Writing a Eulogy for Your Father

If you had a father who has recently passed away then you’ll need to understand the basics of writing a eulogy for them. Writing a eulogy is probably one of the most difficult things that you’ll need to do, not just because of the structure and format, but because of the emotional investment you’ll need to make. Here are some steps to follow for writing a eulogy for your father.

Step #1: Collect

The first step towards writing your eulogy is to gather some information. What are were your favorite memories with your father? What were some of the memories that you have of him as a person? Are there any big life lessons that he taught you? Write down everything that comes to mind and don’t worry about writing too much – you can always trim it down letter during your final draft.

Step #2: Organize

Now that you’ve collected all of the stories and facts that you’d like to include in your eulogy, it’s time to start organizing everything. During your speech, try to avoid jumping around to different periods of time or different places when recalling memories. Instead, try to focus on only one or two of your best memories and talk about those. This isn’t a set rule, however, and there are no limit to how many stories you want to include.

Step #3: Start Writing

Like writing a college paper, you might need to write it two or three times before you get it right. Since this is a tribute to your father, make sure that you’ve properly constructed all of your paragraphs, sentences, and that all of your content flows naturally. It isn’t necessary to remove grammar or spelling errors since you’re going to be the only one reading the eulogy during the memorial ceremony.

Step #4: Rehearse

Practice reading your speech aloud as much as you can. The more you practice, the easier it will be to deliver it during the ceremony. Above all, don’t be nervous, and know that nobody is going to be judging you based on the quality of the speech about your father.

Heartfelt Eulogies
Words that Last a Lifetime and Beyond

Easily create and deliver loving eulogy based on these proven, heart touching eulogy speech templates, examples of famous eulogies, funeral poems and quotes with bonus downloads.

Forget about spending hours trying to write a eulogy from scratch. Follow the templates provided in Heartfelt Eulogies e-Book and spend your time with the family who need you the most.

» Click HERE to Download «

Poems to Say at a Funeral

Poems can serve as emotionally captivating messages that should be incorporated into many memorial speech at a funeral. In the following sections, we’ll provide you with a few examples of poems that you can say when giving a eulogy.

Poem #1
If I were to die, and leave this world for a while, I would hope that my long life be memorialized by life and more smiles. For the sake of those who loved me most, I hope they find peace in their hearts, and that all of their unfinished tasks find enough time to manifest, because I am forever with you.

Poem #2
Stop all of the clocks, and turn off all of the telephones. Silence all of the music, and bring in the coffin. Allow the people who are mourning to gather around, as we help remember someone truly special without turning a frown.

As the blue skies cross over, and the quiet streets ahead turn low, I hope that you all see the great life I lived, as I must go now. So wash away the sadness, put away the grief, and please don’t let my death be in vein, I wish you all the best.

Poem #3
As I read this, an honest man rests. A good friend, lover, and father, who failed no test. Although you are gone, you are not forgotten, and I’ll cherish the memories we’ve knotted. Fill your heart with love, and revert back to youth, if there is another world, I’m sure he’ll feel soothed.

Poem #4
Although the time has come where she now must pass, I hope you all can raise a glass. Cheers to the woman who made a difference in our lives, and whose presence inspired everyone us all, despite our misfortunes. Allow this final salute not to go unnoticed, as we speak once more for this wonderful woman.

Speak From the Heart
When writing your own poems, or choosing ones to include in your eulogy, make sure that they speak from the heart, and that they accurately represent what you are feeling during these emotionally trying times.

Death Poems

Death poems don’t necessarily need to be gloomy or solace. In fact, they don’t need to incorporate a specific style at all. As long as you feel that you’re saying what you feel in the most honest and vulnerable way possible, it’s going to be an emotionally captivating poem. To help get you familiarized with what a death poem should sound like, here are a few ones to use as a reference below.

Death Poem Example 1 – The Song of Life

Because you loved throughout your life, you didn’t have any sorrow in your heart when you died. You sent your graceless angle wings into the deep blue sky. Now, every time that the wind settles or the rain falls, I will feel you. The peace of heaven, is with you now, and one day, I will hold your hand once again. As I look through the window of my empty kitchen, I can still see you playing in the yard, and I know you’re smiling down at me, for you’ve loved your life and lived it like a burning star.

Death Poem Example 2 – Going Away For Good

I cannot say why it happened, but I know that you’ve gone away for good. Your cheery smile and gentle personality is only a memory now. Every now and then, when I’m alone and I cry, an image of your face comes to my eye. From the moment I first met you, to the moment you took your last breath, these memories are like gold to me, as I grieve for your death. So live on, live on, in a world far away from here, and please don’t forget me, because soon we’ll be near.

Death Poem Example 3 – A Guest Parting Ways

Live, laugh, and love, that’s what they always say, but I never could have imagined, that it would have ended this way. Through all the sorrow and all the pain, you’re now a parting guest, who I hope to see return again someday, so that I can give you my best. Although you’re gone, our bond remains strong, that time until we meet again, won’t be that long.

How Do You Write a Eulogy?

