How to write an obituary

An obituary announces a death, shares the basic facts of a life and tells people about the service. Most follow the same simple order.

A simple structure

1. The announcement. Full name, age, city, and the date of passing.
2. Their life. Birth date and place, family, education, work, service and what they loved.
3. Family. Who survives them and who they are predeceased by.
4. Service details. Date, time and place of the service, and any memorial donations in lieu of flowers.

Before you submit it

• Check every fact with family. Names (and their spellings), dates, ages, places and the list of survivors. Obituaries are often clipped and kept for decades.
• Ask the funeral home about deadlines and format. Many newspapers charge by length or by line and have early deadlines. The funeral home can often submit it for you.
• Decide what to include about the cause of death. It's entirely optional. Many families leave it out; some mention it to raise awareness.
• Mind privacy. Some families leave out exact birth dates or home addresses because of identity theft. A month and year, or age, is often enough.
• Online versions can be longer. Funeral home and memorial websites usually have no length limit, so you can keep a short print version and a longer online one.