Lovingly Written

Obituary examples

Below are six complete obituaries: a short notice of the kind newspapers charge by length for, and five longer ones of the kind funeral home websites publish. They're fictional, but each follows the order families and newspapers expect: the announcement, a short life story, the family, and the service. Notes under each one explain the choices.

Jump to: Short newspaper notice · For a mother · For a father · For a husband · For a grandmother · For a brother · How to list family

By the Lovingly Written team · Updated

A short obituary for a newspaper

traditional · 99 words

Harold James Whitaker, 81, of Springfield, Illinois, died peacefully on March 3, 2026. He was born on June 12, 1944, in Decatur to James and Eleanor Whitaker. Harold worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation for 35 years and was a longtime member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carol; his children, Mark (Lisa) and Susan Hale (David); and five grandchildren. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 8, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Springfield Food Pantry.

Example only. Names, places and dates are fictional.

How this one is built

  • The essentials only: name, age, town, date of death, birth, work, family, service, donations.
  • Spouses in parentheses: "Mark (Lisa)" is the standard way to include a child's spouse.
  • A married daughter's name: a married daughter is listed with her married surname, "Susan Hale (David)".

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An obituary for a mother

warm · 230 words

Margaret Ann (Kelly) Brennan, 78, of Columbus, Ohio, passed away on October 14, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Margaret was born on February 2, 1948, in Dayton, the second of five children of Patrick and Rose Kelly. She earned her nursing degree in Dayton and worked as a labor and delivery nurse in Columbus for 31 years, where she helped welcome, by her own estimate, "half of Columbus" into the world.

Margaret married the love of her life, John Brennan, in 1970. Together they raised three children in the house on Elm Street, where the back door was never locked and there was always a pot of coffee on. She loved her garden, the Ohio State Buckeyes, crossword puzzles in pen, and her weekly phone calls with her sisters.

She is survived by her husband of 56 years, John; her children, Kevin (Anne) Brennan, Kathleen (Mark) Doyle and Brian Brennan; her grandchildren, Liam, Grace, Owen and Claire; and her sisters, Patricia Murphy and Eileen Walsh. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Michael and Thomas.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, October 18, at Maplewood Funeral Home in Columbus. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Andrew Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a local food pantry.

Example only. Names, places and dates are fictional.

How this one is built

  • Maiden name in parentheses: "(Kelly)" helps old friends from her hometown recognize her.
  • One quote, one habit: "half of Columbus" and crosswords in pen make it personal without making it long.
  • Survived by / preceded by kept apart: living family first, then those who died before her.
  • Service details complete: time, day, date and place, so nobody has to call the family.

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An obituary for a father

traditional · 203 words

Robert "Bob" Lee Carter, 74, of Asheboro, North Carolina, died on September 2, 2026.

Bob was born on April 9, 1952, in Greensboro to William and Ada Carter. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1971 to 1974, he returned home and joined Carter Hardware, the store his father opened, which he ran for more than 40 years. Customers knew they could bring him any broken thing and leave with the right part and a little advice they hadn't asked for.

He was a deacon at First Baptist Church, coached Little League for twelve seasons, and could be found most Saturday mornings on the bank of Lake Lucas with a fishing rod and a thermos.

Bob is survived by his wife, Linda; his daughters, Amy (Chris) Morgan and Jennifer Carter; his son, Michael (Dana) Carter; seven grandchildren; and his brother, James Carter. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Ruth Ann.

The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 8, at Oakridge Funeral Home in Asheboro. The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church, with burial to follow at Oaklawn Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Asheboro Little League.

Example only. Names, places and dates are fictional.

How this one is built

  • Nickname in quotes: "Bob" is how people searched for him; use the name people knew.
  • Military service in one line: branch and years are enough unless the family wants more.
  • A line about what he was like: the hardware-store advice says more than "he was helpful."

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An obituary for a husband, written by his wife

warm · 173 words

David Michael Nguyen, 63, of Sacramento, California, died on July 21, 2026.

David was born in San Jose on November 30, 1962, and studied civil engineering at UC Davis. He spent his career with the California Department of Water Resources, where he was proud to work on projects that kept water flowing to towns he would never visit.

He met Anna on a hiking trail at Lake Tahoe in 1989 and asked for her phone number before they reached the summit. They were married for 34 years. David loved long drives with no plan, cooking pho for anyone who stopped by on a Sunday, and the San Francisco Giants, in good years and bad.

He is survived by his wife, Anna; his daughters, Michelle and Kim; his mother, Lan Nguyen; and his brothers, Paul and Steven. He was preceded in death by his father, Thanh Nguyen.

A celebration of David's life will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, August 1, at the Sacramento Valley Community Center. Friends are welcome to share a story.

Example only. Names, places and dates are fictional.

How this one is built

  • A celebration of life: no religious wording, and an invitation to share stories, which suits many families.
  • Their story, briefly: how they met adds warmth without turning the obituary into a eulogy.
  • No cause of death: it's the family's choice, and many leave it out.

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An obituary for a grandmother

warm · 150 words

Dorothy Mae Jenkins, 94, of Macon, Georgia, went home to be with the Lord on January 9, 2026.

Dorothy was born on May 15, 1931, in Fort Valley, Georgia, to Samuel and Hattie Brown. She taught first grade in the Bibb County schools for 33 years and taught Sunday school at Mount Zion Baptist Church for even longer. Generations of Macon children learned to read at her table.

She was known for her pound cake, her garden of pink azaleas, and the cards she mailed for every birthday in a family of more than forty.

Dorothy is survived by her children, Gloria Jenkins and Samuel (Denise) Jenkins; nine grandchildren; and fourteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Earl Jenkins, and her son, Leonard.

A homegoing service will be held at noon Saturday, January 17, at Mount Zion Baptist Church, with interment at Riverside Cemetery.

Example only. Names, places and dates are fictional.

How this one is built

  • Faith wording, when the family wants it: "went home to be with the Lord" and "homegoing service" fit some families and not others; we only use faith wording when you choose it.
  • Large families: grandchildren and great-grandchildren can be counted instead of named, to keep the length down.
  • A child who died before her: listed with the people who preceded her in death.

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An obituary for a brother

warm · 162 words

Jason Alan Price, 47, of Denver, Colorado, died on April 27, 2026.

Jason was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 3, 1978, to Richard and Karen Price. He moved to Denver after college and never left, because, he said, "the mountains are right there." He worked as a sound engineer for live music venues across the city and knew every stagehand by name.

Jason was a loyal friend, a devoted uncle, and the person you called when your car broke down at midnight. He was happiest on a trail with his dog, Moose.

He is survived by his parents, Richard and Karen Price; his sister, Rachel (Ben) Holt; his nephew, Eli, and niece, Nora; and many friends who were family to him.

A memorial gathering will be held at 5 p.m. Friday, May 8, at the downtown Denver music venue where he worked for many years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a youth music program of your choice.

Example only. Names, places and dates are fictional.

How this one is built

  • When someone dies young: parents are listed first among survivors, and friends can be included.
  • His own words: one line he used to say makes it unmistakably him.
  • A meaningful place for the service: a venue tied to his work can say as much as the text.

Write theirs from what you share

How to list family in an obituary

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