Birth date, death date, age, location of their residence at the time of their death. He advises that the average length of an obituary is approximately 200-1000 words.įirst and foremost, begin with key information you’ll want to share about the person who has died.

He describes obituaries as “fact-heavy” narratives that should evoke the feeling of a whole life, not just the death. New York Times obituary writer Neil Genzlinger tells us that being asked to be an obituary writer at the Times is considered one of the paper’s highest honors. Either way, the idea is, an obituary functions as a posted death notice that contains facts about the person’s life, including important dates, accomplishments and surviving family members. In fact, more and more obituaries are being hosted online via funeral homes or other legacy sites. It can be printed in a newspaper or published online. We’ve even put together obituary examples at the end, so read on for more help.Īn obituary is a written notice of the death of an individual. We’ve put together some tips for how to write an obituary, but with the idea of writing not just any obituary, but an interesting and memorable tribute with a bit of flair. But while there are guidelines for how to write an obituary, at Farewelling we believe in infusing this important remembrance with a few details and phrases that truly capture the spirit of the person being honored. Facing a blank page with the goal of writing an obituary for someone important to you is a daunting task.

Samples of simple obituary