


This can also give you insight into what other people may want or expect from the obituary and which photo you should use, if applicable. Either way, it can help to ask the deceased’s close friends and family members to fill in any details you’re missing.

But you may be writing the obituary as an outsider on behalf of the family to help support them during the grieving process. If you were very close with the deceased, you may already know the important details, like who their family members are and when the funeral is. Keeping this in mind may help alleviate some of the pressure you may feel while writing an obituary. While the obituary is about informing a public audience of their death, there will be other opportunities to share their stories, like eulogies, which may provide a deeper look into their personality and life story. That short length may feel constraining, but it’s important to remember that the obituary is just one way to honor a loved one’s memory.

To achieve this, it should include brief anecdotes that illustrate their personality or how they spent their time, and their accomplishments or contributions to their community.Īn obituary is typically limited to just a few paragraphs (or about two to three hundred words).
