If you are reading this, chances are you have recently lost someone you love — or you are preparing for a loss you can feel approaching. Either way, you are carrying something heavy right now, and the task of writing an obituary can feel overwhelming on top of everything else. Looking through obituary examples is one of the most helpful things you can do, because seeing how others have honored their loved ones gives you a starting point when the words feel impossibly far away.
This guide is here to walk beside you through the process. You will find obituary templates, real-feeling examples for a mother and father, short obituary examples for newspaper submissions, and a step-by-step approach to writing something that genuinely reflects the person you are honoring. We will also explore a different idea at the end — one that might change how you think about your own story.
What Makes a Good Obituary
An obituary is not a resume. It is not a list of dates, job titles, and surviving relatives arranged in a predictable order. The best obituary examples share one thing in common: they make you feel like you knew the person, even if you never met them.
A good obituary captures something true about a human life. Maybe it is the way your father always whistled the same tune while making breakfast. Maybe it is the fact that your mother kept a notebook of every funny thing her grandchildren said. These are the details that separate a meaningful tribute from a generic announcement.
"The obituaries people remember are never the ones that list every achievement. They are the ones that capture a single, unmistakable truth about who someone was."
When you sit down to write, ask yourself: if a stranger read this, would they understand what made this person irreplaceable? That is the standard worth reaching for.
A good obituary balances several elements — the factual (dates, family, career) with the personal (character, passions, quirks). It honors the whole person, not just the public version of them. And it does not need to be long. Some of the most powerful obituary examples are fewer than 150 words.
Obituary Template: The Essential Structure
Having a clear obituary template helps enormously when you are writing through grief. Here is a framework you can follow, adapting each section to fit the person you are honoring:
1. Full Name and Key Dates
Start with the person's full name, including any maiden names or widely known nicknames. Include the date and place of passing, and the date and place of birth.
2. Who They Were Beyond the Facts
This is where the obituary comes alive. Before listing family members and career history, consider one or two sentences that capture who this person truly was. Were they the person everyone called in a crisis? The one who could make a room full of strangers feel like old friends? Lead with their essence.
3. Family
List immediate family — spouse or partner, children, grandchildren, siblings, and parents if they are still living. Mention those who preceded them. Use the language that feels natural to your family.
4. Education and Career
Keep this proportional to how important these elements were to the person. For someone whose identity was deeply connected to their work, give it space. For someone who defined themselves by other things, a sentence or two is enough.
5. Passions, Hobbies, and Character
This section is often the heart of the obituary. What did they love? What made them laugh? What would their neighbors or coworkers say about them? Include the details only someone who knew them would know.
6. Service and Memorial Information
Include the date, time, and location of any service, visitation, or celebration of life. Note if the service is private. Mention any preferred memorial donations in lieu of flowers.
7. A Closing Thought
Many families choose to end with a meaningful quote, a line from a favorite song, or a simple statement that captures their loved one's spirit.
Short Obituary Examples
Sometimes you need a brief obituary — for a newspaper listing, a funeral program, or a community announcement. These short obituary examples show how to honor a life meaningfully in just a few lines.
Example 1: Warm and Traditional
Margaret Ellen Foster, 78, of Asheville, North Carolina, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2026, surrounded by her family. Born on June 4, 1947, in Richmond, Virginia, Margaret was a retired elementary school teacher who spent 34 years shaping young minds at Oakwood Elementary. She was known for her legendary chocolate chip cookies, her enormous laugh, and her belief that every child deserved someone who believed in them fiercely. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert; her children, David (Sarah) and Emily (James); and five grandchildren who called her "Gigi." A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, March 15, at First Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Asheville Literacy Council.
Example 2: Brief and Heartfelt
Thomas "Tommy" Rivera, 65, of San Antonio, Texas, left this world on February 28, 2026, the way he lived — on his own terms. A Vietnam-era veteran, master carpenter, and devoted grandfather, Tommy could fix anything with his hands and mend anything with his humor. He is survived by his three daughters, seven grandchildren, and one very spoiled dog named Captain. Services will be private. His family asks that you honor his memory by telling someone you love them today — he never left a room without doing exactly that.
Example 3: Simple and Direct
Helen Park, 91, of Portland, Oregon, passed away on March 5, 2026. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Helen immigrated to the United States in 1962 and built a life defined by resilience, generosity, and an unshakable devotion to her family. She is survived by her son Michael, daughter-in-law Christine, and grandchildren Alex and Sophia. Helen's family will hold a private memorial. Contributions in her memory may be directed to the Oregon Food Bank.
These short obituary examples demonstrate that you do not need hundreds of words to say something meaningful. A single vivid detail — legendary cookies, a dog named Captain, a life built on resilience — is worth more than pages of generic praise.
