Helping You Write An Obituary

One detail that often escapes even the most thorough planner is to write an obituary. Writing an obituary is another thing that can be taken care of in advance. Anstey & District Funeral Services, located at has created some samples of obituaries and information on how to write an obituary for your convenience. An obituary can be as basic as containing only public facts about a person's life. Their birth, family tree and their death. You may also want to relate your thoughts, experiences and memories with them. Read our samples of obituaries to know more about the content and structure of an obituary. It can also be a very personal look at a life. Not only a summation of the public facts, but a glimpse of the uniqueness; that, when combined with those "facts" created a unique personality. We encourage you to go through our how to create an obituary we have prepared to assist you. Also, you can take advantage from our sample obituary formats for writing an obituary. Written by someone who is close to you, an obituary becomes an intimate view of what made you memorable to others. Written by you, it becomes your personal life's story. As much as you love someone, recalling the details of their life at the time of their death is an overwhelming responsibility. Having the obituary already written and on file with your funeral services provider is not as difficult to do as you may think. To help you get started review the samples of obituaries or you can use our sample obituary format to write an obituary. Think about your life and what you would most like remembered. Writing an obituary isn't something most people want to be faced with having to do. If you find yourself having to write an obituary for someone, you may be wondering how to go about it effectively. You also may be wondering where to start, what to say, and how to say it eloquently, just to name a few concerns. In this “how to write an obituary” guide, we'll show you how to write an obituary for a family member or friend in just four simple steps. How to write an Obituary? Introduction Writing an obituary for a friend or family member can be accomplished using an outline divided into four parts. The first part of an obituary is called the introduction. On a sheet of paper, write the word "introduction." Under this header, list the person's name, age (optional), date of death, and place of death. If you are comfortable with it, you may choose to include the cause of death, but this piece of information is rarely added today. You are only preparing the basic structure at this point. You'll fill in the obituary once you've completed the outline. Background/Short biography Moving further down the sheet of paper, write "Background/Bio." Under this header, list the highlights of the subject's life. You should include date and place of birth, name of parents, any causes or organizations in which the deceased was passionate or active. Name two or three things your family member or friend truly enjoyed doing. For example, my grandmother's favorite hymn was "Mary," and I included this in her obituary. Highlight any significant challenges this person overcame during their lifetime. Surviving Relatives It is customary to include a list of surviving relatives in an obituary. Begin with spouse, children (and their spouses), and siblings. Next, list the number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins. You may also choose to mention friends and co-workers, without giving names or quantity. In each of the above sections, link the ideas listed into sentences and paragraphs, and edit for grammar and syntax. In three simple steps, you've completed the obituary. This is an emotional task, one which many people never want to have to do. It's our sincere hope at Anstey & District funeral services that this simple three step outline helps simplify how to write an obituary. Samples of Obituaries/Sample Obituary Formats Jones, Albert (Bert) of Anstey, formally of Manchester. Much loved husband of Lynn, brother to Peter and Susan and Uncle to Kieran. Died suddenly but peacefully at LOROS on Monday 31st December 2010 aged 35 years. One of life's true gentlemen, will be sadly missed by all whose lives he touched. Bert's funeral service will take place at 12 noon on Monday 31st December 2010 at St Mary's Parish Church, Anstey followed by Cremation at Gilroes Crematorium. No black to be worn please, family flowers only please, donations in Bert's memory for LOROS may be sent along with all further enquiries to Anstey & District Funeral Services, Talbott House, Leicester Road, Anstey, Leicester, LE7 7T. Tel: 0116 234 0548 Jones, Albert (Bert) Passed away on 31st December 2010 aged 97 years. Funeral service will take place at Loughborough Crematorium on Monday 31st December 2010 at 10am. Flowers and all enquiries to Anstey & District Funeral Services, Talbott House, Leicester Road, Anstey, Leicester, LE7 7AT. Tel: 0116 234 0548. Note: It is perfectly acceptable to put your funeral director's details at the end of the announcement, and essential if they are going to be handling any charitable donations on your behalf. Include their full postal address and telephone number. Have you or someone you know recently experienced a loss? How do you express all the emotions that come with grief? What do you say to someone dealing with grief? Visit Sympathy Notes for easy-to-follow and practical tips on how to construct letters of condolences, eulogies, and memorials. A Word Of Caution Under no circumstances must you put yours, or anyone else's home address into a newspaper announcement. It will advertise to burglars exactly when a house will be empty. It is probably not a good idea to advertise the location of a wake, or gathering following a funeral.