Obituary Template: 9 Free Samples and Examples to Copy

An obituary follows a predictable seven-part structure: the announcement of death, a short biography, a list of surviving family, a list of family who died before, service details, donation instructions, and a closing line. Most published obituaries run 200 to 450 words. If you are writing one tonight because a funeral home needs it by morning, copy the short template below, replace the bracketed text, and you will have a complete, publishable obituary in about twenty minutes.

Nine full sample obituaries follow, covering a long life, a sudden death, a veteran, a parent of young children, a private cremation with no service, and other common situations. Each one is written to be copied and edited rather than admired.

What is the standard obituary outline?

Every obituary you have ever read, in any newspaper in the country, is built from the same seven blocks. Not every obituary contains all seven, and the order occasionally shifts, but this is the skeleton:

1. The announcement. Full name, age, city of residence, date of death, and often the place of death.
2. The biography. Birth date and birthplace, parents' names, education, military service, career, marriage, and the things the person actually cared about.
3. Survived by. Living family members, usually listed closest relationship first.
4. Preceded in death by. Family members who died earlier.
5. Service information. Visitation, funeral or memorial service, burial or committal, with dates, times, and addresses.
6. Memorial contributions. Where the family would like donations sent, and the phrase "in lieu of flowers" when the family prefers donations to floral tributes.
7. The closing line. A sentence of thanks, a favorite saying, a line of scripture, or a simple farewell.

A death notice is not the same thing. A death notice is a paid classified announcement of four to six lines: name, age, date of death, and where the service will be. An obituary is the longer piece with the life story in it. Newspapers price them differently, and many families publish a short death notice in print and the full obituary online. If you only need the short version, our death announcement examples cover that format specifically.

Free obituary template (short, fill-in-the-blank)

Use this when you have very little time, very little information, or a strict word limit from the newspaper. It runs about 90 words.

[FULL NAME], [AGE], of [CITY, STATE], died on [DAY OF WEEK], [MONTH DAY, YEAR], at [PLACE OF DEATH].

[HE/SHE/THEY] was born on [BIRTH DATE] in [BIRTHPLACE] to [PARENT] and [PARENT].

[HE/SHE/THEY] is survived by [SPOUSE/PARTNER], [CHILDREN AND THEIR SPOUSES], [GRANDCHILDREN], and [SIBLINGS]. [HE/SHE/THEY] was preceded in death by [NAMES].

A [service type] will be held at [TIME] on [DATE] at [LOCATION AND ADDRESS].

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to [ORGANIZATION].

Standard obituary template (traditional, 250 to 350 words)

This is the version most funeral homes expect. It adds a biography paragraph and a closing line.

[FULL NAME], [AGE] [MONTH DAY, YEAR] to [MONTH DAY, YEAR]

[FULL NAME, including maiden name and nickname], [AGE], of [CITY, STATE], [died / passed away / died peacefully / died unexpectedly] on [DATE] at [PLACE], surrounded by [family / his wife of XX years / her children].

[FIRST NAME] was born [BIRTH DATE] in [CITY, STATE], to [PARENT] and [PARENT]. [HE/SHE] graduated from [HIGH SCHOOL] in [YEAR] and [attended / earned a degree from] [COLLEGE]. [HE/SHE] served in the [BRANCH] from [YEAR] to [YEAR]. On [DATE], [HE/SHE] married [SPOUSE] at [PLACE]; they were married [NUMBER] years.

[FIRST NAME] worked as a [JOB TITLE] at [EMPLOYER] for [NUMBER] years before retiring in [YEAR]. [HE/SHE] was a member of [CHURCH, UNION, VETERANS POST, CLUB]. [Two or three sentences about what he or she actually liked doing: the garden, the boat, the bowling league, the Sunday phone calls, the way she fed anyone who walked through the door.]

[FIRST NAME] is survived by [SPOUSE] of [CITY]; [CHILD] and [SPOUSE] of [CITY]; [CHILD] of [CITY]; [NUMBER] grandchildren, [NAMES]; [NUMBER] great-grandchildren; and [SIBLING] of [CITY].

[HE/SHE] was preceded in death by [PARENTS], [SPOUSE], and [SIBLING].

Visitation will be held from [TIME] to [TIME] on [DATE] at [FUNERAL HOME, ADDRESS]. A funeral service will follow at [TIME] at [CHURCH/LOCATION], with [OFFICIANT] officiating. Burial will be at [CEMETERY].

Memorial contributions may be made to [ORGANIZATION, ADDRESS OR WEBSITE].

[Closing line: "The family thanks the staff at [HOSPICE] for their kindness." or a favorite saying.]

Sample obituaries you can copy

The nine samples below are complete and fictional. Swap in real names, dates, and details.

