AI Obituary Writer
The facts first, in the order papers use. Then one paragraph that sounds like the person, if the family agrees.
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An obituary is written in the worst week of someone’s life, on a deadline, in a format with rules nobody explains. The funeral home wants it by Tuesday. The paper charges by the line. Three relatives have opinions about the word suddenly. And the draft has to do two jobs at once: record the facts accurately and sound like the person it is about.
Start with the facts: full name, age, city, survivors. Then add the details that make the notice specific — the trade, the garden, the years at the same address. The tone setting decides whether it reads like a newspaper notice or a longer tribute. Check every date and name twice before it goes to print, because a correction costs money and hurts.
What the obituary writer gives you
01Facts first, in the order papers use
Name, age, city, then the life, then the survivors. The structure follows the convention funeral homes and newspapers expect, so nothing needs rearranging before submission, which is what the deadline actually requires. A notice that arrives late is a notice nobody reads in time.
02Survivors listed in a form families accept
The draft uses the conventional phrasing and keeps the list in order: spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings. Names are reproduced exactly as you typed them, because a misspelling in print cannot be fixed after the fact.
03Three registers, from notice to tribute
Traditional is the newspaper form. Warm and personal allows a paragraph about who they were. Brief is for a paid notice with a line limit. Pick according to the space you are paying for, not by preference.
04Nothing invented, including the cause of death
The generator uses only what you supply. It will not guess a date, a middle name, a military rank or a cause of death, and it leaves a gap rather than filling one. Verify every fact before it reaches the paper.
When to use it
The card you keep not writing
Birthdays, weddings, thank-yous and condolences all have a deadline and no draft. The blank card sits on the counter for a week. Get a full first draft in a minute, then change the details only you know.
The message you owe someone
Apologies, sympathy notes and hard conversations are put off because the first sentence is unbearable to write. A draft you can edit is much easier to face than a blank page.
The occasion with a format
A eulogy has to be readable aloud in five minutes. A wedding speech needs a laugh in the first thirty seconds. When the format is fixed, the tool starts from the format instead of from a feeling.
How it works
- 1
Collect the facts first
Full name, age, city, date of death, survivors, and service details if there are any. Write them in the box in plain order. The prose is the easy part once the facts are settled and agreed.
- 2
Choose the length you are paying for
Newspapers charge by the line and funeral homes work from a template. Brief fits a paid notice, warm and personal fits a longer tribute or a memorial page. Ask the funeral home which they need.
- 3
Have someone else read it
A second reader catches the wrong middle name, the missing sibling and the date that is off by a year. Do this before submission, not after, and read it aloud once for the sentences that stumble.
Frequently asked questions
What should an obituary include?
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Full name, age, city, date of death, a short account of their life, immediate survivors, and service details. Optional: education, career, military service, charities. The order matters less than the accuracy, and every name deserves a second reader. Write the facts down before you write the sentences.
How long should an obituary be?
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A newspaper notice runs 150 to 300 words; a funeral home page or memorial site often takes 400 to 600. Length is usually set by what you are paying for. A longer obituary is not a better one, and most families cut a third of the first draft.
Should I say how they died?
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Only if the family wants it. Many notices say after a long illness or unexpectedly, and some say nothing at all. Never state a cause the family has not agreed to make public, and be careful with suddenly if there was any warning.
How do I list survivors?
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Start with the spouse or partner, then children, then grandchildren, then siblings and parents if living. Use the names people actually go by. Note relationships in parentheses, and leave out anyone the family has asked you to leave out. Set the list in the order the family reads it.
Can I write one before someone dies?
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Yes, and it is more common than people admit. Drafting the facts in advance means the writing happens when you can think clearly. Keep it somewhere the family can find, and check it again when the time comes. Then read it against the death certificate.
What if the family disagrees about the tone?
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Write the facts in the traditional form first, since that is the version everyone can agree on, then add one paragraph in the warmer register. A neutral base with a personal paragraph is easier to negotiate than two competing drafts.
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