somber or humorous?)Įxact cause of death, if they were an organ donor, or any other end-of-life details you may want to include (optional)īefore writing up the obituary, figure out where you want to publish, what information you want to be shared in each (e.g., do you want funeral details in one but not another?), and how to meet the individual publications' requirements. You can ask them to provide or verify information about the decedent’s:Ĭonsider asking if any of the nicknames have any fun stories behind themįriends, mentors, and family members that should be mentioned in the obituary (This is also a good time to start getting people involved in the funeral planning.) Reaching out to close friends and family can help inform what goes into the obituary.Īsk them to share memorable stories and photos from your loved one’s life. Unless the deceased specified who they want writing it, this task can be given to a person or group who knew the person well enough to write a fantastic obituary. Legally, no specific person needs to write the obituary, nor is someone required to write it alone. Unless the deceased chose to write their obituary, which happens occasionally, you need to do some legwork before getting started. This article explores how to write and submit an obituary, provides some examples of famous (and infamous) obits to inspire you, and provides details about how an online legacy service may be able to help. Thankfully, there's a traditionally accepted formula used for obituaries that may help.

Therefore, writing the obituary often needs to happen quickly while the grief is still very fresh. The time between a death and a funeral is often two to four weeks, particularly if the funeral will include an open casket.

Sample obituary wording