What’s an epitaph, eulogy, elegy? What sort of words work well for a funeral? Who delivers words at a funeral? How to write a metaphor poem.
This week, my friend Rebecca shares a surprising, delighting moment at a recent family funeral – to come across an Order of Service recipe. “Pat Mills, died at the end of last year and in my family, that officially marks the End of an Era. Pat and Bunty were legends. They were distant cousins of ours – […]
Thanks to Flinger, Michelle, for sharing this inspiration for writing your own words for a funeral. This time last week, I had the privilege of leading a funeral for Michelle and family to celebrate the life of her dad, Alex. It was a sad day for the family, marking the loss of their generous, spirited, loving, much-loved dad, grandpa, great grandpa, brother, uncle.
If you’d like to write a tribute after a death but don’t feel able, here’s how to do it – inspired by a participant in our recent Absent Friends Supper. Writing a tribute is a lovely way of remembering someone who mattered. It lets us get to the essence them by recalling some of their […]
This week we’re grateful to Jennifer Levenson for sharing At the End – her way of saying goodbye to a parent. She wrote this poem for her dad’s funeral in 2008 and has been glad to let others use and adapt them since then. She offers this poem to you, if it’s helpful.
Writing a eulogy can be a daunting task – so make it easier by starting your own living eulogy. This week, Carole Renshaw shares how a living eulogy – a work of autobiography -transformed a funeral and has made that the standout funeral to date in her experience.
Robin Hyde-Chambers at family-owned funeral services company R Hyde-Chambers Funeral Directors blogs for us this week on gravestone words. “Epitaphs are the words inscribed on a gravestone as a lasting tribute to people who have died. The words on their tombstone usually reflect the characteristics that made them special. “They’re usually an emotive, eloquent tribute to […]
This week we’re delighted to have welcome Barry Ward as our guest blogger. By sharing the eulogy he gave for his wife Christine at her funeral, he hopes to help anyone else faced with writing a eulogy for their partner. Here’s his story…
If you’re asked to give a funeral speech or to say a few words at a funeral tea or wake, here’s a top tip…
If you need help to organise a funeral or you’re thinking ahead about your own wishes, we’ve lots of ways to help from first steps when someone dies to winding up an Estate.
The wording on a gravestone will read something like: “Lesley Smith, much loved partner of Andrea Sorani 4 Mar 1960-20 Jul 2012 A life well lived. A love lost.” If you’re looking for inspiration for a memorial or headstone, have a look at what’s been written on the tombstone of some of life’s great legends […]
“Charles Darwin (1809-1882) I am not the least afraid to die.” Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) No. Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) KHAQQ calling Itasca. We must be on you, but cannot see you. Gas is running low. Anna Pavlova Get my swan costume ready. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) It’s been a long time since I’ve had champagne. Archimedes of Syracuse (298-212 B.C.) Wait […]
If you’re looking for poems and readings for a funeral, there is a host of great writers out there who have created powerful and moving lines about the deaths of loved ones that are often quoted at funerals. And there are some just about life, love, nature, spiritual mysteries that serve as funeral poems very well. You can use a whole, short poem or take a excerpt of a paragraph or two from longer readings.
