How to Write Death Notices Obituaries

After the death of a loved one occurs, someone would need to notify the deceased's friends, colleagues, and family of their passing and the details of the funeral. Death notices and obituaries have been the primary source of this sad news. This would not be an easy task, especially if you and the deceased had a solid and close relationship.

Family members used to publish death notices and obituaries in a newspaper in the local area where the deceased lived, but posting death notices online is becoming more popular these days.

Whether you have been asked to write someone's obituary and death notice or consider writing your own, you would need a guide on preparing and writing obituary and death notices. This is why we created this article to help you go through this.

Death Notices vs. Obituaries

Some people might think that death notices and obituaries are the same, but there is actually a difference between them.

Obituaries are composed of a detailed biography of the deceased. Back in the day, newspaper staff was responsible for writing about important public figures in the community.

On the other hand, death notices are announcements in newspapers that contain the name of the deceased and details of his memorial or funeral service.

These days, the deceased's family members can pay for a space in the newspaper to publish the death notice. 

Writing a Good Obituary

The first thing you would need to do is to gather information for the obituary. If you are writing one for yourself, it would be easy because all you need to do is take a memory lane trip. But if you are going to write one for someone else, you would need to get important details to outline another person's life.

When someone passes away, it is essential to gather as many personal details as necessary. This can make your task a lot easier. You could check the deceased online profile and other social media accounts. Do not forget to talk to the deceased's family members, colleagues, or friends to find more information. 

It may seem like it is a painful task, but it's better to have as much information as you can gather to help you write a good obituary.

Writing an obituary for the first time is hard. If you are still having a hard time writing an obituary, you could check the web for examples and obituary templates that you can use as a guide.

Things to Include in Obituaries and Death Notices

If you are planning to print the obituary to the local newspaper, you might want to check with them if they have some restrictions or guidelines for obituaries. There are some newspapers that have a template that they want to use. Always remember that newspaper charge per line and column inch. You need to be aware of these things before you start.

Here is some information that you could include in a newspaper obituary:

  • Place and date of birth
  • Name of the parents
  • Name of spouse, children, relatives, or friends
  • Schools attended
  • Career achievements (former position at work and other notable achievements)
  • Accomplishments or other hobbies
  • Religious affiliation
  • Military service
  • Interests
  • Clubs
  • Humanitarian work
  • Special memory with the deceased
  • Deceased character
  • A brief summary of the deceased's life
  • Funeral service information

How to Write a Beautiful Obituary

You could try and write two to three drafts to try different writing styles and ask a family member of the deceased to review it. You would probably get feedback or suggestions from the people who know the dead best. 

But whichever theme or writing style you chose, make sure that it is heartfelt because although obituaries are sad, they could still bring comfort to the grieving family or friends.

After you finish writing the final draft of the obituary or death notice, you should have someone proofread it for you. This process is crucial because you need to make sure that the family member's names' spelling is correct. You wouldn't like to publish a death notice or an obituary with spelling mistakes that could offend someone who is already going through a hard time.

Top 10 Death notices obituaries and Death notices obituaries websites as ranked by people like you

The Community ranked the best Death notices obituaries websites so that you can find what you need. Help improve the ranking by voting too.

Last updated: 2024-03-25

Rank

Provider

Description & Features

Site

1

348

The Plain Dealer Obituaries - Cleveland, OH | The Plain Dealer
The Plain Dealer Obituaries - Cleveland, OH | The Plain Dealer
The Plain Dealer obituaries and Death Notices for Cleveland Ohio area . Explore Life Stories, Offer Condolences & Send Flowers.

2

322

Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News Obituaries ...
Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News Obituaries ...
Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News death notices and Death Notices for Philadelphia Pennsylvania area . Explore Life Stories, Offer Condolences & Send Flowers.

3

298

Boston Globe Obituaries - Boston, MA | Boston Globe
Boston Globe Obituaries - Boston, MA | Boston Globe
Boston Globe obituaries and Death Notices for Boston Massachusetts area . Explore Life Stories, Offer Condolences & Send Flowers.

4

276

Online Obituaries, Funeral Notices and Death Records ...
Online Obituaries, Funeral Notices and Death Records ...
At Tributes.com we believe that Every Life has a Story that deserves to be told and preserved.. Tributes.com is the online source for current local and national obituary news and a supportive community where friends and family can come together during times of loss and grieving to honor the memories of their loved ones with lasting personal tributes.

5

256

Obituaries - inquirer.com
Obituaries - inquirer.com
Obituaries and death notices from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

6

237

The Tennessean Obituaries - Nashville, TN | The Tennessean
The Tennessean Obituaries - Nashville, TN | The Tennessean
The Tennessean obituaries and Death Notices for Nashville Tennessee area . Explore Life Stories, Offer Condolences & Send Flowers.

7

219

New Jersey Obituaries & Death Notices - nj.com
New Jersey Obituaries & Death Notices - nj.com
New Jersey Obituaries & Death Notices. Click any newspaper name below to see today's obituaries, to search obituaries archives, to post a tribute in a guest book, or to find news obituaries.

8

203

United States Obituaries: View Obituaries from Major ...
United States Obituaries: View Obituaries from Major ...
Browse a large collection of United States obituaries from major newspapers. (Powered by Legacy.com) ... The Galax Gazette News Leader, The Northern Neck Group Northern Virginia Daily Progress-Index, The Richmond Obituary News The Carroll News Tidewater Review Virginia Gazette Virginian Pilot, The Washington Obituaries Anacortes American ...

9

188

Pennsylvania Obituaries - Latest Obituaries in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Obituaries - Latest Obituaries in Pennsylvania
Browse Obituaries and Death Records in Pennsylvania Select a city or town in Pennsylvania from the alphabetized list below. Through our advanced obituary search , you may search our database of obituaries by name, location, date of death and keywords.

10

174

Death Notices – The Buffalo News
Death Notices – The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is Western New York's No. 1 news source, providing in-depth, up to the minute news. The Buffalo News brings you breaking news and the latest in local news, sports, business ...

Death notices obituaries videos considered

We analyzed 3,357 hours of the most informative Death notices obituaries videos. These videos stood out the most:

Local Death notices obituaries near you

Ms. Jones Funeral Services

1084 Pacific St, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Lawrence H Woodward Funeral Home

1 Troy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213

Chun Fook Funeral Services

13435 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354

Neptune Cremation Society

175 B Rte 4 W, Paramus, NJ 07652

Zion Memorial Chapel

767 E Boston Post Rd, Mamaroneck, NY 10543

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