Eulogy for a husband: examples, a template, and gentle guidance

Eulogy for a husband from his wife

Good morning. Thank you all for being here for David. Many of you traveled a long way, and he would have been embarrassed by the fuss and very glad to see you.

David and I met at a friend's barbecue thirty-eight years ago. He was manning the grill, badly, and he burned my hamburger. He apologized so many times that I finally told him he could make it up to me with dinner. He took me to a diner and let me order for both of us, because he said I looked like someone who knew what was good. He trusted my judgment from that night on, even when he shouldn't have.

He was a high school science teacher for thirty-one years. He loved the moment a student finally understood something. He used to come home and tell me about it at dinner, the way other people talk about a great ball game. Some of his former students are here today, and I want you to know he remembered you. He talked about you for years.

At home, David was steady. He made the coffee every morning, even on the days he left before I woke up. He fixed things slowly and well. He was a terrible dancer who danced anyway, at every wedding, with every aunt who asked. He loved our kids, Sarah and Mike, with a patience I didn't always have, and he loved being a grandpa even more.

The last few months were hard, and he was brave in a quiet way. He kept making jokes for the nurses. He kept asking about everyone else.

David, thank you for thirty-eight years of coffee and burned hamburgers and dancing with the aunts. I'll take it from here. I love you.

A sample we wrote by hand. The people in it are made up. Yours is written from your own stories.

Eulogy for a father as a husband, from his son

Hi, everyone. I'm Mike, David's son. My mom asked me to say a few words about my dad as a husband, because she said I've been watching him do it my whole life.

Here's what I saw. Every morning, Dad made two cups of coffee and left one on Mom's side of the counter with the handle turned toward her chair. Every morning. Even after they'd had an argument. Especially after they'd had an argument.

He thanked her for dinner every night, even on nights when he cooked it. He called her from the car when he was running late, which was most days. He never once, in all my life, made fun of her in front of other people, and he would leave the room if anyone else did.

I didn't think about any of that as special until I got married myself. Then I realized how much effort it takes to be that kind every single day. He made it look easy. It wasn't. He just decided it was worth it.

Mom, he was so proud to be your husband. Dad, I'm still learning from you. I'll keep turning the handle toward her chair.

A sample we wrote by hand. The people in it are made up. Yours is written from your own stories.

Short eulogy for a husband

I'm Linda, and Ray was my husband for forty-four years.

Ray was the calmest man I ever knew. When the basement flooded, he made a pot of coffee before he called anyone. When our kids were teenagers, he waited up every night and never said a word about the time.

He wasn't one for speeches, so I'll keep this short, the way he'd like it. Ray, thank you for every calm morning and every late night. You were my home.

A sample we wrote by hand. The people in it are made up. Yours is written from your own stories.