1. Simple obituary example (short, no service scheduled)

Ruth Ellen Mercer, 88, of Dayton, Ohio, died Tuesday, March 4, 2026, at Sycamore Hospital.

Ruth was born June 12, 1937, in Springfield, Ohio, to Walter and Anna Kessler. She married Dale Mercer in 1958 and they raised three children in the same house on Marlowe Avenue for fifty-one years.

She is survived by her children, Karen Mercer of Dayton, Paul Mercer (Lisa) of Columbus, and Susan Reyes (Miguel) of Cincinnati; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dale, and her sister, Marjorie Kessler.

A private family gathering will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Dayton Metro Library Foundation.

2. Traditional obituary example (long life, full service)

Harold Jennings Whitaker, 91, of Bozeman, Montana, died peacefully at home on Sunday, January 18, 2026, with his family beside him.

Harold was born February 2, 1934, on a wheat farm outside Great Falls, the fifth of six children born to Clarence and Ida Whitaker. He left high school at seventeen to enlist in the Army and served two years in Korea with the 7th Infantry Division. He returned to Montana, finished his diploma at night, and spent the next thirty-eight years with the Burlington Northern Railroad, retiring as a yard superintendent in 1994.

He married Eleanor Ruth Sandquist on September 6, 1957, at First Lutheran Church in Great Falls. They were married sixty-two years before her death in 2019.

Harold kept a shop behind the garage where he repaired almost anything a neighbor brought him and refused payment for most of it. He hunted elk every October until he was eighty-four. He read every Louis L'Amour novel more than once, and he made coffee strong enough that his grandchildren still describe it as a personality trait.

He is survived by his sons, David Whitaker (Anne) of Billings and Mark Whitaker of Seattle; his daughter, Carol Lindstrom (Tom) of Bozeman; eight grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and his brother, Ray Whitaker of Havre. He was preceded in death by his wife, Eleanor; his parents; and four siblings.

Visitation will be held Thursday, January 22, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Dahl Funeral Chapel, 431 East Main Street, Bozeman. A funeral service will be held Friday, January 23, at 11:00 a.m. at Hope Lutheran Church, with Pastor Ellen Roy officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at Sunset Hills Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank or to Hope Lutheran Church.

3. Sudden or unexpected death

Nathan Cole Braddock, 34, of Asheville, North Carolina, died unexpectedly on Saturday, May 9, 2026.

Nate was born October 3, 1991, in Greenville, South Carolina, to Michael and Denise Braddock. He graduated from Wade Hampton High School in 2010 and from Appalachian State University in 2014 with a degree in environmental science. He worked for the past six years as a trail crew supervisor for the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation.

Nate was the person who showed up. He drove four hours to help friends move. He learned to play guitar badly and played it anyway. He had summited every peak over 6,000 feet in the state and had a list of the ones left in Tennessee.

He is survived by his parents, Michael and Denise Braddock of Greenville; his sister, Emily Braddock of Charlotte; his partner, Sofia Ramos of Asheville; and his dog, Ranger.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, May 23, at 2:00 p.m. at Carrier Park Pavilion, 220 Amboy Road, Asheville. The family asks that guests wear whatever Nate would have worn, which was a flannel shirt.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Carolina Mountain Club trail maintenance fund.

(For a death like this one, our guide to memorial options after a sudden death covers what usually has to be decided in the first two weeks.)

4. Veteran obituary example

Master Sergeant Franklin D. Oyelaran, USAF (Ret.), 78, of San Antonio, Texas, died Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at Audie L. Murphy VA Hospital.

Frank was born April 22, 1947, in Lagos, Nigeria, and immigrated with his family to Houston in 1961. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1966 and served twenty-four years as an aircraft maintenance superintendent, including tours at Kadena Air Base, Ramstein Air Base, and Lackland Air Force Base. His decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

After retiring in 1990, Frank taught aviation mechanics at St. Philip's College for eighteen years. He was a lifetime member of VFW Post 76 and sang bass in the choir at Mount Zion First Baptist Church for three decades.

He is survived by his wife of fifty-one years, Grace Oyelaran; his children, Daniel Oyelaran (Priya) of Austin and Abike Thomas (Curtis) of Atlanta; five grandchildren; and his brother, Samuel Oyelaran of Houston.

Visitation will be held Monday, February 16, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North. A service with full military honors will be held Tuesday, February 17, at 10:00 a.m., with interment at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Airman's Attic at Joint Base San Antonio.

5. Obituary for someone who chose cremation with no public service

Diane Kowalczyk Pratt, 69, of Portland, Oregon, died at home on Friday, June 5, 2026, after living with pancreatic cancer for eleven months.