A eulogy is a speech created for the sole purpose of commemorated your love and appreciation for a person who has died. These speeches are generally delivered either during the funeral or memorial service by individuals who were close to the deceased. Some of the more common characteristics associated with a quality eulogy include:

A shortened life history of the person who has passed away
Details about their passions, friends, family, career, and achievements
Your favorite memories about that person
Their favorite quotes, songs, or poems

Remember that the eulogies that are the most meaningful are the ones that come from the heart. A eulogy doesn’t need to be written flawlessly either. No matter what you write, you can be assured that the audience in attendance is going to accept it and appreciate it as much as you do.

How to Write a Eulogy – Steps to Know
Here are some simple steps that you can follow when learning how to write a eulogy:

1. Realize The Task at Hand: Remember that delivering and writing a eulogy is a big honor. This is your opportunity to let everyone know how the deceased made such a powerful impact in your life.

2. Recall Your Memories: Dig backwards and try to find your most precious memories with the deceased. They don’t need to be exceptionally exciting stories – just something that was special to you.

3. Gather Their Information: Gather information regarding their date of birth, age, relationships, education, work career, and even special interests. This will help you when writing your eulogy.

4. Organizing Everything: Finally, go through the information that you’ve gathered about the deceased and organize into whatever speaking style you’re comfortable with. If you’re a story teller, then recite interesting stories that you shared together. If your goal is to be open and vulnerable, choose touching aspects of their life and share it with everyone at the ceremony.

Delivering your eulogy sounds scary, but the truth is that nobody at the ceremony is there to judge you on the quality of your speech. They are there for the same reason you are – to help honor the deceased and celebrate their life.

Eulogy Speech for a Friend

Writing a eulogy speech for a friend isn’t much different than writing one for a family member. After all, if you’ve been chosen to give this speech, chances are good that you were close enough to the friend to consider them family anyway. With that being said, let’s look at a few tips that you can follow for writing an emotionally captivating eulogy speech for a friend.

Convey Their Positive Character Traits in Words
Everyone has something that makes them special – including your deceased friend. When writing your eulogy, try to think about all of the character traits that made them different. For example, were they outgoing? Generous? Kind? Try and find all of the right words that best describe who your friend really was.

Give an Example of Their Traits in the Form of a Story
Once you’ve determine what their positive traits were, portray them in the form of a story. For instance, if your friend was well-known for being selfless, then provide an ample of this within your speech, like this, “Johnny was always putting others before himself. When we were young, he took the blame for the mess in the kitchen so that I wouldn’t get in trouble – now you know mom and dad”.

Write With Your Heart, Not Your Mind
During this emotionally trying time, use your grief and sadness as a tool for writing an emotionally engaging speech that will help you heal. Don’t spend so much time trying to write the perfect eulogy and instead focus on helping the audience feel what you feel. Use your alone time to come up with ideas and write. Afterwards, share those ideas with family members and friends and ask for feedback to how you can make the speech flow better.

Conclusion
A final tip to remember is this – make sure that you include the deceased’s family in the eulogy. At the very least, you should thank them for allowing you the privilege to speak at the memorial ceremony. And when it comes time for delivery, take a deep breath, relax, and speak from the heart, because that’s what everyone came to hear.

Eulogy Example for Father

William was a wonderful man. From the time I was a child, he was never too busy for me. I’ll never forget when I was ten years old. I wanted a Spin Art kit. You would put the piece of cardboard into the holders, and then tap on a pedal that would spin the cardboard. As the cardboard spun around, you would drop paint on it, creating a tie die effect. I loved that little art kit with all of my heart. Within hours I had used up all 200 little squares of cardboard that I had. With each piece of cardboard, I proudly ran to my father to show him my new masterpiece. With each new masterpiece, he patiently put down his book and looked at my creation before telling me how wonderful it was.

That patience was one of the many reasons that I grew to admire my father. I rarely saw my father lose his temper, or his patience. Regardless of the situation, my father remained in complete control of his emotions. I also admired the kind of man my father was. He was a driven man, and very goal oriented. He always fought to achieve his goals, climbing one mountain and then going on to climb another one. That drive and motivation was the reason for my father’s extreme success in life. He was a successful man, and a spectacular father.

Another reason that I grew to admire my father was the kind of father that he was. He was committed to making his children happy, to raising wonderful children and to simply being there. He loved to take us all fishing and hunting, not to mention out riding four wheelers. My father was at every school play and volunteered every year on field day at my school. Every year he would jokingly accuse me of cheating.

I will never forget his quirky yet wonderful sense of humor.
My kids will forever miss the papa that gave them piggy back rides.
Friends and family will miss the laid back, wonderful person that he was.
William will always be missed, by all of us for one reason or another.

How to Write Funeral Poetry for Grandmother

Funeral poetry for honoring grandmother
Grandmothers have a special place in everyone’s life. They are there to spoil and take care of you when your parents aren’t around, and provide wisdom of the ages that never get old even to modern day problems. They can be your mentor and your best friend, your inspiration, and your guardians when no one else is there. By using funeral poetry to honor your grandmother at her funeral, you can make your dedication to her more beautiful and intimate, and to show everyone what a special lady she truly was.

