What to Include in an Obituary for Your Loved One

December 19, 2018 5:35 am Published by Leave your thoughts

When a close loved one passes away, it is easy to become overwhelmed. In addition to grieving your loved one, you will also need to assist with funeral plans in Lake City, FL and put together an obituary.

A good obituary will serve two purposes. First, it will alert those in the area who may have known your loved one that they have passed away, and provide information about their funeral or memorial service. Second, it gives you a chance to memorialize in a very public and official way.

Here is an overview of the different elements an obituary ought to include:

  • Announcement of death: First, you will need to announce that your loved one has passed, and give information about when and where they died. Some people choose to include the cause of death in the obituary, while others may decide that this information is too private to share publicly. That choice is up to you and the rest of your family.
  • Short biography: The lengthiest portion of your obituary will probably be the biographical information about your loved one. Essentially, you will want to include the “who, what, when, where and why” of your deceased relative—when they were born, where they lived throughout their life, what they filled their time with and what was most important to them.
  • Family members: You will want to include the names of all immediate family members, both living and deceased, of your loved one. Look at other obituaries to get some ideas for how this portion may be worded.
  • Service information: Near the end of the obituary, you can include information about when and where the funeral or memorial service will take place. If you wish to limit the service to close friends and family, you can state in the obituary that you will be holding a private ceremony.
  • Photo: Most obituaries will be accompanied by a photograph of the deceased person. You do not necessarily need to include a photo from the last year of their lives, but make sure it is recent enough that folks will recognize them. If you’d like, you can include more than one photo: a recent one, as well as one from their younger days.
  • Special considerations: Finally, you will want to include any specific details or special considerations at the bottom. For example, if you would like people to donate to a certain cause or foundation in your loved one’s memory instead of sending flowers, you can include this request at the bottom of the obituary. If your loved one had time to plan for their passing, they may have also left special instructions of a message to include in their obituary.

If you are dealing with the recent death of a loved one, we at ICS Cremation & Funeral Home would like to offer our deepest condolences to you and your family. If you are looking for a helpful, full-service funeral home to assist with funeral plans in Lake City, FL, we invite you to get in touch anytime.

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