Obituary Template
Answer a few gentle questions and our obituary template writes a thoughtful first draft for you – traditional, warm, celebratory or faith-centered. Edit it freely and copy it at no cost.
An obituary template that does the hard part
Writing an obituary asks a great deal of you at a time when you have very little to give. You need to get the facts right, decide how much to share, and somehow capture a whole life in a few paragraphs. A simple fill-in-the-blank template helps, but it often leaves you with stiff, generic sentences.
Our obituary template works differently. You answer short questions – name, dates, family, work, faith, hobbies, what made them who they were – and choose a tone. The template then writes complete, natural sentences and paragraphs, in the right order, which you can edit word by word. Change an answer and the draft updates instantly.
The standard obituary structure
Most obituaries follow a familiar order, and ours does too:
- The announcement – full name, age, hometown, and the date and place of death. For example: "Robert James Alvarez, 76, of Tucson, passed away peacefully on June 2, 2026."
- Early life – date and place of birth and the names of parents.
- Education, career and service – schools, work, military service.
- Family and faith – marriage, church or faith community, volunteering.
- Who they were – hobbies, passions, personality and how they'll be remembered.
- Survivors – those who died before them and the family who survive them.
- Service details – date, time and place of services, and any request for donations in lieu of flowers.
Choose the right tone
Not every obituary should sound the same. Our template offers four tones:
- Traditional – concise and formal, suited to newspapers that charge by the line.
- Warm and personal – gentle and heartfelt, with room for personal detail.
- Celebration of life – uplifting, with a little warmth and humor for those who would have wanted it.
- Faith-centered – uses Christian language of hope and homecoming.
A note on length
Newspaper obituaries usually run 150 to 400 words, and many papers charge by the line or by the inch, so a shorter version can save a family hundreds of dollars. Online memorial pages and funeral programs have more room. A good approach is to write one fuller version for the program and online, then trim it for the newspaper. Our template shows a running word count to help.
Free to copy, optional to print
The obituary text is yours to copy and paste, free. If you'd like it beautifully typeset on a single printable page with a photo – to frame, display at the service or mail to relatives – the obituary PDF is $2.99. It's also included in the $9.99 memorial bundle with a funeral program.
Before you publish
Check every name and date with a second family member. Be cautious about including exact birth dates and home addresses in public obituaries, as these can be misused by identity thieves. Decide together whether to mention the cause of death – there's no obligation to.
For more help, read how to write an obituary or browse our obituary examples.
Write your obituary in minutes
Answer a few gentle questions and get a complete draft to edit. Free to copy.
Write an obituary now →Frequently asked questions
- Is the obituary template free?
- Yes. Writing, editing and copying your obituary text is completely free. A typeset printable PDF is optional and costs $2.99.
- How long should an obituary be?
- Newspaper obituaries are usually 150–400 words. Online and in a funeral program you can write more.
- Does it use AI?
- No. Your draft is written by a carefully designed template based on your answers, so nothing is invented about your loved one.