Obituary for a Mother — Example
Writing an obituary for a mother is one of the most personal things you will ever do. This example shows how to weave together facts and feeling into a tribute that truly reflects who she was.
Catherine Anne Brennan (nee Sullivan), 74, of Evanston, Illinois, passed away on March 8, 2026, at home, with her daughters holding her hands — the same hands that had held theirs through every storm life brought.
Born on September 22, 1951, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Patrick and Mary Sullivan, Catherine grew up in a household where the kitchen table was the center of the universe. She carried that tradition into her own home, where no one ever left hungry and every conversation that mattered happened over a cup of tea.
Catherine graduated from Boston College in 1973 and moved to Chicago, where she met her husband, Daniel Brennan, at a mutual friend's wedding. They were married for 48 years — a partnership built on laughter, stubbornness in roughly equal measure, and a love that deepened with every passing year.
She spent 25 years as a social worker with Cook County Family Services, advocating for children in foster care with a quiet ferocity that earned her the respect of judges, colleagues, and the families she served. After retiring, she volunteered with the Evanston Women's Shelter and became the unofficial grandmother of her entire neighborhood.
Catherine is survived by her husband Daniel; her daughters, Meghan Brennan-O'Neill (Patrick) and Siobhan Brennan (partner Claire); her grandchildren, Liam, Nora, and baby Fiona; her sister, Eileen Sullivan-Murphy; and countless people whose lives were changed because Catherine Brennan refused to look the other way.
She was preceded by her parents and her brother, Kevin Sullivan.
A funeral Mass will be held on Thursday, March 13, at St. Mary's Church, Evanston. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to CASA — Court Appointed Special Advocates.
Catherine once said that the measure of a life was not what you accumulated, but how many people felt safer because you existed. By that measure, hers was immeasurable.
"An obituary for a mother does not need to list everything she did. It needs to capture what it felt like to be loved by her."
Obituary for a Father — Example
Fathers are sometimes harder to write about — not because there is less to say, but because so much of what they gave us was expressed through action rather than words. This obituary example for a father tries to honor that.
James Robert Whitfield, 81, of Boulder, Colorado, passed away on February 22, 2026. He would want you to know that he considered himself the luckiest man who ever lived — not because life was easy, but because he had people worth showing up for every single day.
Born on November 3, 1944, in Omaha, Nebraska, Jim grew up on a farm where he learned the two principles that guided the rest of his life: hard work is not optional, and your word is the only currency that matters.
After serving in the United States Army from 1966 to 1968, Jim earned his engineering degree from the University of Nebraska and moved to Colorado, where he spent 35 years building bridges — literally. As a structural engineer with Morrison-Knudsen, he worked on infrastructure projects across the western United States. He took quiet pride in the fact that things he built with his mind and his hands would outlast him by generations.
In 1972, he married Linda Sorensen at a small ceremony that he planned to surprise her with — she had expected a dinner, not a wedding. It was the kind of bold, loving gesture that defined their 53 years together.
Jim coached Little League for 14 consecutive seasons, not because his sons were always playing, but because he believed every kid deserved an adult in the stands who cared whether they struck out or hit a home run. He built a treehouse in 1986 that still stands. He read the newspaper cover to cover every morning and could tell you the box score of any Cornhuskers game from the last four decades.
He is survived by his wife, Linda; his sons, Mark Whitfield (Jennifer) and Scott Whitfield (Ana); his grandchildren, Emma, Jack, and Sofia; and his sister, Patricia Whitfield-Connelly.
He was preceded by his parents, Robert and Dorothy Whitfield, and his brother, William.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 1, at the Boulder Community Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you take someone you care about out for a long drive — Jim always said the best conversations happen when nobody is looking at each other.
"The best obituary for a father does not just describe what he did. It reveals what he taught you without ever saying a word."
How to Write an Obituary: Step by Step
If you are wondering how to write an obituary and do not know where to start, follow these steps. They work whether you are writing a short newspaper notice or a longer tribute.
Step 1: Gather the Facts First
Before you try to write anything beautiful, collect the basics: full name, dates, birthplace, family members, career highlights, and service details. Getting these down first frees your mind to focus on the personal elements later.
Step 2: Talk to People Who Knew Them
Call a sibling, a coworker, a neighbor. Ask them: what is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of this person? The answers will surprise you, and they will give you details and stories you might have forgotten or never known.
Step 3: Find the Thread
Every person has a thread — a theme that runs through their life. Maybe your mother's thread was generosity. Maybe your father's was quiet determination. Once you find it, let it guide the obituary.
Step 4: Write a First Draft Without Editing
Do not try to make it perfect. Write everything that comes to mind, even if it feels messy or too long. You can shape it later. The first draft is about getting your heart on the page.
