What should an obituary include?

At minimum: the person's full name, age, city, and the date they died. Most obituaries add a short life story, surviving and predeceasing family members, and details of any service — plus, if the family wishes, where to send donations or flowers. There are no fixed rules; include what honors the person.

How much does it cost to publish an obituary?

Newspaper obituaries are usually charged by length and can run from around $100 to several hundred dollars — more for large metro papers or long notices with a photo. Online obituaries, including on funeral home and memorial sites, are often free. The funeral home usually places it for you and bills it as a cash advance item.

Who writes the obituary?

Usually a close family member, sometimes with help from the funeral director. There is no requirement that a professional write it — a heartfelt, plainly written notice from family is completely appropriate.

How to write an obituary (with a simple template)

By Karl-Gustav Kallasmaa

Published July 2026 · 8 min read

What an obituary includes, how to write one step by step, a fill-in template you can adapt, and what newspapers charge — so you can honor someone without overthinking it or overpaying.

What an obituary is (and isn't)

An obituary is a short public notice that someone has died. It usually does two jobs at once: it shares the news and service details, and it honors the person with a brief account of their life. A death notice is the barest version — name, dates, service — while a fuller obituary adds a life story. Either is fine; write what fits the person and your energy.

There are no rules

You cannot get an obituary “wrong.” Long or short, formal or warm — the only test is whether it feels true to the person.

What to include

Most obituaries cover some mix of these, in roughly this order:

Announcement — full name (and nickname), age, city, and the date of death.
Life story — birth date and place, key milestones, work, passions, and character.
Family — those who survive them and those who died before them.
Service details — date, time, and place of any funeral, memorial, or visitation.
Donations— a charity for memorial gifts “in lieu of flowers,” if you wish.

Writing it, step by step

Gather the facts first. Dates, places, family names, and service details. Confirm spellings.
Open with the announcement. One clear sentence: who died, their age, where, and when.
Tell the story. A short paragraph or two — where they were from, what they did, what they loved, who they were to people.
List family.“Survived by…” and “preceded in death by…”
Add the service and donations. Where and when to gather, and where to give.
Read it aloud.If it sounds like them, it's done.

A simple template

Fill in the brackets and adjust freely:

Fill-in template

[Full name], [age], of [city, state], passed away on [date] [optional: “peacefully, ” “after a long illness”]. Born on [date] in [place] to [parents], [first name] [short life story — school, work, service, passions]. [He/She/They] is survived by [names and relationships], and was preceded in death by [names]. A [service type] will be held on [date] at [time] at [place]. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to [charity].

For the spoken tribute delivered at the service, see our guide on how to write a eulogy.

Publishing it — and what it costs

You can publish an obituary in a local newspaper, on the funeral home's website, and on memorial sites. Newspapers typically charge by length — often $100 to several hundred dollars, more in large metros or with a photo — while online notices are frequently free. The funeral home usually places the newspaper notice for you and bills it as a cash advance item, so ask whether it is passed through at cost.

Calla's free obituary writer can turn a few facts into a first draft you can edit.