Free Funeral Program Templates
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Bi-fold template (four panels)
One 8.5 by 11 inch sheet, folded once, finishing at 5.5 by 8.5 inches. Four panels: front cover, two inside panels and the back. This is the standard, and it is the one to use if you are not sure.
Bi-fold funeral program: full text template
4 panels · fill in the brackets
FRONT COVER -------------------------------- In Loving Memory of
[FULL NAME]
[Month Day, Year] – [Month Day, Year]
[Photograph]
[Day of the week], [Month Day, Year] [Time] [Church or venue name] [City, State]
INSIDE LEFT: OBITUARY -------------------------------- [First name] was born on [date] in [city, state], to [father’s name] and [mother’s name].
[One or two sentences: school, military service, the work they did and for how long.]
[One or two sentences about the marriage: who, when, where, and how long.]
[Two or three specific things they actually did. The garden. The Sunday phone call. The team they coached.]
[He/She] is survived by [spouse]; [children and their spouses]; [grandchildren]; and [siblings].
[He/She] was preceded in death by [names].
INSIDE RIGHT: ORDER OF SERVICE -------------------------------- Officiating: [Name], [Title]
Prelude ........................ [Music] Processional ................... [Music] Opening Prayer ................. [Name] Scripture Reading .............. [Passage], read by [Name] Hymn ........................... [Title] Remarks from Family and Friends Eulogy ......................... [Name] Musical Selection .............. [Title], [Performer] Message of Comfort ............. [Name] Closing Prayer and Benediction Recessional .................... [Music]
BACK PANEL -------------------------------- [Poem, psalm or short verse]
Pallbearers [Name] · [Name] · [Name] [Name] · [Name] · [Name]
Honorary Pallbearers [Names]
Interment [Cemetery name], [City, State]
Repast [Location], immediately following the service. All are welcome.
Acknowledgement The family of [Full Name] is grateful for every call, card, flower and kindness shown to us. Your love has carried us through these days, and we thank you for being here today.
Arrangements entrusted to [Funeral home name], [City, State]
If the obituary runs longer than about 300 words it will not fit the inside-left panel at a readable type size. Either cut it or move to a booklet, and the size guide has the word counts for every format.
Tri-fold template (six panels)
The same letter sheet folded twice, giving six panels of about 3.67 by 8.5 inches. Use it when you have several photographs or several separate sections. The panels are narrow, so keep the paragraphs short.
Tri-fold funeral program: full text template
6 panels · narrow panels, short paragraphs
PANEL 1: FRONT COVER -------------------------------- Celebrating the Life of
[FULL NAME] [Nickname, in quotation marks, if they used one]
[Month Day, Year] – [Month Day, Year]
[Photograph]
PANEL 2: VERSE AND SERVICE DETAILS -------------------------------- [Short verse, four lines or fewer] [Source]
Service [Day], [Month Day, Year] at [Time] [Venue name] [Street address] [City, State]
Officiating [Name], [Title]
PANEL 3: OBITUARY -------------------------------- [First name] was born [date] in [city, state], to [parents' names].
[Two sentences on school and work.]
[Two sentences on marriage and family.]
[Two sentences on what filled the days: church, hobbies, the thing everyone remembers.]
Survived by [names]. Preceded in death by [names].
PANEL 4: ORDER OF SERVICE -------------------------------- Prelude ................. [Music] Processional ............ [Music] Invocation .............. [Name] Old Testament Reading ... [Passage] New Testament Reading ... [Passage] Hymn .................... [Title] Reflections ............. [Two or three names] Eulogy .................. [Name] Solo .................... [Title], [Performer] Committal and Benediction Recessional ............. [Music]
PANEL 5: THE PEOPLE -------------------------------- Pallbearers [Six names]
Honorary Pallbearers [Names]
Flower Bearers [Names]
Interment [Cemetery name] [City, State]
Repast [Location], following the interment
PANEL 6: BACK COVER -------------------------------- Acknowledgement
The family of [Full Name] thanks you for your prayers, your kindness and your presence today. We have felt carried by this community, and we will not forget it.
The [Surname] Family
[Funeral home name] [City, State]
Which third of the sheet each panel lands on depends on the direction of the fold, and it is easy to get backwards. The format guide has the panel maps for both sides of the sheet.
Single-sheet template
One 8.5 by 11 inch sheet printed on both sides. Nothing to fold, nothing to assemble, and it can be photocopied at a church office in ten minutes. This is the template to use when the service is the day after tomorrow.
Single-sheet funeral program: front and back
2 sides · no folding
FRONT -------------------------------- In Loving Memory
[FULL NAME] [Month Day, Year] – [Month Day, Year]
[Photograph]
[Day], [Month Day, Year] · [Time] [Venue name], [City, State]
ORDER OF SERVICE
Prelude ................. [Music] Welcome ................. [Name] Opening Prayer .......... [Name] Scripture ............... [Passage] Hymn .................... [Title] Eulogy .................. [Name] Remarks from Family and Friends Closing Prayer Recessional ............. [Music]
Interment to follow at [Cemetery name]. A reception will be held at [Location].