Step 5: Read It Aloud
This is the single most useful editing step. When you read the obituary aloud, you will hear where the rhythm breaks, where the language feels stiff, and where you have said something truly right. Trust your ear.
Step 6: Let Someone Else Read It
Share the draft with a family member or close friend. They may catch factual errors, and they may also remind you of a detail that belongs in the tribute.
If you want to explore the art of capturing a life story in more depth, our guide on how to write a life story walks through the process of documenting an entire life narrative, which can make writing an obituary much easier.
What to Include (and What to Skip)
When reviewing obituary examples, you will notice that the best ones are selective. They do not try to include everything. Here is a practical guide:
Always include:
- Full legal name (and widely used nickname)
- Date and place of passing
- Immediate family members
- Service or memorial information
Include if it defined them:
- Career and education highlights
- Military service
- Community involvement and volunteer work
- Hobbies and passions that shaped who they were
- Religious or spiritual affiliation (if central to their identity)
Consider skipping:
- Cause of passing (this is a personal family decision — there is no obligation to share it)
- Exhaustive lists of every organization or club membership
- Complicated family dynamics (an obituary is not the place to settle scores)
- Generic phrases that could describe anyone ("she loved her family" — show it instead)
"The details that make an obituary unforgettable are never the ones on a resume. They are the ones that make someone stop reading and smile."
Modern Obituary Trends
The way we honor the people we have lost is changing. Traditional obituary examples still serve an important purpose, but many families are choosing new approaches that feel more authentic.
Celebrating Life Over Mourning Loss
More obituaries now focus on how someone lived rather than how they passed. They include humor, inside jokes, and the messy, wonderful truth of a real human life. Some families write obituaries that read more like love letters than announcements.
First-Person Obituaries
A growing trend is the self-written obituary — someone who writes their own tribute before they pass. These range from deeply moving to genuinely funny, and they carry a power that no one else's words can match. They are the ultimate act of self-determination.
Including Difficult Truths
Some modern obituaries acknowledge addiction, mental health struggles, or complicated lives with honesty and compassion. Rather than pretending these realities did not exist, families choose to honor the full person — struggles and all — which can bring a powerful sense of authenticity to the tribute.
Digital and Multimedia Tributes
Beyond the printed obituary, many families now create online memorial pages with photos, videos, and guestbooks where friends and family can share their own memories. The written obituary becomes just one part of a larger digital legacy.
A Different Approach: Write Your Own Story Now
Here is something most obituary examples will never tell you: the most meaningful tribute is the one you write yourself, while you are still here to write it.
Think about it. You have spent this article reading about how to capture someone's essence in a few hundred words. You have seen how the best obituaries include the small, specific details that only someone who truly knew the person could provide. Now ask yourself: who knows your story better than you do?
When a family sits down to write an obituary, they are doing their best with incomplete information. They are grieving. They are under time pressure. They may not know about the friendship that shaped your twenties, the failure that taught you everything, or the quiet moment that changed how you saw the world. They are guessing at the thread of your life — because you never told them.
Writing a legacy letter or documenting your story while you are alive is not morbid. It is one of the most generous things you can do for the people you love. It means your family will never have to wonder what mattered to you, what you wanted them to know, or how you wanted to be remembered.
It also changes something for you. The act of writing your own story — your values, your lessons, your hopes for the people you are leaving behind — brings a clarity that is hard to find any other way. It is not about writing your own obituary. It is about making sure the people you love hear your voice, in your words, long after you are gone.
If the idea of writing a letter to your children or documenting your life lessons feels meaningful but overwhelming, you do not have to start with a blank page. Guided tools can walk you through the process one question at a time.
"Don't leave your family piecing together your story from fragments. Give them the whole thing — in your own voice, while you still can."
Write your own story now — so your family won't have to piece it together. Our Legacy Letters tool guides you through documenting your values, memories, and wishes, one thoughtful question at a time. No blank pages. No pressure. Just your words, preserved for the people who matter most.
Final Thoughts
Whether you came here looking for obituary examples to help you write a tribute for someone you have lost, or you are simply thinking about how lives are honored and remembered, we hope this guide has been useful.
The best obituary is not the longest or the most eloquent. It is the one that makes people nod and say, "Yes — that was them." It captures not just what someone did, but who they were when no one was watching. It includes the details that make a stranger feel like they missed out on knowing this person.
And if this process has made you think about your own story — about the words you would want spoken about you, about the things you have never told the people closest to you — then perhaps that is the most important takeaway of all.
You do not have to wait for someone else to tell your story. You can start writing it today.
Write Your Own Story While You Can
Don't leave your family guessing what mattered to you. Our guided tools help you document your story, values, and wishes — in your own words.
