This template follows the order most newspapers and funeral homes use: the announcement, the life story, the family, the service details and donations. Work through it one section at a time. The words in square brackets are the gaps to fill in, and the wording around them is a starting point you can change.
If you would like to know more about what each part is for, how to write an obituary explains it in more detail, including what to leave out for privacy. For finished obituaries of different lengths, see the obituary examples.
Before you start
Have these ready: the person's full name, including any middle name, nickname or maiden name people knew; their age; the towns where they were born and lived; the names of close family, spelled correctly; and the date, time and place of any service. Ask the funeral home or newspaper how long the printed version can be, as most papers charge by length.
The obituary template
1. The announcement
Choose one of these opening lines.
- [Full name], [age], of [town, state], passed away peacefully on [date] at [home, or the name of the hospital or care home], surrounded by [family, or name them].
- [Full name], [age], a lifelong resident of [town], died on [date].
- It is with great sadness that the family of [full name] of [town, state] announces [his or her] passing at the age of [age].
You can leave out the date if the family prefers. If the person was known by a nickname, put it in quotation marks after the first name, as in Robert "Bobby" Lee Shaw. For a married woman, many families add her maiden name before her married surname.
2. Their early life
[First name] was born in [year] in [town, state] to [parents' first names and surname], [a detail such as the youngest of four]. [He or she] grew up [a detail about their childhood] and graduated from [high school or college] in [year].
3. Work, service and family life
[If they served] [He or she] served in the [branch] from [year] to [year], [where they were stationed or a detail about their service].
[He or she] worked as [job] at [employer or type of business] for [number] years, [a detail they were proud of]. In [year] [he or she] married [spouse's name], and they made their home in [town], where they raised [number] children.
4. What they loved
[First name] loved [hobbies, teams, places, faith or community groups]. [A specific detail, such as a habit, a dish they made or a place they went every year]. [He or she] will be remembered for [something people will recognize].
5. Survived by
Choose one of these, and list the closest family first.
- [First name] is survived by [his wife or her husband] of [number] years, [name]; [his or her] children, [names, with spouses in parentheses]; [number] grandchildren; and [his or her] [brother or sister], [name].
- [He or she] leaves behind [his or her] loving family: [names and relationships], along with many nieces, nephews and friends.
- Those left to cherish [his or her] memory include [names and relationships].
6. Preceded in death by
[He or she] was preceded in death by [his or her] parents, [names]; [spouse, child or siblings who died earlier, with names].
7. Service details
Choose the wording that fits your plans.
- A visitation will be held from [time] to [time] on [day, date] at [funeral home, town]. The funeral service will be at [time] on [day, date] at [church or funeral home], followed by burial at [cemetery].
- A celebration of life will be held at [time] on [day, date] at [place]. All who knew [first name] are welcome.
- A private family service will be held. A memorial gathering will be announced at a later date.
Add a line such as "Arrangements are in the care of [funeral home]" if the newspaper asks for it, and say where to find a livestream if there is one.
8. Donations and thanks
Choose one of these, or leave this part out.
- In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to [charity, church or cause].
- The family would like to thank [hospice, nurses, caregivers or neighbors] for [what they did]. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to [organization].
- Flowers may be sent to [funeral home], or donations made in [first name]'s name to [organization].
A short newspaper version
This version uses the template at its shortest, which keeps the cost down in print. It keeps the announcement, a few lines of life story, the closest family and the service details, and gives numbers for the grandchildren. The family put a longer version on the funeral home website.
Janet Louise Crowder, 69, of Nashua, New Hampshire, passed away on September 21, 2026, at home, surrounded by her family.
Janet was born in 1957 in Lowell, Massachusetts, and graduated from Nashua High School. She worked as an elementary school secretary in Nashua for 31 years and knew every child by name. She loved Lake Winnipesaukee, crossword puzzles and her Saturday morning walks with her sister.
Janet is survived by her husband of 45 years, Paul; her sons, Kevin (Rachel) and Brian; five grandchildren; and her sister, Anne Dufresne. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Calling hours will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 2, at Hollis-Ward Funeral Home, Nashua. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, at St. Brendan Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nashua Public Library.
In New England, "calling hours" is the usual term for a visitation, so the family used it here. Use the wording that people in your area will expect.
The full version, filled in
Here is the template completed at full length for a funeral home website, for a grandfather in Colorado. Some of the linking wording has been changed so it reads naturally.
Walter Anthony Reyes, 78, of Pueblo, Colorado, passed away peacefully on September 19, 2026, at home, with his wife and children beside him.
Walt was born in 1948 in Trinidad, Colorado, the eldest of six children, and moved to Pueblo with his family when he was ten. He graduated from Central High School in 1966 and served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1969, stationed at Fort Carson and later in Germany.
After the Army, Walt went to work for the county road department, where he spent 34 years, the last twelve as a crew supervisor. He was proud that his crews kept the roads open through every winter storm. In 1971 he married Irene Montoya, and they raised three children in the house on Elko Avenue that he added a room to twice.
Walt loved green chile, the Denver Broncos and fishing at Lake Pueblo with his grandsons, though he rarely kept anything he caught. He coached Little League for fifteen years and could still name most of his players. Every August he roasted chile in the driveway for the whole street, and he will be remembered for his laugh and his habit of fixing things for neighbors without being asked.
Walt is survived by his wife of 55 years, Irene; his children, Michael Reyes (Teresa), Angela Salazar (Ruben) and Daniel Reyes; eight grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and his sisters, Rosa, Linda and Carmen. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tony and Lupe Reyes, and his brothers, Frank and Eddie.
A rosary will be prayed at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 2, at Arroyo Chapel Funeral Home, Pueblo. The funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, at Our Lady of the Valley Church, followed by burial with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Pueblo Little League or to the hospice nurses who cared for Walt so kindly.
The family chose to leave out Walt's exact birth date and his mother's maiden name, and to give the number of grandchildren. The chile roasting and the Little League details are what will make people who knew him stop and read to the end.
Checking it before it's published
Read the finished obituary aloud, then ask one other family member to check every name, age and date. Send it to the funeral home in plenty of time before the newspaper's deadline, and ask to see a proof if the paper offers one.
Common questions
Is it all right to use an obituary template?
Yes. Most obituaries follow the same order, and funeral homes and newspapers use templates all the time. The details you put in the gaps are what make it about your person, so spend your time on those and change any wording that doesn't sound right to you.
Do I need to fill in every section?
No. Leave out anything that doesn't apply or that the family would rather not share. A short newspaper notice often has only the announcement, one or two lines of life story, the closest family and the service details.
Should I write "died" or "passed away"?
Either is fine. "Passed away" is the most common wording in US obituaries, and some families prefer "went home to be with the Lord" or "entered into rest". "Died" is plain and clear. Choose the words the family would use when talking about it.
How do I list grandchildren if there are a lot of them?
You can give the number, such as "twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren", which saves space in print. For a funeral home website, where length doesn't cost extra, many families list every name, sometimes with their spouses in parentheses.