Diane was born September 14, 1956, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Stanley and Helen Kowalczyk. She moved west in 1979 with a backpack and a return ticket she never cashed in. She spent thirty-one years as a labor and delivery nurse at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and estimated she had been in the room for more than four thousand births.

She was direct, funny, and impossible to argue with about hospital policy. She grew tomatoes she could not give away fast enough and kept a list of every book she read from 1984 onward.

Diane is survived by her husband, Russell Pratt; her daughter, Anna Pratt of Eugene; her son, Jacob Pratt (Kim) of Denver; two grandchildren; and her brother, Thomas Kowalczyk of Madison.

At Diane's request, she was cremated and no public service will be held. The family will gather privately in August. Memorial contributions may be made to the Oregon Nurses Foundation.

6. Obituary for a young parent

Alicia Renee Okonkwo, 41, of Naperville, Illinois, died Monday, April 20, 2026, at Edward Hospital following a brief illness.

Alicia was born January 8, 1985, in Chicago to Robert and Yvonne Tate. She graduated from Whitney Young High School and earned her accounting degree from DePaul University in 2007. She worked at Baird Manufacturing for fourteen years, most recently as controller.

Alicia coached her daughter's fourth-grade basketball team without knowing much about basketball, made a birthday cake from scratch every year, and answered every question her sons asked, including the hard ones.

She is survived by her husband, Chidi Okonkwo; her children, Maya (10), Elijah (7), and Isaiah (4); her parents, Robert and Yvonne Tate of Chicago; and her sister, Danielle Tate-Morris (Greg) of Aurora.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 25, at 11:00 a.m. at Community Christian Church, 1635 Emerson Lane, Naperville. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall.

Memorial contributions may be made to an education fund established for Maya, Elijah, and Isaiah at First Community Credit Union.

7. Obituary with a celebration of life instead of a funeral

Gerald "Jerry" Ambrose Fontaine, 74, of Burlington, Vermont, died Thursday, July 2, 2026, at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Jerry was born March 30, 1952, in Winooski to Armand and Cecile Fontaine. He opened Fontaine Auto Body in 1978 and ran it for forty-one years, employing at various points three of his four children and most of their friends.

He played bass in a wedding band called The Northeasters from 1974 until 2011. He never learned to read music. He is responsible for at least two marriages, one of which lasted.

Jerry is survived by his children, Michelle Fontaine of Burlington, Marc Fontaine (Tricia) of Essex Junction, Renee Bouchard (Paul) of Colchester, and Andre Fontaine of Boston; nine grandchildren; and his longtime partner, Susan Getty. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda Fontaine, in 2016.

A celebration of life will be held Sunday, July 19, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 925 North Avenue, Burlington. There will be food, there will be music, and per Jerry's instruction there will be no speeches longer than three minutes.

8. Brief obituary for a grandparent, written by a grandchild

Josephine "Josie" Marie Abbate, 96, of Cranston, Rhode Island, died at home on Sunday, November 8, 2026.

Josie was born in Providence on August 2, 1930, to Italian immigrant parents, and she lived within six miles of that house for her entire life. She worked at the Cranston Print Works for twenty-two years and raised five children.

Every Sunday for sixty years she made sauce that started at seven in the morning. She kept a rosary in her apron pocket and a second one in the car. She remembered every birthday, and if you were late calling, she remembered that too.

She is survived by her children, Anthony, Rosemarie, Paul, and Denise; sixteen grandchildren; twenty-nine great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Vincent, and her son, Michael.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, November 13, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, Cranston.

9. Obituary example with an estranged or complicated family

Wallace Dean Crumley, 67, of Tucson, Arizona, died Saturday, August 15, 2026.

Wally was born May 5, 1959, in Flagstaff. He worked as a long-haul driver for more than thirty years and covered close to three million miles. He knew the best diner in most towns between Phoenix and Chicago and would tell you about all of them.

He is survived by his son, Dean Crumley of Tucson; his daughter, Rachel Crumley of Phoenix; and his sister, Bonnie Crumley Hall of Prescott.

There will be no service at his request. Those who wish to remember him may do so in whatever way feels right.

Note what this last one does: it is short, it is factual, it is warm enough, and it does not pretend. An obituary is a public record, not a verdict on a relationship. When family members disagree about what to include, our piece on when families disagree about memorial choices may help you get to a version everyone can live with.

What makes a well-written obituary different from an average one?

Read a page of obituaries and the good ones separate themselves within a sentence or two. Four things are usually doing the work.

• One concrete detail beats five adjectives. "She was kind and generous and loving" tells a reader nothing. "She kept a second rosary in the car" tells them everything.
• Specifics are load-bearing. Job titles, employer names, years of service, the make of the truck, the name of the bowling league. These are what distant friends recognize.
• A single verb does the announcing. Pick "died," "passed away," or "died peacefully" and stay with it. Mixing euphemisms halfway through reads as unsteady.
• The closing line earns its place or it goes. A saying the person actually said is worth printing. A generic line about heaven's gain is not.

