Obituary Instructions & Example Text printable pdf download

OBITUARY INSTRUCTIONS & EXAMPLE TEXT

While there are no hard and fast rules for writing an obituary, this document serves as a general template

for the information and structure that is often used. Feel free to modify your own writing as you see fit.

Also, please ask for assistance if you have difficulty or need service, cemetery or charity addresses.

1. INTRODUCTION PT1— Proper name of deceased, age, spouse (if applicable), residence city,

“died” (in own words), date of death, and place of death.

You may use nicknames (usually in quotations), but should include the person’s proper name at least

once. The prefix “the late” is a short way of saying that the spouse died earlier. Also, many people feel

strongly about the word “died”. Please choose the wording you feel to be appropriate.

Joseph L. Smith, 94, husband of the late Mary Perkins Smith of Norwalk, passed away Thursday,

January 10, 2009 at the Norwalk Hospital.

2. INTRODUCTION PT2— Date of birth, place of birth, parents names.

Born January 10, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, he was the son of the late Robert T. and Martha Jenkins

Smith.

3. BIOGRAPHY—Generally, this is a brief paragraph about the person. Some items to include would

be notable personal achievements, education, employment, and military history. It is also helpful to

include jobs, past residences or affiliations that readers may know the person from. One or two lines are

optimum. Do not feel obligated to write a complete biography of the person. Additional information

can be saved for eulogies.

Mr. Smith attended Norwalk High School, and then served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He later worked for 25 years at Perkin Elmer as a technician. In his spare time he was an active

volunteer at St. Mary Church in Norwalk.

4. SURVIVORS—Here you list the surviving family members. Proper names, spouses and town of

residence are often included. Street addresses should not be published.

In this section, you may have a large amount of information to include. In a newspaper, grammar is a

secondary concern to being clear and concise. Begin with the most immediate relatives. The order of

relatives is SPOUSE-CHILDREN-PARENTS-GRANDCHILDREN-GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN,

SIBLINGS. Other relatives may be included but usually are not.

He is survived by sons Richard and his wife Betty of Rochester, NY and Joseph Jr. and his wife Sarah of

Norwalk; 3 granddaughters, Lauren of Rochester, Alice and Melissa of Norwalk. He is also survived by

his brother William of Palm Beach, FL and by 10 nieces and nephews.

5. PREDEDESSORS—(THIS IS OPTIONAL) Here you would list the names of family members who

died earlier.

In addition to his wife Mary, he was predeceased by his brother Frank.

(CONTINUED)

Obituary Instructions & Example Text