How do I write an obituary?

Answer six short questions in your own words. We write the obituary from them, keep your phrases, and check every statement against what you typed. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored.

Full name

Born

Died

Born in

Pronoun

She He They

1 Where did they grow up, and what was home like? 2 What did they do with their days? Work, home, service. 3 Who and what did they love most? 4 What did they always say? 5 One small habit everyone will remember. 6 What would they want people to do now?

Family for the survivors paragraph

Children (and their spouses) Grandchildren Brothers and sisters Preceded in death by

Your answers are sent once to write the text and are not stored.

An obituary template you can follow by hand

If you would rather write it yourself, this is the order most obituaries follow. It works for a newspaper, the funeral home website and the program.

The announcement. Full name, age, home town and the date of death. “Dorothy Mae Hensley, 85, of Bowling Green, died on November 8, 2026.”
Where it began. Where and when they were born, and one line about home.
The life. Work, service, marriage, the things they loved. Pick details only family would know.
The family. “She is survived by” children (with spouses in brackets), grandchildren, brothers and sisters. Then “She was preceded in death by”.
The service. Date, time and place, the burial, and where memorial gifts can go.

For a program, 250 to 400 words fills one page. Read the full guide on how to write an obituary, see six obituary examples, or go straight to the funeral program template.

Why the questions ask for small things

“She loved her family” is true of almost everyone. “She kept peppermints in a yellow coffee can on top of the refrigerator” is true of one person. The six questions are built to pull out details like that: a place, a saying, a habit. The writer keeps them in your words, and the check makes sure nothing was added that you did not say.

Frequently asked questions

What is the basic format of an obituary?

Name, age, where they lived and the date of death come first. Then their life: where they grew up, work, family, what they loved. Then the survivors and who died before them, and last the service details and where to send memorial gifts.

How long should an obituary be?

For a funeral program, 250 to 400 words fills one page. Newspapers often charge by the line, so a paid notice is often shorter, 150 to 250 words, with the full version online.

Is this obituary writer free?

Yes. It is free with no sign-up, and nothing you type is stored. If you want the obituary in a printed program with photos, the program maker takes it from here.

Will it invent details?

It is built not to. It may use only what you typed, a second pass checks each statement against your answers, and numbers that did not come from you are cut. Ages come from the dates in code.

Can I write it by voice?

In Chrome, Edge and Safari, tap the microphone next to a question and speak. The words appear in the box, and you can fix them by hand.

What should not go in an obituary?

Leave out a home address, the exact birth date if you worry about identity theft, and anything a family member asked to keep private. Cause of death is optional.

What next?

Make the program Add photos, answer six questions and see the whole set. The preview is free. Open the program maker See what is included Program, prayer card, thank-you card, poster and restored photos, $29 once. Price