Length has a practical ceiling. Newspapers charge by the line, the inch, or the word, so a 900-word tribute can cost several times what a 250-word one does. Write the full version for the online obituary and the funeral home's website, then cut a shorter version for print.

How do you write the service and disposition lines?

The service block is the part readers scan for, so keep it literal. Include the type of gathering, the day, the date, the start time, the venue name, and the street address. If there is a reception afterward, say where. If attendance is limited to family, say that plainly: "A private family service will be held."

For burial or cremation, families commonly write one of these lines:

• "Burial will follow at [cemetery name]."
• "Interment will be private."
• "[Name] was cremated at [his/her] request."
• "The family will hold a committal service at a later date."
• "The family will keep [his/her] solidified remains, so that each of the children has a share." (Some families now name the specific form the cremated remains take, whether that is an urn, jewelry, a scattering location, or solidified remains, because relatives ask.)

You are not required to state disposition at all. Many families leave it out entirely for privacy, and no newspaper will question that. If you are still deciding, publish the obituary with service details and add a separate announcement later. Our overview of what to do with cremated remains walks through the choices without any timeline attached to them.

How much does it cost to publish an obituary?

Newspapers set their own rates, so there is no national price. Reported ranges for 2026 look roughly like this:

A small-town newspaper obituary in 2026 often runs $200 to $400, while the Los Angeles Times averages $1,000 to $1,500. Per-line pricing commonly runs about $5 to $15, though large metro papers can charge $50 or more per line, and an inch is roughly 10 to 14 lines. Photos are billed separately at most papers, and a second day of publication is usually charged at close to full price.

Three ways families reliably cut the bill: run a short death notice in print and the full obituary online, skip the print photo, and ask the funeral home whether obituary placement is already bundled into the service package. Many funeral homes submit to the paper on your behalf and post the full version to their own site at no extra charge.

What mistakes should you avoid in an obituary?

• Publishing the home address of the deceased or the survivors. Empty houses during funerals are a known target. City and state are enough.
• Including a full date of birth alongside a mother's maiden name. Those two facts together are a gift to identity thieves. Birth year alone is safer.
• Misspelling a survivor's name. This is the single most common complaint families have after publication, and most papers charge for corrections.
• Getting the service time wrong. Read the times aloud against the funeral home's schedule before you submit.
• Waiting for perfect wording. Papers often need copy 24 to 48 hours before print, and weekend deadlines land on Thursday or Friday. A good obituary submitted on time beats a great one submitted late.

Before you send it, have one person who was not involved in writing it read the whole thing for names, dates, and times. Grief affects working memory and attention, which is why proofreading your own copy at this particular moment is unusually unreliable. Our piece on grief brain fog explains why that happens.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an obituary be?

Most published obituaries run 200 to 450 words. Newspapers charge by length, so a print version of 200 to 300 words and a longer online version is a common approach. A death notice, which is just the announcement and service details, runs 40 to 75 words.

Who writes the obituary?

Usually the closest surviving family member, often with help from siblings or adult children. Funeral homes typically offer to write or edit it, and most will submit it to newspapers for you. Some families ask a friend who writes well to take a first pass at it.

Is an obituary legally required?

No. No state requires a published obituary. The legally required document is the death certificate, filed by the funeral home or the medical examiner. An obituary is voluntary and paid.

How quickly does an obituary need to be published?

Most families publish within two to seven days of the death, because the obituary carries the service information. Newspapers generally require submission 24 to 48 hours before the print date, and weekend editions have earlier deadlines.

Can you write an obituary without service details?

Yes. Write "Services will be announced at a later date" or "A private family service will be held." Many families publish the obituary first to notify people and hold a memorial gathering weeks or months later.

What is the difference between an obituary and a eulogy?

An obituary is a written, published announcement of a death that includes biographical facts and service information. A eulogy is a spoken tribute delivered at the service, usually three to five minutes long, and it is personal rather than factual. If you are writing both, see our eulogy examples for a mother and eulogy examples for a father.

Should the obituary say the cause of death?

That is entirely the family's choice. Many obituaries say nothing. Others use a general phrase such as "after a long illness" or "following a brief illness." Some families name the cause deliberately, particularly with cancer or an overdose, to encourage donations or awareness.

Where to go next

If you have the outline but not the words, work through our step-by-step guide on how to write an obituary. If you are writing for a parent, we have specific templates and examples for an obituary for a mother and an obituary for a father.

And if the obituary is one item on a much longer list right now, our after-death checklist puts the next two weeks in order, and our guide to planning a funeral covers what the funeral home will ask you to decide.