How do you list family members in an obituary?

When you are listing a relative, make sure to include their first name, their spouse's first name in brackets and then their last name. It should look something like this: “Tony leaves behind his children Stuart (Dianne) Smith, Jody (Mark) Powell, and Katherine (Nick) Harroway.”


What family members go in an obituary?

The appropriate immediate family members like wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and parents are customarily listed, but you can add as many names as you wish. Sometimes these lists are extremely long, and sometimes they do contain the names of people who were not relatives, but close friends.

How do you include nieces and nephews in an obituary?

List the spouse first, include the town or city where the spouse lives, children in the order of when they were born and their spouses, if any, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, in-laws, nephews or nieces, all listed in birth order.


How do you punctuate a list of names in an obituary?

Semi-colon - A semi-colon should be used to separate a list that also contains commas in the same sentence. A semi-colon most often will be used in lists of survivors.

Do you list survivors or predeceased first in an obituary?

Another common section of the obituary is the predeceased family members' names. These names are typically listed before or after the list of surviving family members.


How do I Write an Obituary?



What is the correct order of an obituary?

Announcement of death

Full name, including first, middle, maiden, and last names, and suffixes, such as Jr. or Sr. Age at the time of death. City and state of most current residence. Time and place of death.

What should you not put in an obituary?

Now that you're familiar with writing an Obituary, let's take a look at some common mistakes you'll want to avoid.
  1. Avoid Making the Obituary About You. ...
  2. Don't Focus Just on Death. ...
  3. Listing People Who Were Appreciated. ...
  4. Avoid Clichés. ...
  5. Abbreviations. ...
  6. Don't Over Describe the Funeral.


How do you list someone as deceased?

Deceased people are listed simply by their name – (Full Name) – typically the form of their name they had when they died – without an honorific, courtesy title, rank or post-nominal abbreviation for degrees, licenses, honors or membership. —-Post-nominal abbreviations such as: M.D. or Ph. D.; R.N. or C.P.A.


What is the proper way to list a name?

The first thing to know is that there are generally only two correct options: two commas, one before and one after the name/title, or no commas at all. While a comma after the title may be correct on rare occasions (which don't concern us here), a comma only before a name or title is wrong.

What is an example of an obituary example?

Example 1. Our dear mother [full name] sadly passed away on [date of death], at the age of [age]. She was a wonderful mother who was always there when we needed her. She also had many friends and was a well-loved member of the community in [place where she lived].

Why would a family not write an obituary?

The deceased has few family members or friends

In some situations, the deceased's family may not see the need to write an obituary. In other cases, there may be no one who has the interest or ability to take care of this unnecessary task.


Do you include step siblings in obituary?

Either way, do not exclude step-siblings unless they remained on the periphery of the deceased's life or were a negative influence. Avoid long lists of names: If the deceased had many friends, or if there are relatives who will be offended if they are not included in the obituary, give fewer details.

How do you address a deceased family member?

For instance, if you're addressing an entire household, it's appropriate to write “The Fall Family” or “The Family of [Name of the Deceased].” Alternatively, if it's a married couple, you can address “Josh and Mary Fall.”

Who comes first in an obituary?

In general, you list the closest members of the family first. Start with the spouse. Next, list children in the order they were born as well as any of their spouses. Here is where you might include ex-partners, especially if they had children with the deceased.


Do you include estranged family members in an obituary?

Miss Manners: All family members, estranged or not, belong in an obituary - The Washington Post.

What are key survivors in an obituary?

Key survivors (spouse, children) and their names. Time, date, place of memorial or burial services (if you want the public invited)

How do you list family members in a sentence?

Firstly, I would use the colon at the beginning of the list (since the statement at the beginning of your list is a complete sentence). Tom has three brothers: If you use a colon, you'll want to break out the sister into her own sentence.


Why are last names listed first?

How were surnames chosen? Surnames were originally added to people's first names to distinguish them from other people who had the same first name locally e.g. Robert the baker or Robert at the wood.

Do you list the wife or husband name first?

NOTE: Traditionally, a woman's name preceded a man's on an envelope address, and his first and surname were not separated (Jane and John Kelly). Nowadays, the order of the names—whether his name or hers comes first—does not matter and either way is acceptable.

How do I stop Social Security payments after death?

You can do so by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 or contacting your local Social Security office.


Who should be named in an obituary?

Use the full names of parents, siblings, children, as well as spouse/partner. Also mention grandparents, aunts, uncles, and any step-family members. If the deceased has grandchildren or great-grandchildren, you can list them in number — most obituaries don't list each name of the surviving grandchildren.

Does Social Security notify banks of death?

If a payment was issued after the person's death, Social Security will contact the bank to ask for the return of those funds. If the bank didn't already know about the person's death at that point, this request from Social Security will alert them that the account holder is no longer living.

How do you write an impactful obituary?

The anatomy of a good obituary
  1. Jot down the key facts first. ...
  2. Write in the present tense, in letter form and change it later. ...
  3. Reach out to friends and family for memorable stories. ...
  4. Ask yourself these questions about your loved one. ...
  5. Don't feel like this has to be funny.


How do you write a simple obituary?

How to Write a Great Obituary
  1. Announce the death. Start off the obituary by announcing the death of the loved one. ...
  2. Provide general biographical information. ...
  3. Make it personal. ...
  4. Listing the family members. ...
  5. Funeral information. ...
  6. Review for mistakes.


Should ex wife be listed in obituary?

There are no rules that are set in stone. This means you can always use your own judgment whether or not you include ex-spouses in an obituary. According to traditional obituary etiquette, it's common to include any predeceased or surviving relatives in an obituary.
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