Obituary Listing (2024)

FAQs

What should you not include in an obituary? ›

Obituaries are not required by law , so the deceased's family might have chosen to forego publishing one. Publishing an obituary can be expensive , and the funds may be unavailable. The deceased has few family members or friends , so there might have, unfortunately, been no need for an obituary.

The official death certificate of a lost loved one should be enough to convince most employers that you attended a funeral. ... Obituary. ... Picture. ... Thank You Letter. ...

Some may feel that it is too personal or private to share with the public, while others may not have the financial means to pay for its publication. Additionally, some families may prefer to grieve privately and not draw attention to the death.

A simple short obituary template

[Full name], [age], of [where they lived], passed away on [date of death] from [cause of death]. They were predeceased by [list of family members who died before them], and they left behind [list of their family members who are still alive].

An obituary tends to have three distinct parts: the beginning (name, age, date of death, cause of death [if possible to include], work, education); the middle (anecdotes that celebrate the person's life); and the end (so-and-so is survived by, which Chang calls “a very efficient way of saying who's grieving.”)

It's very expensive to put an obituary in newspapers. It could also mean the family chooses to keep it private. Sometimes families only want their closest friends to know about it. They don't want alot of people who don't know them that well, to feel obligated to attend a wake or funeral.

Sometimes family members or friends might not feel comfortable writing the obituary. In this case, most funeral homes can assist with obituary writing. Because these individuals don't know the deceased, they'll either interview family members or do their own research to create a picture of the person who passed.

Obituaries can be written by the family, with the help of a funeral director, or with a standard template. In most cases, the family begins the obituary process and we assist with any editing.

They'll usually only step in if there's a history or threat of violence, or if there's already a restraining order in place against the person. Unless you say it's private, people may assume a funeral held at a crematorium, funeral home or place of worship is open to anyone who wants to come.

How many days off do you get when a family member dies? ›

Although covered employers are required to grant up to five days of bereavement leave, the law does not require that employers pay you for this leave time. However, many employers have paid bereavement leave policies, so be sure to check with your employer about any existing policy that they may have in place.

A funeral is typically held around one or two weeks after the death, though it may be longer if the funeral director only has certain days available or if there is an inquest into the death. You may wish for your loved one to be buried as soon as possible, depending on their religious beliefs.

There are many reasons not to have an obituary. The deceased may not have wanted one. The family may not want one. And the expense is a factor these days.

Some people choose to include cause of death, but this is optional depending on how much information you would like to share. Generally any dates, times, and locations for public gatherings or services are also listed in the opening paragraph.

In general, it's best to avoid leaving out essential family members‚ even if they're estranged. This could cause hurt feelings.

Including the Basics

If your loved one was a married woman, you'll want to include her maiden name as well. Other essential details to include when writing either a death notice or an obituary are: Birthdate and death date. Age upon death.