Obituary for mom: examples, a template, and how to write it
Writing your mother's obituary often falls to you in the same week you're making a dozen other decisions. It doesn't have to be perfect, and it doesn't have to be long. An obituary needs the facts (her name, age, family, and service details) and a few sentences that sound like her. Below are three complete examples, a fill-in template, and a checklist to help you get it right.
- Typical length
- Often 150 to 500 words. Online obituaries can be longer; newspapers may charge by length.
- Must include
- Her full name, age, city, date of death, and service details.
- Make it hers
- One or two details only her family would know: her garden, her card games, the granola-bar drawer.
- Before publishing
- Check every name, date, and spelling with family, especially in-law names and the order of survivors.
What to include in your mom's obituary
- The announcement: her full name (and maiden name or nickname, if used), age, city, and date of death. How she died is optional; "peacefully" or "after a long illness" is enough, or leave it out.
- Her story: where she was born and grew up, her parents, school, work, and marriage.
- Who she was: a sentence or two about what she loved and how people will remember her. This is what makes it sound like her.
- Her family: "survived by" (usually spouse, children with their spouses, grandchildren, then siblings) and "preceded in death by."
- Service details: type of service, date, time, and place, plus visitation, burial, or reception information.
- Donations or thanks (optional): a charity in lieu of flowers, and a thank-you to caregivers or hospice.
Obituary examples for a mother
Short obituary for a mother
Janet Lee Morris, 79, of Boise, Idaho, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2026, with her children at her side.
Janet was born in Twin Falls, Idaho, to Harold and Ruth Becker. She worked for twenty-eight years as a school secretary at Garfield Elementary, where she knew every child by name and kept a drawer of granola bars for anyone who missed breakfast. She loved her flower beds, her book club, and Sunday phone calls with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her children, Lisa (Kevin) Hart and Michael (Amy) Morris; her grandchildren, Ella, Owen, and Grace; and her sister, Carol Jensen. She was preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Dale.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, at Riverside Chapel in Boise, followed by a luncheon. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to a local food bank.
A sample we wrote by hand. The people in it are made up. Yours is written from your own stories.
Obituary for a mother and grandmother
Kathleen "Kathy" Ann O'Brien, beloved mother, grandmother, and friend, died on September 30, 2026, at her home in Sacramento, California. She was 83.
Kathy was born on March 4, 1943, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the second of five children of Thomas and Margaret Sullivan. She grew up in a crowded, cheerful house where, she liked to say, "you learned to talk fast or not at all." She graduated from high school in St. Paul and earned her nursing degree there.
In 1966, she married Patrick O'Brien, and the two moved west "for one winter without snow." They never left. Kathy worked as a labor and delivery nurse in Sacramento for more than thirty years, and she welcomed so many babies into the world that she was regularly stopped in the grocery store by parents who wanted to say thank you.
At home, Kathy raised four children with humor, patience, and a firm rule that everyone sat down to dinner together. She was a devoted member of St. Anne's Parish, a fierce card player, and a gardener whose tomatoes were the envy of the neighborhood. In her later years, she taught each of her grandchildren to play gin rummy and then, as she put it, "showed them no mercy."
Kathy is survived by her children, Sean (Michelle) O'Brien, Maureen (David) Fischer, Brian O'Brien, and Colleen (Jason) Reyes; nine grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her brother, Jim Sullivan. She was preceded in death by her husband, Patrick, in 2021, and by her parents and three siblings.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 9, at St. Anne's Church, with a reception to follow. The family is grateful to the hospice nurses who cared for Kathy with the same kindness she showed so many others. Memorial donations may be made to a hospice of your choice.
A sample we wrote by hand. The people in it are made up. Yours is written from your own stories.
Obituary for a mother who died unexpectedly
Michelle Renee Carter, 54, of Columbus, Ohio, died unexpectedly on October 2, 2026.
