeral program, stating where the service will be held, along with the date, time, and other data.
Template Based On Father’s Life Experiences
Sharing the life experiences of a father is like telling a story about him.
It will entice the readers and leave a legacy worth remembering for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
If he served in the military service, write about the interesting experiences that he always shared.
Alternatively, you can mention his struggles in life and how he overcame each of them with a smile.
You can talk about the family man that he was or the star in his group of friends.
Mention his funeral program details like date, time, and location of the service.
You can opt for a simple obituary template for your father or choose a colorful one.
Also, you may choose to add his recent photograph. It will help others cherish him and reminisce his presence more.
Fill In The Blank Obituary Template
People often feel like they are short on words to describe the way they feel about the deceased.
However, it is not essential to make long and personal obituaries.
You can opt for fill-in-the-blank obituaries and choose from any of the templates that seems appropriate.
Free obituary templates come with a prefilled list of points that you can elaborate on.
These templates are great for people who require assistance to create simple and straightforward obituaries.
However, many obituaries have sample wording to help you with more complex ones too.
There are different types of fill-in-the-blank obituaries you could opt for.
General Template
This is a general obituary template; all you have to do is include the correct information about the deceased in the blanks provided.
Here is a sample of the obituary that you can come up with with the help of templates.
Such templates have the following blanks that you can include about the deceased.
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Age
- Place of birth
- The school/college they attended
- What job they had
- Their favorite activities
- The date of their death
- Location of death (enter city and state, you can also mention the hospital if known)
- Names of parents
- Mention their immediate family (Spouse-Husband/wife, children, grandchildren, siblings)
- If they were ever married
- Where the funeral will take place
- Date and time of the funeral if at a funeral home
For Family Member
If you want to jot down an obituary for a family member, you will need to mention a few additional points.
These obituary templates have all the crucial points that you can cover.
Family fill-in-the-blank obituaries are a little more personal and require you to enter personal information to show the world they were loved.
For example, all obituary templates will start with the full name of the deceased and their age.
You will also be required to input their date of birth and the date of their death.
Other information will include the place of their death and where the funeral is taking place.
However, there is more.
For a family member’s obituary, you should also add what they liked doing in their personal time, their favorite activities, which school and college they attended, what job they were doing, etc.
All this will give the obituary a personal edge.
You should also add who their immediate family was and whether they had any children/grandchildren or great-grandchildren.
Remembering to add all this in an obituary is not easy.
However, with obituary templates, you do not have to get stressed out about forgetting.
Additionally, with these obituary templates’ help, you won’t have to think of all the points to mention!
Newspaper Obituary Templates
You need to follow a particular format when you write an obituary for your local newspaper.
You certainly do not need to be burdened with the pressure of writing a perfect obituary when you are grieving.
However, using obituary template for newspapers can help you write the most special obituary for anyone.
Here are all the details that you need to mention in newspaper obituaries.
You can start with general information like their full name, age, date of birth, and death date.
You must mention the place of death along with where they were born too.
It would be best if you also mentioned the names of their immediate family and parents’ names.
After this, you can mention the name of the school they attended, followed by their college or university.
It is also suggested that you mention their marital status i.e. their spouse and whether they had any children/grandchildren.
Be sure to enlist any special loved one that they had.
Additionally, you can mention all their siblings, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, if any.
When it comes to their personal life, you should mention all the activities they were interested in and enjoyed doing.
If you have any details about their favorite pass time, service in the military, etc. be sure to mention that too.
You can look up their resume and get any personal information you need.
Additionally, you could also do a quick google search to find other facts like their military or military service time.
Another easy way to find out more about the deceased is to talk to their close friends.
You can ask them for any minute detail like any activities they enjoyed that you might have missed while filling in the obituary templates.
These personal details are essential for newspaper obituaries.
From their immediate family, children, and spouse to their military service (if any), you need to mention it all.
Once you enlist all this data, you can mention the funeral home’s name and contact information.
Inspirational Obituary Examples & Samples
If you are looking for more examples, there is a great compilation that you can read here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is An Obituary?
An obituary is a printed notification or announcement of an individual’s death. It may include the time and date of death along with other basic information about the deceased.
Here are a few things that a simple obituary covers:
- Name of the deceased
- Date of birth
- Time and date of death
- Cause of death
- Funeral program time and location (optional)
- About the departed individual (life story)
- Names of parents, spouse, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.
Apart from notifying everyone about the deceased’s passing, this document also conveys the funeral service details.
Publishing an obituary on social media or newspaper is one of the easiest ways to inform your relatives and friends about a tragic event.
So, how to go about writing an obituary?
Writing an obituary need not be disheartening.
This article provides you with free obituary templates, examples and samples to get an idea about or prepare the obituary quickly.
How Do You Write A Simple Obituary?
Writing a simple obituary does not require a lot of effort. This is especially true when you have obituary templates handy.
Here are a few tips on how you can write a simple obituary.
- Start with their full name.
- Mention their date of birth and date of death along with their age.
- Mention their place of birth and the place of their death
- Name of parents
- Keep it short and precise.
- Add personal information that is socially acceptable.
- Make sure you mention any loved one who you think will be present at the funeral.
- Make special mentions to the siblings, spouse, and children.
- Mention their interests, hobbies, and activities they enjoy
These points will help you write an obituary for anyone.
What You Should Not Include In An Obituary?
There are some things that you should completely lay off of when writing an obituary.
Here are all the points that you should avoid while filling in your templates.
- The cause of death
- The deceased’s personal views and opinions
- Any personal joke or anecdote you feel like adding
- Their ex-husband or ex-wife
Conclusion
Writing an obituary can be made simpler if only you choose to use templates.
There are templates available for every situation.
You might think that writing an obituary requires you to know the exact format.
However, with the help of these templates, you do not need to worry about your obituaries’ formatting.
So, make sure you go through the templates thoroughly to find something that seems appropriate to you.
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