Obituary Writing Guide

Writing a good obituary is a delicate and important task. Whether it is for a spouse, family member, or close friend, the first thing you should do is ask yourself one question: What is included in a good obituary? For starters, it must include accurate factual information about the deceased and have a storytelling component that captures the spirit of the life being written about. The ideal obituary is informative, engaging and evokes some positive memory or anecdote of the person who has passed away. In addition, part of writing a great obituary involves understanding where it is going and the purpose it serves. This obituary writing guide will help you get started and we hope that you find this information to be most helpful in doing so.

Is a Death Notice Different From an Obituary?

Death notices are more matter-of-fact than obituaries in the way that they are meant to convey only information about the death, personal details of the deceased and other relevant facts. Obituaries, in contrast, are longer and include far more detail. In addition to covering the same information as death notices, obituaries also expand on the experiences, accomplishments and life milestones of the deceased. In short, it is the personalization that sets the two apart. Regardless of whether you are writing an obituary or a death notice, the following information should be included, at least in part, in some way. You will want to include their name, if they were married (for women, their maiden name) or if they had a nickname. Also, you will want to have these essential details:

• Their age upon death
• Birthday
• Birthplace
• A list of the surviving relatives
• The date of death
• The location (city/state) where they died
• Details about the funeral service: date, time, place
• Full name
• Date of death
• Where the person lived
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Writing an obituary benefits more than just the family. By writing an obituary for a loved one, you are also serving future generations (family, friends, and society as a whole) by solidifying the memory of the deceased in a personalized and permanent way. A cool way to think about it is that you, as a writer, are helping to create history and at the very least, the deceased's role in such record. If you are chosen to write an obituary, it is a humbling and inspiring role.