Free guides
Everything we have written down, in one place.
Example obituaries and eulogies, order-of-service templates, program wording, poems, scripture and checklists for the first few days. All 54 guides, and the examples written for each relationship, are free to read and free to use, whether or not you ever build anything here.
Nothing on these pages asks you to sign up. If you only need the words, take them.
Obituaries
Examples, templates and a step-by-step way to write one.
- Obituary ExamplesNine complete obituary examples in short, standard and full length, plus three or four more written for each relationship, with wording you can adapt in minutes.
- Obituary TemplatesSix fill-in-the-blank obituary templates: traditional, short, newspaper, celebration of life, military and faith. Free to use and copy.
- How to Write an ObituaryA calm, six-step way to write an obituary when you don’t know where to start, with the exact information to gather and full examples.
- Obituary FormatThe standard obituary format explained section by section, with the order newspapers and funeral homes expect and how long each part should be.
- What to Include in an ObituaryA complete checklist of what goes in an obituary, and the details that are safer to leave out.
- Short Obituary ExamplesShort obituary examples between 50 and 150 words, written to fit newspaper line limits without losing the person.
- How to Submit an Obituary to a NewspaperHow newspaper obituary submission works, what it typically costs per line, deadlines, and the free places you can publish instead.
Eulogies
Full example eulogies and a structure that works when you are grieving.
- Eulogy ExamplesTwelve complete eulogy examples, from ninety seconds to three and a half minutes spoken, plus the simple five-part structure that holds a eulogy together.
- How to Write a EulogyA step-by-step way to write and deliver a eulogy, including how long it should be, what to say first, and how to get through it.
- Funeral Speech ExamplesShort funeral speech examples for anyone asked to say a few words, including what to do if you are not the main speaker.
Funeral programs
Formats, wording, sizes and printing for the order-of-service booklet.
- 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 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.
- Funeral Program ExamplesReal funeral program examples for traditional, Catholic, homegoing, military and celebration-of-life services, panel by panel.
- Canva Funeral Program TemplatesAn honest guide to making a funeral program in Canva: which templates to pick, the free-versus-Pro traps, and how to export a file a print shop will accept.
- Free Funeral Program TemplatesFree funeral program templates as plain text: copy the wording, fill in the brackets and lay it out yourself. Reposa’s guided builder is a separate option, free to build, with the finished PDF a paid download.
- Funeral Program PrintingHow to print funeral programs at home or at a print shop: paper weight, folding, bleed, and how many copies to order.
- What to Include in a Funeral ProgramA checklist of everything that belongs in a funeral program, panel by panel, plus the things families most often forget.
- Funeral Program WordingCover lines, section headings, acknowledgement paragraphs and closing wording for a funeral program. More than sixty examples to borrow.
- 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.
- Homegoing Service ProgramA homegoing service program in the Black church tradition, with resolutions, reflections, acknowledgements and the full order of service.
- Funeral Program SizesStandard funeral program sizes in inches, how many words fit on each, and which fold to choose for your service.
- Catholic Funeral Program TemplateA Catholic funeral program template that follows the Order of Christian Funerals, with the full Mass order and the correct wording.
- Christian Funeral ProgramA Christian funeral program template with the usual Protestant order of service, hymn suggestions and scripture readings.
- Funeral Program Template for WordHow to set up a funeral program in Microsoft Word so the folds land right: book fold, margins, photos that stay put, and a text template to paste in.
- Military Funeral ProgramA military funeral program template covering military honors, flag folding, Taps and the wording for a veteran’s service.
- Non-Religious Funeral ProgramA secular funeral program with a warm, non-religious order of service, readings and wording that never mentions faith.
- LDS Funeral ProgramAn LDS funeral program template following the usual order for a Latter-day Saint service, including hymns and speaker order.
- Patriotic Funeral ProgramA patriotic funeral program for a veteran, a first responder or a proud citizen: cover wording, order-of-service additions and how to use the flag with dignity.
- Jewish Memorial Service ProgramA Jewish funeral and shiva memorial program: the order of service, the Mourner’s Kaddish transliterated, where to get El Malei Rachamim in English, and the wording for shiva and flowers.
Order of service
What happens, in what order, for every kind of service.
- Funeral Order of ServiceThe funeral order of service explained: every element in sequence, how long each takes, and full orders for six kinds of service.
- Funeral Order of Service TemplateFill-in-the-blank order of service templates for traditional, Catholic, homegoing, memorial, graveside and celebration services.
- Funeral Order of Service ExamplesSix complete order-of-service examples, written out line by line exactly as they would appear in the program.
