Dos and Do Nots of Writing an Obituary

Writing the obituary for a loved one who has died is a great honor. If you have never done this before, however, it can also be a source of stress. To ensure that you put together a beautiful obituary for your loved one, you will want to consider a few dos and do nots. Here are the ones that directors of funeral homes in Ogden, UT want you to remember so that you can put together the perfect obituary.

Do read examples. Although obituaries are all going to be unique, it is important that you have a good idea of the tone and length that it should have. You also need to see what the traditional structure of obituaries are, so that you do not have to struggle to put it together. There are many online sites that offer examples, so do consider this as you start.

Do not skip the outline. It can be tempting to just jump in and start the process of writing the obituary, but it is better if you put an outline together. You will want to take some time to do this so that you do not struggle to piece what you want to say together.

Do trim the biography. Most people will write a long biography with lots of details, but that is not always a good idea. You will want to include milestones in the person’s life, but you do not want to add lots and lots of details, since this can be confusing. Keep it to a paragraph or two so that no one gets bogged down with information.

Do not forget to have someone read it. You need to have another pair of eyes looking over the obituary so that you can ensure there are no issues. This can also make a huge difference if you are including a list of those who survived the deceased. Many times, people can forget to include someone, so having a family member you trust looking over the names can help.

Do include the information for the services at the end of the obituary. You will want people to be able to see the location and the day at a glance, so choose a bold print or a larger font, if possible. If you do not have all of the details yet, let people know how to find them out later.

These are all important dos and do nots that you want to remember as you start writing the obituary of a loved one. There is no reason to struggle with this if you take the time to read examples and to put an outline together. If you want to see some examples of obituaries, you can reach out to an Ogden, Ut funeral home like us at Aaron’s Mortuary & Crematory. We are ready to help you with all of your funerary needs. Give us a call right now for more information on funeral planning.