Writing An Obituary printable pdf download

Writing an obituary

If you are having difficulties writing an obituary, we suggest viewing an obituary from our website or the local

paper. Select an obituary and follow the format substituting your family’s information. You may want to look at

a couple different obituaries to make sure you are not missing a detail that you would like mentioned. When

requested, we will assist you in writing an obituary that makes your loved one that special individual.

Newspapers do charge for obituaries so we feel it is very important that your loved one be memorialized in

your words.

The obituary will usually start with the name of the deceased. It is recommended to include a nickname or

shorter version of his or her name to make sure people recognize the deceased. For example, Jonathan

"John" A. Doe or Janet "Jane" M. Doe. You may also include nicknames or maiden names to assist the public.

Following the name, the age should appear, if desired. Following the age, the place of residence should

appear. You may choose just to mention “of Eau Claire” or “rural Eau Claire”. You may also name the

township or village. This is a personal choice. If an individual recently moved to this area or was not from this

area originally, you may choose to mention “formerly of”. Example: John A. "Shorty" Doe, age 85 of Eau

Claire, formerly of Madison. We recommend that addresses not be included in the obituary

and that a neighbor be asked to watch the residence of the deceased during the times of

the visitation and service. The next item mentioned would be that a death has occurred. This is also a

personal choice and can be expressed several different ways. Examples of this are, died, passed away,

entered eternal life, entered heaven, etc. This is followed by a date and/or day. The first paragraph is

concluded with the location of death. You may choose to eliminate this portion depending on the

circumstances of the death.

For Example, Jane M. Doe, age 79 of Eau Claire, passed away Friday, September 21, 2011 at her home under

the care of Hospice.

The next paragraph in the obituary states the service information. This includes the time, day and date of

service and location which includes the address of the service. Also included are the name(s) of officiants, the

day and date of the visitation and the location, including the address and time, of visitation. The name of the

cemetery and/or the information pertaining to the committal service would also be included in this paragraph.

There may also be mention of the military honors being conducted and which organization is rendering those

services. We highly suggest that there is no mention of lunch because this may attract unwanted guests.

However, there are circumstances with particular services or Life celebrations where mention of a meal or

gathering are necessary.

Example,

John A. Doe, age 79 of the Town of Washington died Friday January 12, 2011 at Sacred

Heart Hospital of an apparent Heart Attack.

Funeral services will take place at 11 am on Friday, January 19, 2011 at ABC Lutheran

Church, 123 3rd Street, Eau Claire, WI 54701. Pastor Jane Doe will officiate. Burial will

immediately follow the services in the ABC Lutheran Church Cemetery, in Eau Claire with

Writing An Obituary