The Basics Included in an Obituary

When composing obituaries at funeral homes in Greenbelt, MD, you should try to capture as much of the spirit of your loved one and their life is as possible to give readers a good sense of who they were as a person.

Be innovative and creative to create a picture of your loved one that is warm, genuine, and comforting. But while you’re using your creative powers to encapsulate your loved one’s life, you should not forget to include some basic information in their obituary.

One thing that you should be sure to include in your loved one’s obituary is their full name and the date of their death and the location of their death. For location information, include only the city and the state (or country) where they died.

Do not include a street address. There are unscrupulous people who regularly scan obituaries with the intention of committing crimes. These can range from burglarizing the residence during times they know the family will not be at home to trying to scam grieving families out of assets and property.

Another thing that you should include in your loved one’s obituary is important events in their life. You can include their place of birth, but avoid putting their full date of birth, since this information can be used fraudulently (instead just put the year of their birth). You can include their marriage date and their spouse’s name (if applicable).

You can also include their education and career information, highlighting important achievements and awards they may have gotten. If your loved one was a military veteran, you can include the branch of military service they served in and any wars, if applicable, that they fought in.

Immediate family members should also be included in your loved one’s obituary. The general rule of thumb is to first list family members who died before your loved one and then list family members who survive them.

Be sure to include parents, spouses, children (with spouses’ first names in parentheses), grandchildren (with spouses’ first names in parentheses), and siblings (with spouses’ first names in parentheses). If there were other family members that were especially close or important to your loved one, you should include them in their obituary as well.

Make sure that all the funeral information for your loved one is included. This information will include the viewing or visitation, the funeral service, and the graveside service.

The viewing or visitation information should include the funeral home name, the date of the viewing or visitation, and the times of the viewing or visitation. The funeral service information should have the location where the funeral service will be held, the date of the funeral service, and the time of the funeral service.

Graveside service information should include the name of the cemetery where your loved one will be buried, the date of the graveside service, and the time of the graveside service. The funeral home will give you the time when everyone who wants to be part of the funeral procession should meet at the funeral home (they will also announce this at the end of the funeral service).

Your loved one’s obituary should also include memorial tribute information. Many people ask for charitable or memorial fund donations instead of flowers, so you can list any charities or funds that you’d like donations to be made in the name of your loved one.

Finally, you should include a photo of your loved one in their obituary. You can choose either an old photo or a current one, but make sure that it’s a high-resolution photo that is not blurry and doesn’t show a lot of wear and tear.

If you’d like to know more about writing obituaries at funeral homes in Greenbelt, MD, you can talk with our knowledgeable team at Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A.