BACK -------------------------------- [FULL NAME]
[First name] was born on [date] in [city, state], and died on [date] in [city, state].
[Four to six sentences: the shape of the life. School, work, marriage, children, the things that mattered.]
[He/She] is survived by [names], and was preceded in death by [names].
With Gratitude The family thanks you for your kindness, your prayers and your presence today.
[Funeral home name] · [City, State]
Catholic funeral Mass template
A Catholic funeral Mass follows the Order of Christian Funerals, and the sequence below is the standard one. Confirm the readings, the hymns and whether words of remembrance are permitted with the parish before you print, because practice varies by diocese and by pastor.
Catholic funeral Mass program: order of service
Follows the Order of Christian Funerals
FRONT COVER -------------------------------- The Mass of Christian Burial for
[FULL NAME]
[Month Day, Year] – [Month Day, Year]
[Day], [Month Day, Year] at [Time] [Parish name] Catholic Church [City, State]
Celebrant: Reverend [Name]
INTRODUCTORY RITES -------------------------------- Reception of the Body at the Door of the Church Greeting Sprinkling with Holy Water Placing of the Pall Entrance Procession ....... [Hymn] Placing of Christian Symbols Opening Prayer
LITURGY OF THE WORD -------------------------------- First Reading ............. [Book chapter:verse] Read by [Name] Responsorial Psalm ........ [Psalm number] Second Reading ............ [Book chapter:verse] Read by [Name] Gospel Acclamation Gospel .................... [Book chapter:verse] Homily .................... Reverend [Name] General Intercessions ..... [Name]
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST -------------------------------- Presentation of the Gifts ... [Hymn] Gifts presented by [Names] Eucharistic Prayer Holy, Holy, Holy Memorial Acclamation Great Amen The Lord’s Prayer Sign of Peace Lamb of God Holy Communion ............ [Hymn] Prayer after Communion
FINAL COMMENDATION AND FAREWELL -------------------------------- Words of Remembrance ...... [Name] Invitation to Prayer Song of Farewell .......... [Hymn] Prayer of Commendation Recessional ............... [Hymn]
RITE OF COMMITTAL -------------------------------- [Cemetery name] [City, State]
Following the committal, the family invites you to [Location].
BACK PANEL -------------------------------- Eternal rest grant unto [him/her], O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon [him/her]. May [he/she] rest in peace. Amen.
Acknowledgement The family of [Full Name] thanks Reverend [Name], the parish staff and all who have prayed for us and for [him/her].
Two things families are often told at the last minute: words of remembrance are usually brief and are given after Communion rather than in place of the homily, and many parishes ask that a full eulogy be saved for the vigil or the reception. Ask the parish office early. There is more detail in the Catholic funeral Mass guide and the Catholic program template.
Celebration of life template
Less formal, warmer, and usually held later than a funeral. The order is looser, the language is plainer, and the program often carries a photo collage rather than a single portrait.
Celebration of life program: full text template
Informal · works for a hall, a garden or a restaurant
FRONT -------------------------------- A Celebration of the Life of
[FULL NAME] [Nickname, if they used one]
[Year] – [Year]
[Photograph or collage]
[Day], [Month Day, Year] [Time] [Venue] [City, State]
INSIDE LEFT: ABOUT [FIRST NAME] -------------------------------- [Three or four short paragraphs, written the way you would talk about them. Where they grew up. What they did. What they were like in a room. One story that is entirely theirs.]
[He/She] leaves behind [names], and misses [names of those who went before].
INSIDE RIGHT: THIS AFTERNOON -------------------------------- Gathering and Music ....... [Playlist or performer] Welcome ................... [Name] Toast ..................... [Name] Stories and Memories [Name] [Name] [Name] The floor is open, please share one Reading ................... [Poem or passage], read by [Name] A Moment of Quiet Closing Words ............. [Name] Music ..................... [Song title]
BACK -------------------------------- [Short poem or verse]
If you would like to do something in [first name]'s memory: [Charity name], [what it does, one line] [Website or address]
Please stay. There is food, there are photographs on the table by the window, and there is a notebook if you would like to write something down for the family.
Thank you for being here. [Names], on behalf of the family
The celebration of life guide goes further into how these gatherings are usually run, and the funeral poems collection has public-domain readings you can print in full without permission.
Filling in the blanks
The templates are the easy part. Collecting the details is what takes the time, and it is worth doing in one sitting with one other person in the room who can check the names.
