What to Include in an Obituary
An obituary is a public death notice, intended to reach people who might not have heard first-hand about the death.
The person who writes an obituary should be a relative or close friend who is well acquainted with the deceased person’s life. Newspapers are the most common place to publish an obituary, though Internet obituaries are gaining in popularity. Before writing an obituary, the newspaper or website should be contacted to find out if guidelines are provided. It’s also useful to read some published obituaries to get an idea of the tone to use.
These are common items to include in an obituary:
- Biographical facts: Full name of the deceased, dates of birth and death, birthplace and location of home at time of death.
- Biographical data: Names of colleges attended and degrees earned, major employers, favorite hobbies, charity work and honors bestowed.
- Survivor information: Names of spouse or significant other, children, grandchildren, parents or siblings.
- Funeral or Memorial Service Details: Date, time and location. May also include requests for charitable donations in memory of the deceased.
These are items to exclude from an obituary:
- Too many personal memories: The obituary should be about the deceased, not about the author of the obituary.
- Too much detail about the death: Focus on the positive aspect of the life of the deceased instead of too many details about the final illness.
- Too many clichés: Try to write the obituary from the heart instead of relying on timeworn clichés.
Before publishing the obituary, ask those who are closest to the deceased for their input. This is the best way to ensure that they will be happy with the result and that all the facts are correct. Read more suggestions on How to Write an Obituary at wikiHow.com.
Catie W.
October 19, 2010
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