- Catholic Funeral Mass ProgramThe complete order of a Catholic funeral Mass, from the Introductory Rites through the Final Commendation, laid out as a printable program.
Prayer & memorial cards
Sizes, verses and how to make the keepsake cards handed out at the service.
- Funeral Prayer CardsEverything about funeral prayer cards: the standard 2.5 by 4.25 inch size, what goes on the back, and how to make a matching set.
- Memorial CardsMemorial card templates and wording for the keepsake card handed out at the service, matched to your program design.
- Funeral Prayer Card VersesSixty short verses, prayers and poems that fit on the back of a prayer card, for Catholic, Protestant and non-religious services.
- Catholic Funeral Prayer CardsCatholic prayer cards for a funeral, with the traditional prayers, the saints, and wording for the back of the card.
- How to Make Funeral Prayer CardsHow to make funeral prayer cards at home: layout, card stock, cutting, and printing six to a letter sheet.
- Prayer Card SizeStandard prayer card sizes in inches and millimeters, how many fit on a letter sheet, and the bleed a print shop needs.
Celebration of life
A warmer, less formal alternative to a traditional funeral.
- Celebration of Life ProgramHow a celebration of life program is put together: the order, the wording, and how it differs from a traditional funeral.
- How to Plan a Celebration of LifeA practical plan for a celebration of life: when to hold it, where, who speaks, food, music, and what to hand out.
- Celebration of Life Program TemplateCelebration of life program templates in a warmer, less formal style. Build one and download a print-ready PDF.
- Celebration of Life Program ExamplesReal celebration of life program examples for outdoor, restaurant, home and memorial-garden gatherings, panel by panel.
Words to use
Poems, scripture, hymns and acknowledgement wording you can borrow.
- Funeral PoemsPublic-domain funeral poems you can print in a program or on a card, with any cut marked, plus the modern ones families ask for most, listed by title and poet with a note on which you can print.
- Funeral Thank You Card WordingWhat to write in a funeral thank-you card for flowers, food, donations, pallbearers and the people who simply showed up.
- Funeral HymnsForty funeral hymns and modern songs families actually choose, with first lines, so you can pick without listening to all of them.
- The 23rd Psalm for a FuneralPsalm 23 in the King James and Book of Common Prayer wording, the verses that fit a prayer card, how modern translations differ, and how to lay it out in a program.
- Funeral Acknowledgement WordingThirty-three acknowledgement paragraphs for the back of a funeral program. The family’s thank-you, in wording you can use as-is.
- Scripture for a Funeral ProgramThe scripture passages most often read at funerals, printed in full, with the ones that fit a small program panel marked.
- Bible Verses for Funeral ProgramsFifty-two Bible verses for a funeral program, grouped by comfort, hope, resurrection and remembrance, each short enough to fit a panel.
Planning
Checklists and practical answers for the first few days.
- Funeral Planning ChecklistA funeral planning checklist for the first seventy-two hours: what has to happen today, what can wait, and who does what.
- What to Say at a FuneralWhat to say to a grieving family at a funeral: short lines that help, and the well-meant ones that don’t.
- Pallbearer DutiesWhat pallbearers actually do, how many you need, who to ask, and how honorary pallbearers are listed in the program.
- Funeral EtiquetteFuneral etiquette for guests and family: what to wear, when to arrive, whether to bring children, and what to do at the graveside.
Obituary examples, by who you lost
The same guidance, written for one relationship at a time, because writing about a mother is not the same as writing about a brother.
- Obituary examples for a mother
- Obituary examples for a father
- Obituary examples for a grandmother
- Obituary examples for a grandfather
- Obituary examples for a husband
- Obituary examples for a wife
- Obituary examples for a son
- Obituary examples for a daughter
- Obituary examples for a brother
- Obituary examples for a sister
- Obituary examples for an aunt
- Obituary examples for an uncle
- Obituary examples for a friend
Eulogy examples, by who you lost
Full eulogies you can read aloud in two to three and a half minutes, adapted to the person you are speaking about.
- Eulogy examples for a mother
- Eulogy examples for a father
- Eulogy examples for a grandmother
- Eulogy examples for a grandfather
- Eulogy examples for a husband
- Eulogy examples for a wife
- Eulogy examples for a son
- Eulogy examples for a daughter
- Eulogy examples for a brother
- Eulogy examples for a sister
- Eulogy examples for a friend
When you are ready for the printed part.
The guides give you the words. Reposa takes those words and hands back the program, the prayer cards and the slideshow, laid out and ready for the printer.