Michelle was born in Dayton and graduated from Ohio State University, where she met her husband, Greg. She spent her career as a pharmacist and was known by her customers for remembering their names, their dogs' names, and which of them needed a little extra time to talk.
Above everything, Michelle was a mom. She never missed a soccer game, a band concert, or a chance to embarrass her kids by cheering too loudly. She ran three half marathons, made the best lasagna on the east side of Columbus, and believed that any problem could be helped by a long walk and a good conversation.
She is survived by her husband of 29 years, Greg; her children, Taylor and Jordan; her parents, Robert and Diane Hill; and her brothers, Eric and Scott Hill.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, at Maple Grove Funeral Home, with a funeral service at 10 a.m. on Friday, October 9, at Grace Community Church. The family asks that, in Michelle's memory, you take a long walk with someone you love.
A sample we wrote by hand. The people in it are made up. Yours is written from your own stories.
Fill-in template
Copy this into a document and replace each [bracketed] part with your own words. Then read it aloud and cut anything that doesn't sound like you.
[Mom's full name, including nickname in quotes], [age], of [city, state], passed away [peacefully / after a long illness / unexpectedly] on [date], [optional: at home / surrounded by her family].
She was born on [date] in [city, state] to [her parents' names]. [Where she grew up, school, and one early detail.]
[Her work or calling: where she worked, for how long, and what people knew her for.]
[Her marriage and family: who she married and when, and the family she raised.]
[What filled her days: hobbies, faith, friends, community. One or two details that are unmistakably her.]
She is survived by [spouse or partner]; her children, [names, with their spouses in parentheses]; [grandchildren]; [siblings]; and [others]. She was preceded in death by [names].
A [funeral / memorial service / celebration of life] will be held at [time] on [day, date] at [place, city]. [Visitation, burial, or reception details.] [In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to [organization].]
[Optional: a thank-you from the family to caregivers, hospice staff, or friends.]
How to make it sound like her
- Ask your siblings for one detail each. Her saying, her recipe, her habit. Choose the one everyone recognizes.
- Use her words. A short quote ("you learned to talk fast or not at all") brings her voice onto the page.
- Mention what she did for others. Her work, her volunteering, the neighbor she always checked on.
- Keep the language plain. Clear and warm reads better than flowery. Short sentences are fine.
- It's okay to end with a request that sounds like her, like the "take a long walk" line in the third example.
Practical tips for writing and publishing
- Ask the funeral home first. Many will submit the obituary to newspapers and post it on their website for you.
- Check cost and deadlines. Many newspapers charge by length or by line, and a photo may cost extra. An online obituary can be longer.
- Write it together if you have siblings, or have one person write and the others check the facts.
- Consider leaving out her exact birth date, maiden name, or home address. Some families do this to reduce the risk of identity theft.
- Read it aloud before you send it. Errors in names are the most common and the most painful to correct later.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an obituary for my mom?
Start with the announcement (her full name, age, city, and date of death), then tell her story in a few sentences: where she grew up, her work, her marriage and family, and what she loved. List her survivors, add service details, and close with donations or thanks if you'd like.
How long should my mother's obituary be?
Many are 150 to 500 words. Newspaper obituaries tend to be shorter because many papers charge by length; online obituaries can be longer.
What order do I list family in an obituary?
Commonly: her spouse or partner, her children (with their spouses), grandchildren, great-grandchildren, her parents if living, her siblings, then other relatives and close friends. Follow what feels right for your family.
Should I include her maiden name?
Many families include it, since old friends may know her by it. Some leave it out to reduce identity-theft risk. Either is fine.
Do I have to say how my mom died?
No. It's entirely up to the family. Phrases like "peacefully," "after a long illness," or "unexpectedly" are common, and many obituaries leave it out.
Can Said It Well write my mom's obituary?
Yes. Answer a few questions about her life, family, and service, and choose short (about 200 words), medium (about 350), or long (about 550). We only use the facts you give us; anything you leave blank is left out. Reading the opening is free; the full obituary with unlimited revisions and a PDF is $24 one time.