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How to Create an Obituary and Eulogy
for a Funeral
By Andreas Becker
In most cases, a funeral eulogy and obituary are used at
the same time, and in some cases to mean the same thing,
though there is a slight difference between them. The
former refers to a speech that is laudable and is often
congratulatory to the departed. In other words, it a
memorial that is used to pay tribute to the life lived
by the deceased. The latter on the other hand is a
notice of the death of someone. There are times when it
usually has a short biography of the deceased. This
clearly points out that they both have different writing
formats.
According to the funeral director Auckland, when writing
an obituary you should seek to demonstrate honor and
respect to the departed, while at the same time
notifying those who have remained of the death. There
are two basic types of obituaries; the short and concise
or the long and more detailed. The former often requires
that you include the following information: Name in
full, Residence, Place of birth, Date of death and plans
for internment and memorial. The longer one should have
the aforementioned information together with
circumstances under which the deceased died, plans for
body viewing, jobs held, religious affiliation and any
organization to which the deceased belonged. A picture
may or may not be used and the language should be short
and concise.
Remember that a funeral obituary is often paid for in
case it is to be placed in a local daily. This means
that when writing you should you should bear into
account the length, about both payment and restrictions
from given dailies.
When writing a eulogy on the other hand, you need to
bear in mind that in a funeral you need not be a
novelist. According to the funeral service Auckland, it
is supposed to convey your feelings. The writing
therefore has to be conversational and informal. When
writing, you need to examine all the moments and
feelings you and the deceased shared. Remember to
include the deceased's favorite poems, lines from songs
and scripture verses among other literature excerpts
that the deceased liked.
When writing a eulogy you should try being honest and
truthful, such that you focus on the deceased's positive
qualities. If at all humor fits the deceased's
personality, then it is allowed. Brevity should also be
given priority, though verification with the funeral
director helps solve the time issue. If the time
allocated for eulogizing the deceased is enough, you can
then come up with a longer piece. Since in most cases
the eulogy writer is the one who ends up reading it, you
have to make sure that you know the meanings of words
well. Ambiguity in the type of words used can only end
up sending wrong signals.
Both documents are meant to pay last respects to the
deceased. This therefore implies that they need careful
creation. Following the above guidelines, you are
certain of coming up with the best. The style of writing
in both cases should not only be conversational, but
also convey the feeling of the moment. The style of
writing needs to be coherent and simple. Vocabularies
are not preferred here since it is not a grammar
contest.
Want my FREE guide to writing the perfect Eulogy and
Obituary? Get it at Funeral Directors Auckland: http://www.funeraldirectorsauckland.co.nz |
