When someone we love passes away, one of the first tasks that falls on the family is letting others know. It’s a moment when words feel heavier than usual, and the idea of sitting down to write anything at all can feel overwhelming. A good funeral announcement doesn’t need to be long or poetic. It needs to carry the essentials with warmth, and to reach everyone who would want to be there.

What to include

A funeral announcement, at its core, does three things. It tells people that someone has passed. It tells them briefly who that person was. And it tells them how to be part of saying goodbye.

The essentials are the full name of the person (and often a nickname or how they were known), their date of birth and date of passing, the names of their closest surviving family, and the details of the service — date, time, place, and whether it’s open to all or by invitation. Many families also include a short line about contributions to a charity in place of flowers, or the address where cards can be sent.

You don’t need more than that. If you want to add something personal — a short line about their spirit, a favorite quote, the way they made people feel — it can turn a formal notice into something that genuinely honors them.

Two examples to start from

A shorter, more traditional version:

“With deep sadness, the family of Margaret Ellen Reed announces her passing on April 12, 2026, at the age of 84. Beloved wife of the late Thomas Reed, loving mother of Sarah, James, and Claire, and grandmother to six. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.”

A warmer, more personal version:

“Our mother, Margaret, left us peacefully on Sunday surrounded by the family she built. She was 84, and she lived every one of those years generously. We’ll gather to celebrate her on Saturday, April 19, at 11 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Church — please come if you knew her. Bring a story.”

Both are correct. The first fits a traditional obituary; the second works better for an announcement shared across social media and messaging apps, where the tone of a printed newspaper notice can feel a little distant.

How to share it today

Printed obituaries still have their place, but they reach fewer people every year. Most of the people who loved your family member — old friends who moved away, colleagues from another chapter of their life, distant relatives — are no longer reading the local paper.

A message in a family WhatsApp group, a post on Facebook, an email to close circles: these are how the news actually travels now. And when the announcement includes a few photographs, or a short video, it travels further. People recognize themselves, remember, and forward it on to others who would have wanted to know.

If you find yourself staring at an empty message trying to write this, start with the facts. The name, the dates, the service. Let the love come through in how you say those things, or in a single sentence at the end. That’s enough.