Obituary Writing Worksheet
Skip the blank page.
This worksheet helps you gather information. But if you'd rather have AI write the obituary from your answers, our free tool does it in minutes — no writing experience needed.
Fill in as much as you can before you start writing. You don't need every field — use what feels right. Once the facts are gathered, the writing comes much more naturally.
This is a printable worksheet
Print this page and fill it in by hand. Gathering the details first makes writing the obituary much easier.
Part 1 — The Essential Facts
If they went by a name other than their legal name
City, state or country
City, state; hospital, home, or hospice
Filling this out? Our AI tool turns these same answers into a complete obituary automatically. See how it works →
Part 2 — Family
Obituaries traditionally list the spouse or partner first, then children (with their spouses), grandchildren, siblings, and living parents.
Include step-children if relevant
Names, or "X grandchildren" if a count is preferred
Those who passed before them — spouse, siblings, children, parents
Part 3 — Their Life Story
This is the heart of the obituary — the part that makes it theirs. Take your time with these.
Schools attended, degrees earned, vocational training
Jobs, military service, businesses owned, years served
Hobbies, causes, faith, travel, sports, gardening, cooking — anything they loved
Their personality, their humor, what made them uniquely themselves
A phrase they always said, something they always did — even one specific detail brings them to life
Church, volunteer groups, civic clubs, fraternal organizations
Part 4 — Service Details
Pastor, priest, celebrant, or family member
Cemetery name and city
Location and time, if applicable
Part 5 — Final Details
Organization name and website or mailing address
If applicable
Songs, scriptures, poems, or anything they wanted included
Quotes they loved, extra memories, anything important to include
Six Writing Tips
Write in third person.
"She loved mornings on the porch" rather than "You loved…"
Lead with the most important.
Their name, when they lived, and who they were to you.
Aim for 200–500 words.
Longer is fine for a long life well-lived.
Let someone else read it.
A second set of eyes catches errors and tones that feel off.
Start in the middle.
The opening often comes last. Write what you know first.
Perfection isn't the goal.
It has to be honest and true to who they were.
Once you've gathered your notes, you can paste them into our AI Obituary Creator and have a complete draft in seconds.
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