How to write funeral poetry for grandmother
Each grandmother has their own special and unique mannerisms that define the lady that she was. You can try to write these down, as well as the golden nuggets of advice she would offer you. You can also share any memories you had with her while you were growing up, how she would go out of her way to help you with anything that you needed. For example, if you both enjoyed cooking or baking, how did you value your time together in the kitchen? Did you enjoy helping her out around the house or the kitchen? Write these down and you can stitch them together as beautiful poetry dedicated to her.

Sample poem for grandmother

Years wiser, yet more beautiful than anyone I’ve ever known
You have always been there for us, and never made us feel alone
Warmth of your love, kindness of your heart, gentleness of your smile
We will always feel your presence even far out as miles
Everything you know, passed down to our generation
Ingrained onto our hearts, each loving tradition

With words as simple as these, you can already capture the essence of your grandmother. You may alter it and change it up, but remember to use the words and memories that remind you most of her.

Writing Memorable Funeral Poems for Mom

Why is writing funeral poems for mom difficult?

If there’s one person who showers us with unconditional love it has to be our mother. And when the time comes for us to say our last goodbye to our mother, it’s only right that we give her a special message from the bottom of our hearts. Funeral poems are not so hard to write. It’s only hard because we are so emotional about her leaving us. We know the exact words to say but writing it down and delivering it in front of other people can be overwhelming. You’re scared you’ll burst out crying in the middle of your delivery.

Writing it down

As a child, it’s your responsibility to write funeral poems for mom especially if you’re tasked by the rest of the family to do it. Consider yourself honored since it’s your chance to let everybody know how much you love your mom. So what are you going to write down? The most practical way is to write about what you know. For example, you can list the admirable traits of your mom and write a poem about them. You can even write a short verse or narrative about your fun times together or the lessons you’ve learned from her.

Sample funeral poem for mom

I will miss your warm smile
That wakes me up every morning
I will miss your sweet kiss
That makes me feel better during hard times
I will miss your laughter
That brightens up my darkest days
I will miss the touch of your hand
That tells me everything will be all right
I will miss your kind words
That inspires me to go after my dreams
I will miss your love
That taught me how to open my heart
Most importantly, I will miss YOU.

The Basics of a Funeral Poem

Why write a funeral poem

Writing anything is always a good, creative form of release and expression when we are going through anything that is inspirational or painful in life. Death stirs up many emotions in people, many of which are difficult to describe which is why people sometimes end up writing a funeral poem to express their grief and sadness towards the loss of a relative or loved one. If you find yourself needing to write a eulogy in a funeral and you’re not good with words, writing a poem may be the best alternative.

How to write a funeral poem

Remember that when you are writing a funeral poem, you may end up making numerous revisions until you reach a poem that you are completely satisfied with. Having said that, grab a piece of paper and start writing down the words that closely resemble how you are feeling towards the situation. You may end up having negative thoughts, but by using a poem you may want to steer it in an optimistic direction that the one you have lost is now in a better place. String the words together to form beautiful phrases, they don’t even have to rhyme. What’s important is the poem best expresses how you feel about the particular death.

Sample verse of a funeral poem

Losing someone you love is never easy,
It creates a void in your life that may never become filled again
It feels as though there is this striking emptiness,
But there is also relief in knowing that (name) is in a better place
A paradise, with no pain, and no hurts that this world has
Where (name) can enjoy everlasting life with the Creator
When you realize the bigger picture about death
It helps me sleep better at night, knowing they are there, guiding and watching over me.

Example Eulogy for Sister

Eulogy Speech for Sister

“My sister Carlene was the type of person who believed that anything was possible. I’m not exactly sure where she received her strong attitude towards life, but I can definitely say that it affected those around her for the better. When we were young, she always preferred the name ‘Carly’ instead of ‘Carlene’. She was always a fun person to be around, and having her gone has taken a lot out of me emotionally.

Life can definitely throw some curve balls at you, but thanks to Carlene, I’ve learned how to cope with these situations much more effectively. When my sister was in college, she worked three jobs and went to school – it just goes to show her character and just how harder and worker she actually was. She was an activist for a variety of causes as well, mainly for human and animal rights.

When Carlene had her first child, her eccentric personality immediately washed away and she focused all of her energy on her baby. Her devoted personality and loving nature is something that I will miss more than you know. She was the type of mother who would give her children the full attention and love that they deserved. And it came to us all as a shock when we discovered that she had an illness.

Being a fighter, I knew that she’d be able to defeat the cancer – and she did for more than seven years. Although she’s gone now, I’m sure that your children have all received amazing core values from her. As I stand out here today, I can clearly see just how many lives she touched during her time on earth. Remembering all of her achievements and contributions brings a tear to my eye just thinking about them.

Little sister, although you are gone, you are not forgotten. All of us here in this room, especially your children, husband, mother, and father, are going to miss your generosity and warmth. Your commitment to humanity will not go unnoticed, and your courage is going to lead everyone by example as we live out the rest of our lives. God Speed, and I hope to see you again someday long from now.”

Heartfelt Eulogies Blog

Words That Last a Lifetime and Beyond