How to Write a Unique Obituary
Dealing with the death of a loved one isn't easy. Although you can't do or say anything to bring a deceased loved one back, you can use your words to celebrate his life while saying goodbye. Writing an obituary can give others a glimpse into the life of the person you miss. In the end, every obituary is unique, because every person is unique.
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Instructions
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Reassure family and friends that your goal is to write a farewell that is unique, respectful and accurate. Express your desire to complete the difficult task of gathering information and doing the writing to relieve them of the responsibility while they are grieving and tending to other funeral arrangements. Let them know that you value their input.
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Gather a detailed life history. Remember that an obituary recounts the life and accomplishments of the loved one. Even the spouse of the deceased may not have all of the information you need, so you may have to talk with more than one family member. Also, the emotional nature of the situation may mean that memories aren't as sharp as they are usually, and information may be incorrect. Double-check your facts. If possible, go through the loved one's papers. You may be surprised by what you find. For example, a loved one who served during World War II may have earned a Bronze Star and never told you.
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Ask family members, friends and coworkers to provide personal accounts of their loved one and include those stories in your obituary. The stories can illustrate his care for his family, his sense of humor or his dedication to his job. These are the tales that will give the loved one life in your obituary and help readers really understand who he was.
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After you have interviewed everyone and gotten all of the information you need, sit down to write the story of that person's life. Start your obituary the way a journalist starts a feature story--with a line that draws the reader's attention. In your second paragraph, expand on the first line. Next, you can add the information about the person's death. If you want, you can write the remainder of the story in chronological order, making sure to include the information you have gotten from friends and family members. Don't forget to include the funeral arrangements and survivors. If your town's daily paper has an excellent obituary writer, you might look at her stories to get a feel for the writing style.
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Test the obituary before submitting it for final printing. Pass out copies of the obituary, while reading it aloud to ensure that everyone has a chance to look over the piece and catch any errors.
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