Funeral in Print

Literature for Funeral Services

Writing Tributes

Being asked to write and/or read a tribute can be very daunting. There is no right or wrong way to prepare tributes and its worth remembering that it’s a huge honour to be asked and a clear sign that you are well thought of.

A tribute simply needs to bring the person vividly to the minds of the congregation and to be unique and fitting to the person it is being written about.

Tips when writing

You may wish to include:

The persons rough family history ie date and place of birth, details of immediately family ie mother, father and siblings. Relationship history and own family achievements ie children and grandchildren.
The persons education and/or working life, profession and achievements within these fields.
Hobbies, talents, skills and awards.
Personal achievements ie travel, charity work, marathons etc.
Personal traits ie kind, gentle, comical, loving, cheerful, hard working etc as well as fastidious, stubborn! These more negative but lovable features of peoples characters also need to be included.
Things they loved ie times at the seaside, posies of flowers, watching their favourite sport, curled up with a good book, cooking meals for friends etc.
Tell stories that the person is well remembered for, jokes they told, things they wore and quirky things they did.
Recollections from friends and families.

Also:

Be honest but acknowledge the deceased in a loving way.
Avoid negative statements.
Have some structure, chronology or theme.
Check that all the information you include is accurate.
Have a thoughtful ending.

When reading a Tribute

Try to read at a clear pace.
Have a back up reader if you feel too emotional.
Have tissues and water at hand.
Take your time.
Read through it and practise it.
Be yourself and remember everyone there really wants to remember that person with you and are proud and respectful of you for being brave enough to read.

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