What to include in an obituary

The core facts every obituary needs

Almost every obituary opens with the same basic facts. These are what readers look for first, and they help people who search online be sure they have found the right person.

• The full name, including a middle name or initial.
• A nickname, if friends knew the person by another name.
• A maiden name or earlier married name, if it applies.
• The age at death.
• The city and state where the person lived.
• The date of death, and often the place, such as at home or at a local hospital.

Some families also include the year of birth, or the month and year. This helps readers who knew the person long ago, without printing the full date of birth.

A short life story

After the core facts, most obituaries give a brief picture of the person’s life. This is the part readers remember. It does not need to be long. Three or four well chosen details often say more than a full list of every job and address.

Here are the details families most often choose from:

• Where the person was born or grew up, and the names of their parents.
• Schools, degrees or trades they learned.
• Their work, a business they ran, or the years they spent raising a family.
• Military service, including the branch and the years served.
• Faith, church membership or community groups.
• Hobbies, passions and the small things people loved about them.

You do not have to include all of these. Pick what the person was proud of, and what friends would recognize.

Family members, living and passed

The family section lists the people the person leaves behind. It usually starts with the closest relatives and moves outward: a spouse or partner, then children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, then parents, brothers and sisters.

Many obituaries also name close family members who died earlier, with a phrase like "was preceded in death by." This is a gentle way to honor them and helps relatives and future family historians connect the generations.

For large families, it is fine to name the closest relatives and then write "and many nieces, nephews and cousins." Take care with blended families, step relatives and partners. When in doubt, ask the family what feels right. Leaving someone out by accident is one of the most common and painful mistakes.

Service and visitation details

If the obituary is published before the service, readers need clear, practical information. Include:

• The type of gathering, such as a funeral, memorial service or celebration of life.
• The day, date and start time.
• The full name and address of the place.
• Visitation or viewing hours, if there are any.
• The burial or interment location, and whether it is private.
• A link or note about a livestream, if the service will be shared online.
• The name of the funeral home handling arrangements.

If the service will be private, or will be held later, say so. A line such as "A celebration of life will be held in the spring" lets people know to watch for an update.

Donations, thanks and a photo

Many families add a line about how people can show their support. Some ask for flowers to be sent to the funeral home. Others ask for gifts to a charity, school or church instead, often with the words "in lieu of flowers." Give the full name of the organization so readers can find it easily.

A short thank you is also common. Families often thank hospice staff, nurses, caregivers or neighbors who helped at the end of life.

Finally, choose a photo. A clear, recent picture of the face works best, though some families add a second photo from earlier years. Newspapers may charge extra for photos, so read how much an obituary costs before you decide.

What you can leave out

An obituary is public, and it may stay online for years. Some details are better kept private.

• The exact date of birth, since it can be used with a name to steal an identity.
• The person’s home address, especially when the home will be empty during the service.
• A mother’s maiden name alongside the full birth date, as it is often used as a security question.
• Private medical details the person would not have wanted shared.
• Family disagreements or anything that could hurt a relative.

Cause of death is always optional. Some families mention it to raise awareness of an illness. Others simply write "passed away peacefully" or "after a long illness." Both are fine.

Check it before it goes out

Before the obituary is posted, ask a second family member to read it slowly. Check the spelling of every name, the dates and times, the service address and the charity name. Mistakes are hard to fix once a newspaper has printed the notice.

If you are ready to put the pieces together, our guide on how to write an obituary walks through the writing step by step, and our obituary templates and examples show how these details fit together on the page.

Once it is published, relatives and old friends in other places may still miss it. Some people use an obituary monitoring service to be emailed when a notice for someone they know appears, which is one more way news reaches the people who would want to know.