Items That May Be Included in an Obituary

March 31, 2018

Miscellaneous

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When a person passes away, their loved ones must take on many tasks. One such task is the writing of the obituary, and many individuals wonder how they go about writing a piece such as this. They don’t want to overlook anything of importance and wish to show the impact their loved one had on the lives of others. Following are some tips to help when writing this record of a person’s life.

Who Writes It?

First and foremost, speak to the funeral home or newspaper where the obituary will run. Often, basic information is provided by the family and the funeral home or newspaper does the actual writing of the obituary. Furthermore, there may be restrictions on the length or guidelines that must be followed. For this reason, the family should always learn this first.

Biographical Information

The vast majority of obituaries provide biographical information about the deceased. This would include the person’s full name, any nicknames they were known by and their maiden name, if applicable. The date and location of their birth, death, and marriage may appear in this record along with the cause of death.

The family determines what they are comfortable sharing with others. The names of those who predeceased them along with any survivors are typically included, and the same is true of school information, military service, employment, and memberships they had in any organizations.

Public Service Information

When the viewing, wake and/or funeral will be open to the public, include this information in the obituary. This allows individuals to pay their respects. Be sure to put the date, time and location of the services and, if any portion of the services will be private, add this information also.

Donations

People often opt to have donations made to an organization or charity as opposed to having mourners send flowers. If this is what is desired, be sure to include information in the obituary about the organization or charity. Even those who cannot attend for whatever reason may opt to make a contribution in honor of the deceased.

Loved ones can click to find out more about what may be included in an obituary. Regardless of what is included, the loved one will be remembered by all he or she encountered. Keep that in mind and don’t stress over this document. The obituaries on this site may be of help when creating the record for those who need help.