Writing Guidance
Writing Tips
Guidance and inspiration for capturing a loved one’s personality, relationships, and legacy with care.
Start with their presence
Describe what people noticed first: their laugh, warmth, quiet strength, humor, generosity, faith, or favorite stories.
Use specific moments
A small memory often says more than a broad statement. Include traditions, sayings, routines, places, and the people they loved most.
Balance facts with feeling
Dates and roles matter, but personality brings the obituary to life. Pair life milestones with what those chapters meant to them.
Let the tone fit them
Some lives call for formal elegance, others for warmth, celebration, faith, or gentle humor. Choose words that sound true to the person.
Honor their legacy
End with what continues because of them: values passed down, family bonds, community impact, lessons, or a spirit others will carry forward.
Helpful prompt
Ask yourself: “What would someone who loved them want people to remember first?” Use that answer as the emotional center of the obituary.