Everything you need before you start typing
- Full legal name · plus the nickname in quotation marks if they used one
- Date of birth and date of death · written out: March 14, 2026
- Service day, date, start time, venue name and full address
- Officiant’s name and title · spelled the way they spell it
- Order of service · confirmed with whoever is leading it, not guessed
- Music · exact titles, and who is performing each one
- Readings · book, chapter and verse, and the reader’s name
- Pallbearers, six names · and honorary pallbearers if you are naming them
- Survivors and those who went before · checked twice, by two people
- Cemetery name and city, and the repast location
- Funeral home name · for the credit line at the bottom
- One photograph · the highest-resolution version you can find, not a screenshot
Three habits that make the difference
Read every name out loud to someone else. Middle initials, married names, and the spelling of a grandchild’s name are the mistakes families remember years later.
Cut before you shrink. When the obituary does not fit, the instinct is to drop to 8 point type. Do not. Cut two sentences instead. Guests reading in a dim church at arm’s length need 10 point at minimum.
Leave things out. The pallbearer list, honorary pallbearers, flower bearers, the family resolution and the acknowledgement are all optional. You are allowed to do less than you think. A cover, an order of service and one sentence of thanks is a complete program, and no one at the service will notice what is missing.
Getting it into Word, Docs or a design tool
Once the words are written, you need a page that folds correctly. Here is what actually works in each tool.
Microsoft Word
For a bi-fold, go to Layout → Page Setup, open the Margins tab, and set Multiple pages to Book fold. Word then treats your document as folded pages and prints them in the right order, which is the single thing most people get wrong by hand. Set margins to 0.5 inch and the gutter to 0.125 inch. Type directly into the page rather than into text boxes; text boxes are why photos and headings jump around when you edit. The full walkthrough, including the booklet and tri-fold cases, is in the Word template guide.
Google Docs
Docs has no book-fold setting. Use File → Page setup → Landscape, then Format → Columns → two columns for a bi-fold or three for a tri-fold, and add a column break where each panel ends. Page 1 is the outside of the sheet and page 2 is the inside. Print double-sided with the flip set to short edge, and check the first copy before printing the rest.
Canva and similar design tools
Fine for the look, but check two things before you spend an hour building: whether the template you picked is included in the free tier, and whether the export is watermarked. Many funeral program templates on design sites are subscription-only, and you find out at the download step. The Canva guide lists the traps in the order you meet them.
Whatever you use, export a PDF
Never hand a print shop a .docx file. If they do not have your typeface, their computer substitutes another one and your careful spacing collapses without anyone noticing until the programs are printed. Export to PDF, open the PDF, and look at it. The printing guide covers paper weight, quantity and folding.
What a free template actually costs you
Free templates are genuinely useful, and there is nothing wrong with using one. It is worth knowing in advance where each kind takes its payment, because it is usually in time you do not have this week.
| Where it comes from | What you get | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| The funeral home | Layout and printing, often included in the service package | Little effort, but limited designs and a deadline you do not control |
| A Word or Publisher download | An editable file with the panels already positioned | An evening fighting text boxes; Publisher files need Publisher |
| A design site template | The best-looking starting point | Often subscription-only, and you find out at the download step |
| Text templates like the ones above | The wording, free and unrestricted | You still have to lay the page out yourself |
| A guided builder | Answers in, print-ready PDF out, panels already imposed | Free to build; downloading the finished PDF is paid |
That last row is Reposa, and we would rather be plain about it: you can build the whole program, see exactly how it looks, and change it as many times as you like without paying. You pay only if you download the print-ready file. If you would rather not pay at all, the templates on this page are yours, and the step-by-step guide to making one yourself will get you there.
If you need something more specific
- Funeral program examplesFinished programs, panel by panel, for several kinds of service
- Funeral program wordingCover lines, headings and closing wording you can borrow
- Homegoing service programResolutions, reflections and the traditional order
- Non-religious funeral programA warm secular order of service with no mention of faith
- Military funeral programHonors, flag folding and the wording for a veteran
- Acknowledgement wordingThirty versions of the thank-you on the back page
Common questions
Are these funeral program templates really free?
What program does a funeral program template open in?
How long does it take to fill one of these in?
Can I use a free template and still have it look professional?
What if I do not have a photo good enough for the cover?
Does the funeral home usually provide a template?
Can I change the order of service in these templates?
Keep reading
- Funeral Program TemplatesBuild a funeral program from a guided template instead of reformatting a Word file. Eight coordinated designs, bi-fold, tri-fold and booklet.
- Funeral Program ExamplesReal funeral program examples for traditional, Catholic, homegoing, military and celebration-of-life services, panel by panel.
- How to Make a Funeral ProgramA practical walkthrough for making a funeral program yourself: what to gather, how to lay it out, and how to print it so the folds line up.
- Funeral Program FormatExactly what goes on the front cover, inside left, inside right and back panel of a funeral program, for bi-fold, tri-fold and booklet.