Obituary Examples: Samples You Can Adapt

Good obituary examples show you the shape of a finished obituary, so you do not have to invent the structure while you are grieving. Every sample below follows the same order: opening announcement, short life story, surviving family, and service details. Read two or three, pick the one closest to your situation, and adapt it with your own facts.

A clear warning first: every name, place, date and detail on this page is fictional. The samples were invented only to show structure and tone. If a name matches a real person, that is coincidence, and no sample describes a real life.

Obituary examples by relationship

Example for a mother

Margaret Ellis, 82, of Columbus, Ohio, died peacefully on March 4, 2026, surrounded by her family. She was born on June 12, 1943, in Dayton, Ohio, to Harold and Ruth Baker, and grew up the eldest of four children.

Margaret trained as a nurse and spent 38 years at Riverside Hospital, where she worked on the maternity ward and later trained new nurses. She married Thomas Ellis in 1965, and together they raised three children in Columbus. She was known for her Sunday dinners, her garden, and her habit of sending handwritten birthday cards to every grandchild, on time, every year.

She is survived by her children, Susan, David and Karen; her grandchildren, Emily, Jacob, Noah and Lily; and her sister, Joan. She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas, and her brother, Robert. A memorial service will be held on March 10 at 11 a.m. at Grace Community Church in Columbus. In place of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Riverside Hospital nursing scholarship fund.

What to borrow from this sample: the career detail is specific but short, the personal details are habits rather than praise, and the family list follows a clear order.

Example for a father

James Carter, 76, of Austin, Texas, died on February 18, 2026, after a long illness. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1949, and served four years in the United States Army before returning home to work as an electrician for 40 years.

James married Patricia Carter in 1972. They raised two sons, Michael and Steven, in Austin, where James coached youth baseball for 15 seasons and never missed a home game. Friends knew him for his dry humour, his workshop, and his willingness to fix anything a neighbour brought to his door.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons, Michael and Steven; and five grandchildren. A funeral service will be held on February 24 at 2 p.m. at Austin Memorial Funeral Home, followed by a private burial. The family thanks the staff at St. David’s Hospital for their care.

What to borrow from this sample: the service record is stated plainly without detail that would need checking, and the closing thanks is short and specific.

Example for a spouse

Eleanor Whitfield, 69, of Portland, Oregon, died unexpectedly on January 27, 2026. She was born in Salem, Oregon, in 1956, studied teaching at the University of Oregon, and taught primary school in Portland for 34 years.

Eleanor married Robert Whitfield in 1979, and they shared 46 years of marriage, two daughters, and a love of coastal walks and crossword puzzles. She retired in 2019 and spent her retirement volunteering at the Portland library’s reading programme, where she helped children who struggled with reading.

She is survived by her husband, Robert; her daughters, Anne and Claire; and her grandchildren, Sophie and Henry. She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Mary Hall. A celebration of life will be held on February 7 at 1 p.m. at the Portland Community Hall. All are welcome, and the family asks for donations to the library reading programme in place of flowers.

What to borrow from this sample: the cause of death is left as “unexpectedly”, which is a respectful choice when the family does not want more detail in print.

Example for a grandmother

Dorothy Lane, 91, of Savannah, Georgia, died on April 9, 2026. She was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1934, and moved to Savannah as a young woman, where she worked as a school secretary for 30 years and raised four children.

Dorothy was the centre of a large family. She hosted every Thanksgiving for 40 years, kept a recipe book that her grandchildren still cook from, and sang in her church choir into her late eighties. Her grandchildren remember her front porch, her lemonade, and her rule that no visit ended without a story.

She is survived by her children, Helen, Frank, Ruth and Paul; 11 grandchildren; and six great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Lane. A memorial service will be held on April 15 at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Savannah.

What to borrow from this sample: when the family is large, counts (“11 grandchildren”) keep the list readable, and two or three vivid details carry the personality.

Example for a veteran

Sergeant Daniel Okafor, 84, of San Diego, California, died on May 21, 2026. He was born in Houston, Texas, in 1941, and served 22 years in the United States Marine Corps, including two tours overseas, before retiring as a sergeant.

After his service, Daniel worked as a facilities manager for a San Diego school district for 18 years. He married Grace Okafor in 1968, and they raised three children. He was active in his local veterans group, coached youth football, and rarely missed a Memorial Day ceremony.

He is survived by his wife, Grace; his children, Angela, Marcus and Joseph; and eight grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother, Samuel. A funeral service with military honours will be held on May 28 at 11 a.m. at Miramar National Cemetery. In place of flowers, donations may be made to a veterans charity of the donor’s choice.

What to borrow from this sample: service is stated in general terms (branch, years, retirement rank) without unit details or claims that would need official checking.

Example for a friend

Alan Brooks, 63, of Chicago, Illinois, died on June 30, 2026. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1962, and worked as a bus driver in Chicago for 35 years, a job his friends say he treated as a way of looking after his whole neighbourhood.

Alan never married and had no children, but he leaves behind a wide circle of friends, his sister Carol, and his nieces and nephews, who remember his cooking, his jazz records, and his habit of checking in on older neighbours every winter.

A gathering of friends will be held on July 8 at 6 p.m. at the Brookfield Community Centre in Chicago. The family asks that, in place of flowers, friends make a small donation to a local food bank.

What to borrow from this sample: an obituary does not need a spouse or children to be complete. Friends, siblings and community ties are a full life story on their own.

Short obituary examples

Short versions suit newspapers with tight word limits. Each one below is under 150 words and still covers the essentials.

Short example 1: “Margaret Ellis, 82, of Columbus, Ohio, died on March 4, 2026. She was a nurse for 38 years, a wife, mother and grandmother, and a lifelong gardener. She is survived by her children, Susan, David and Karen, and her grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on March 10 at 11 a.m. at Grace Community Church. In place of flowers, donations may be made to the Riverside Hospital nursing scholarship fund.”

Short example 2: “James Carter, 76, of Austin, Texas, died on February 18, 2026, after a long illness. He served in the United States Army, worked as an electrician for 40 years, and coached youth baseball for 15 seasons. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, his sons, Michael and Steven, and five grandchildren. A funeral service will be held on February 24 at 2 p.m. at Austin Memorial Funeral Home.”

The trick with short versions is cutting stories, not facts. Keep the name, age, date, family list and service details, and keep only one or two personal details that best show who the person was.

How to adapt a sample without copying it

Work through these steps once you have picked a sample:

1. Replace every fact: names, dates, places, ages, jobs, family members and service details.
2. Replace the personal details with real ones: the actual hobbies, habits and qualities of the person you are writing about.
3. Check the family list with relatives, and settle the order and spellings before you submit.
4. Read the draft aloud and cut anything that sounds generic or untrue.
5. Check the length against the publication you are submitting to, and trim for print if needed.

If the sample you picked does not fit, try another one. A spouse sample adapted for a parent will always read awkwardly, because the relationships and the story shape are different. Picking the right sample first saves more time than editing the wrong one.

Sources for this page

The structure and length guidance follow the widely used guides published by Grammarly and Verywell Health, checked on 2026-10-24. For the step-by-step process, see how to write an obituary. For a blank structure to fill in yourself, see our obituary template. For the difference between an obituary and a death notice, see what is an obituary.