Free obituary templates
Choose a template for the relationship that fits your situation. Each page includes fill-in-the-blank templates in multiple lengths, sample obituaries, a writing guide, and a checklist of what to include.
Want something more personal than a template?
Our AI obituary generator asks you questions about your loved one and writes a personalized obituary based on your answers. It takes about 10 minutes and produces something that sounds like it was written by someone who knew them.
How to choose an obituary template
Start with length. A short template, under 200 words, fits the newspaper notice or the social-media post that has to do its work in a single screen. It carries the facts, the survivors, and the service details, and it stops.
The standard template, around 300 words, is the one most families use. It has room for a few defining traits, a line about career or community, and the people left behind, without asking the reader to settle in. If you are unsure where to start, this is the right starting point.
A religious template adds the language of faith -- scripture, a line about a parish or congregation, the phrasing of services held in a church. Use it when the deceased lived their faith openly and when the people reading would expect to see it.
An extended template, 400 words or longer, gives the room for a full life: career arc, military service, hobbies, the small specifics that make someone recognisable on the page. Pick this one for the online memorial, the funeral program, or the life that simply needs more room than the newspaper will allow.
Templates by relationship
Pick the relationship that matches who you are writing for.
Parents
Grandparents
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Son
No parent should have to write this. But if you do, this template helps.
Daughter
A gentle framework for the hardest obituary anyone writes.
Child
For a young child. Focuses on who they were and what they brought to your life.
Infant
Brief, tender, and respectful. For a life that was short but mattered completely.
Extended family and others
Friend
When a friend's family asks for help, or when you want to write something of your own.
Aunt
For the aunt who was a second mother, a confidant, or simply part of every holiday.
Uncle
Career, personality, and the role he played in the wider family.
Veteran
Focused on military service, honors, and post-service life. Works for any branch.
Coworker
For someone whose impact was felt every day at work.
Pet
They were family. This template lets you say so.
Templates by format
Templates by style or tradition
How our templates work
Each template page includes:
- Fill-in-the-blank templates in three lengths (short, standard, and long)
- Sample obituaries so you can see what a finished version looks like
- A step-by-step writing guide specific to that relationship
- A checklist of what to include (and what's optional)
- Quotes appropriate for that relationship
- Answers to common questions about writing that type of obituary
Common questions
Are these obituary templates really free?
Yes. Every template on this site is free to view, copy, and use. No sign-up, no download gate, no payment. If you want a more personalized obituary, our AI generator creates a free draft too. The only thing that costs money is unlocking the full AI-generated obituary with editing tools, but the templates themselves are always free.
How do I choose the right template?
Start with relationship. Pick the template that matches who you are writing for. Then consider format. Do you need something short for the newspaper? Something longer for an online memorial? Each template page offers multiple lengths. If you are not sure, the standard template (about 300 words) works for most situations.
Can I combine parts from different templates?
You can. Take the opening from one template, the family section from another, and the closing from a third. Templates are starting points, not rules. Mix and match whatever produces something that sounds right for your family.
What's the difference between a template and an example?
Templates have fill-in-the-blank sections. You insert your specific details into a pre-written structure. Examples are fully written sample obituaries that show you what a finished obituary looks like. Both are useful. Templates get you to a finished product faster. Examples help you understand tone and style. See our obituary examples for fully written samples.
Should I use a template or the AI generator?
The template is faster if you just need a basic structure. The AI generator is better if you want something that sounds more personal. The generator asks about your loved one's personality, stories, and the details that made them unique. It produces something that feels less like a form and more like a tribute. Both are free to start.