Announcement of the Death
Obituaries usually begin with the name, age, and place of residence of the deceased, along with the date and place of death.
The cause of death is something many families wonder if they should include. This is a personal decision that does not have a right or wrong answer. It is wise to keep in mind that sharing the information here may spare you and other family members from having to repeat the story of what happened over and over at subsequent gatherings.
Family
Naming the surviving family members is a way of naming the legacy and (some of) the lives impacted by the deceased. If you choose to include surviving family members, be sure to take great care when compiling your list so that no one is forgotten. Some families also choose to list family members who preceded your loved one in death.
A general format to follow when listing relatives is to list survivors first, starting with the spouse, then children, grandchildren (if there are a lot of grandchildren you can simply list how many there are), parents and siblings. Usually, other relations are left out but may be mentioned by phrases like, “and their large extended family,” or “along with a close-knit group of friends.”
If you like to be technical, names should be listed as follows: first name, spouse’s first name in parenthesis, then surname (ex: Tom (Sarah) Johnson). If the spouse or partner’s surname is different, include their surname in the parenthesis along with their first name (ex: Tom (Sarah Williams) Johnson).
