Obituary Template
From LoveToKnow Dying
Using an obituary template to write a funeral or death notice can make the daunting task a bit simpler to complete.
About Obituaries
Obituaries are biographical announcements of a person's death. Traditionally, they are published in daily or weekly print newspapers. However, with the ever-growing popularity of newspapers publishing on the Internet, more obituaries are showing up online. Online publications save time and money when out-of-state friends and relatives want to view an obituary. It makes searching for older notices a bit easier as well.
Not all obituaries are published in newspapers, though. Individuals today can create web pages memorializing the person who has died or they can add the obituary information to one of the many memorial websites available. However, the basic format used is pretty much the same no matter where the information is published.
Using Obituary Formats
Using a template or a format to write up an obituary will ensure that you include all of the pertinent information about the individual who died. Just think of the obituary template as a checklist, filling in or marking off each section as it is completed. Information typically found in an obituary template includes:
- Announcement and name
- Full legal name
- Age
- Date of death
- Place and cause of death
- City and state of residence
- Short biography
- Date and place of birth
- Names of parents and siblings
- Information about childhood including friends, schools, etc.
- Distinguished awards
- Places of employment
- Hobbies or interests
- Religious affiliations
- Disappointments
- Anecdotes and other short stories
- Surviving family
- Spouse or significant other
- Children (and their spouses) and grandchildren
- Parents and siblings
- Nieces, nephews and other family members
- Friends
- Pets
- Predeceased family (same order as surviving members)
- Funeral service and burial
- Time, day, date and place
- Names of officiate, pallbearers, speakers, etc.
- Times, dates and place of visitation
- Place of internment
- Name and address of funeral home
- Memorial donations (include address and/or phone number)
You can add or exclude any of these items, just as you can expand them. Some obituaries allow room for photographs, and those published online even have space for a variety of graphics.
Samples and Styles of Obituary Templates
The obituary template for standard obituaries placed in a print newspaper is very basic. In most cases, you or the funeral director fill in the information requested on a data sheet and an obituary writer from the newspaper will write up the information.
You can also write the notice yourself if there some specific and relevant information you don't want omitted. Your write-up can also be used to place in smaller publications such as alumni or work newsletters or smaller weekly or monthly newspapers out of state.
If you are using an online publication or website, there are several types of templates available to use as guidelines for creating an obituary:
- Armchair Advice has a written up a fake obituary as an example of what to include.
- ObitNow has a free online form that you can fill in and it will generate a written obituary. Registration with the website is required.
- Obituary Help will help you write a customized obituary for a nominal fee.
- Online Funeral will help you design an obituary web page for a minimal price.
- Helpful Obits offers obituary-writing services to funeral homes.
- Funeral Printer has a complete written explanation on how to write an obituary.
More Information
For more information on creating obituaries for a loved one who has died or one finding a notice from years gone by, visit these LoveToKnow Death and Dying articles:
Learn More
This page has been accessed 5,122 times. This page was last modified 23:55, 17 December 2008.
© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
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