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Sample eulogies for family, friends...
Resources to help to write a loving funeral speech
By: Susan Dugdale | Last modified: 02-04-2024
Writing and then delivering a meaningful eulogy at a memorial service is, to be blunt, a challenge. You want what you prepare to be right: an honest and heartfelt tribute encapsulating all the good things that were uniquely special about this dear person’s life, this person whom you loved.
But how do you achieve that? Where do you begin?
I understand the struggle to pull thoughts together when you're in the midst of grief. It can be hard work, a daunting task.
That's why I've grouped all the resources I have about writing a good eulogy, including examples of eulogies, in one place: this page.
It's a kind of directory to give you access to all the information you need.
What's on this page
Links to 70+ eulogy examples. You'll find them for family members, close friends and more:
- mothers and fathers
- sons and sisters
- brothers and for uncles
- grandmothers and grandfathers
- in-laws, colleagues, friends, mentors and, ourselves
Links to onsite resources for writing a celebration of life speech:
- How to write a eulogy - step by step guidelines with a free printable eulogy planner
- Six pages of best loved readings and poems for funeral speeches, including audio: readings of some of the poems
A link to a resource to help with the grieving and healing process:
- bereavement support - a free series of 7 inspirational emails
How reading sample eulogies helps
Reading what other people have written will help you form your own ideas. It's a great way to start if you're feeling overwhelmed.
Find a eulogy speech you like - one whose tone, style and structure feels right to you. Then, if you wish to, you can take it, and make it your own. Follow the pattern. Swap out the stories. Put yours in. Change what you need to, to make it true for you.
Or you can follow my step-by-step guidelines for writing a eulogy. That's what many of the people did who wrote the funeral speeches below.
About these example eulogies
These eulogies were written by people from all over the world: USA, Mexico, England, Ireland, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Cape Verde, India, Philippines...
What they all have in common is the desire to celebrate their loved ones the best way they can, and generosity.
They've sent their speeches to me to share, in the hope they help those who read them.
The result is a rich, diverse collection representing multiple cultures and religious beliefs.
As you read, listen. You'll hear their voices: their sincerity, their passion, bewilderment, understanding, humor... In short, you'll hear humanity.
(Find out more about how, and why, people share the funeral tributes they have written.)
Eulogy examples for a mother
Mothers. Mums. Mammas. Moms. Hard workers, truth tellers, fun lovers, miracle workers, passionate defenders and supporters of their children. Their lives are recalled and celebrated by their sons and daughters with love, humor, honesty and gratitude.
The eulogies are very different in tone and content. What unites them is their theme: deep love and respect for the women who gave their writers' life.
- Journey's End - a poem
- Eulogy for my Mother, Jean
- My Mother & her gift of gab
- Muriel & her morning room
- Our Mother's love
- Eulogy for Mom
- The loves of Helen Davis Cecil
- A tribute to my Mother
- A tribute to my mother, Iris
- Sometimes - a eulogy for my Mother
- Mum - the book of her life
- My Mother's legacy
Eulogy examples for a father
Dad. Papa. Father. Pop. The old man. Whatever you call him he's the man who parented you through your childhood and, beyond.
The collection of eulogies for Dads celebrates men who became fathers late in life, men who struggled with addiction and won, men who taught their sons "guy kind-of" things, men who adored their grandchildren, men who worked hard day after day to provide for their families ...
They're a rich, beautiful acknowledgment of the role fathers play in their children's lives.
Eulogies for sons and sisters
Having to write a eulogy for your son or daughter is almost unbearable to think about. And yet some of us have to.
There are two eulogies for sons below. Both are heartbreakingly tender testimonies of love, each in their own way. The first has helped many people since I put it online. You'll see that reflected in the comments.
We've also got two eulogies for little sisters: the first written by her big sister and the second by her big brother. Again, they are very different in treatment and content, and yet they share the same sentiment: gratitude for a much loved younger sister.
For sons
For sisters
Eulogies for brothers
Adored big brothers. Rascally little brothers. Special brothers. Brothers with smiles so wide they had to pin their ears back to fit them in. Here are five eulogies sharing favorite memories: the pleasure, joy and, sometimes the pain, of having a brother.
Eulogies for uncles
Uncles. In some families they're a bit like spare Dads. They lend a hand, give advice, teach you a thing or two, tease, and love you whether you are up or down. The uncles in the three eulogies below did all of that and more.
Eulogies for grandmothers
Grannies, grandmas, nannies ... Whatever you call them in many families these women are dearly loved by their grandchildren for many things: the stories they tell, the fun they have when they're together, the way they love unconditionally, for the examples they set, and ultimately, for being themselves.
There are eulogies here for English, American, Indian, and Australian grandmothers, all of whom were adored.
Eulogies for grandfathers
How do you fittingly honor the relationship you had with your Grandfather in a eulogy?
Perhaps your grandfather was an inspiration to you. A shining example of selfless manhood. Perhaps he was dance partner, a poet, and a friend. Perhaps he was a hardworking, generous man.
Read these eulogies. They'll help you find a way to express what was uniquely special to you about your grandfather.
Eulogies for in-laws
In-laws. Father, mother, sister or brother-in-law, they've been the butt of jokes forever. That aside they're an integral part of families, and many of us forge a dear, close relationship with them. We love those people and love having them in our lives.
The eulogies for father-in-laws are from a son and a daughter-in-law. The ones for sister-in-laws were written by a sister and a brother-in-law. And the eulogy for a much loved mother-in-law comes from her daughter-in-law.
For fathers-in-law
- My father in-law, a man of God who made history
- Father in-law, I look forward to the day we meet again
For mothers-in-law
For sisters-in-law
Eulogies for colleagues
We spend an enormous amount of time working, often in the same workplace, with the same people for many years.
Naturally, some of the relationships we form will be highly significant for the long lasting positive impact they have on our lives.
Its those people, extraordinary colleagues and friends, who have been written about in the eulogies below.
Eulogies for friends
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."
The eulogies below celebrate true friends: those whom we trust, we love, we laugh with, we cry with, those people who bring us joy, who understand us.
Eulogies for others
We're human. We form all sorts of relationships with all sorts people who become, through the quality of the connection, important to us. They could be our teachers, our ministers, mentors... even, ourselves.
For Mentors
For ourselves
Resources for writing eulogies
- How to write a memorable eulogy - step by step guidelines with examples, plus a free 15 page printable eulogy planning template
- Readings and poems for funeral speeches - a broad collection of best loved readings, some with audio
- Bereavement poems - another collection of inspirational funeral readings, some with audio
- Readings of four poems frequently used in funeral services: Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep, Funeral Blues, I Am Standing Upon The Seashore, and the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.
- Funeral Blues (Stop All the Clocks) by WH Auden: read the text, listen to the audio, find out about its meaning and history, get a printable.
- Funeral poems| Remember me - 4 much loved funeral poems called Remember Me. Read them. Listen to them and get a printable for each of them.
- Inspirational quotations - a large multi-cultural selection of wisdom spanning countries and times
- How to read poetry aloud - after you've chosen a poem to include in your eulogy find out how to read it with confidence.
Resources to help with grief
- Bereavement support - a free series of 7 inspirational messages carefully chosen to support, comfort and inspire.
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