Writing a short obituary can feel strange. You get a short space in a newspaper column or tiny box in a funeral program and have to fit a persons whole life inside it. It can almost feel a bit disrespectful.
But a short obituary isn’t a smaller version of a life. It’s a clear public notice that says who they were, who loved them and what happens next.
That’s all it needs to Be. And when you’re grieving and on a deadline something short is usually the kindest thing for everyone, including you.
Most short obituaries are between 50 and 200 words. Newspapers usually have a limit on their notices at around 100 to 250 words and charge by the line so keeping it short isn’t just a style choice it’s also about your budget. Online you can always add more later if you want to.
So below you’ll find ready to use short obituary examples for different situations plus a couple of templates you can copy straight into a Word doc and adapt any way you want.
If you want longer, more detailed versions then our full obituary templates are going to help. And if you’re not sure how an obituary differs from a eulogy we explain that here.
What a Short Obituary Needs to Include
Even a very short obituary should cover the basics. You’ll always want to include the following:
- Full name (and nickname if they had one people knew them by)
- Age
- City and state where they lived
- Date of death (or just the month and year)
- Service details, or a note that services are private or to be announced
After that everything else is optional. A short survivors line is common. So is a brief note about flowers or donations.
And if you have room for just one big detail about who they were then that line is usually what makes the whole thing feel stand out.
Short Obituary Examples
You can adapt or change any of these examples. They’re ready to use as they are all you have to do is add in the real details and you’re most of the way there.
The Basic Death Notice
This is the shortest version. It’s just the facts. A good choice for when space and money are tight or when the family wants to keep things very simple.
Robert J. Hayes, 78, of Columbus, Ohio, passed away on March 4, 2026. A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Heart Association.
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A Short Obituary With a Little Warmth
This is still short but it lets a bit of the person through. It only takes one or two extra sentences to do that.
Margaret “Peggy” Donnelly, 84, of Savannah, Georgia, died peacefully at home on February 2, 2026, surrounded by her family. Peggy spent forty years as a school librarian and never met a child she couldn’t talk into reading one more book. She loved her garden, her crossword puzzles, and Sunday dinners that ran late on purpose. She is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren, and a great many former students who still remember her kindness. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church.
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A Short Obituary for a Mother or Grandmother
When you’re writing for your own mom or grandmother you don’t need a long essay to honor her. One paragraph can do more than enough justice to her.
Linda Carol Reyes, 71, of Mesa, Arizona, our beloved mother and grandmother, passed away on January 19, 2026, after a brief illness. Linda was the heart of every gathering, the first to laugh and the last to leave the kitchen. She is survived by her husband of fifty years, Daniel; her children, Sofia and Marcus; and four grandchildren who were the light of her life. A memorial Mass will be celebrated Friday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Timothy Catholic Church.
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A Short Obituary for Private Services
Plenty of families choose to grieve privately and still want to share the news. This obituary does that.
Thomas Edward Walsh, 66, of Portland, Maine, passed away on March 8, 2026. At his request, services will be private. The family is grateful for the kindness of friends and neighbors and asks that, in his memory, you do something quietly generous for someone who needs it.
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A Short Obituary When You Don’t Have Much Information
Sometimes you’re writing for someone you weren’t especially close to or the details are hard to come by. In this instance it’s a good idea to keep it to what you know.
James A. Foster, 59, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away on February 17, 2026. He is survived by his family and will be remembered by all who knew him. A graveside service will be held at Roselawn Cemetery on Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m.
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A Religious Short Obituary
If faith mattered to them then a single line can make mention and reflect that without turning the obituary into a sermon.
Dorothy Mae Bennett, 89, of Knoxville, Tennessee, went home to be with the Lord on January 28, 2026. A woman of deep and quiet faith, Dorothy served her church for over five decades and prayed for more people than she ever let on. She is survived by her sons, David and Paul, and a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A funeral service will be held Saturday, February 8 at 11:00 a.m. at Bethel Baptist Church, with burial to follow.
For more along these lines we have full of Christian obituary examples and Catholic obituary examples.
Short Obituary Templates You Can Fill In
If you’d rather write your own from a starting template these are two short fill in the blank templates. Copy one into a document and replace everything in brackets.
Template 1: Bare Bones
[Full Name], [age], of [City, State], passed away on [Date of Death]. [He/She/They] is survived by [list immediate family]. A [funeral/memorial] service will be held [Date] at [Time] at [Location]. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to [Charity].
Template 2: Short With a Personal Touch
[Full Name], [age], of [City, State], passed away [peacefully/after a brief illness/unexpectedly] on [Date of Death]. [One sentence about who they were or what they loved]. [He/She/They] is survived by [list immediate family]. A celebration of [his/her/their] life will be held [Date] at [Time] at [Location].
If you need more room to fully tell the story of your loved one then try our longer obituary templates instead. There’s no rule that says shorter is better only that it’s sometimes more practical.
When a Short Obituary Is the Right Choice
You don’t always get to pick the length and sometimes short is just the smart call. A short obituary is usually the right fit when:
- You’re placing a print notice and the newspaper charges by the line or word
- You need something short enough to fit on a funeral program
- You’re sharing the news on social media and want it simple and respectful
- The family is holding private services and prefers to keep details minimal
- You’re on a tight deadline and just need to get the essentials out
A quick thing worth knowing: a short obituary and a death notice aren’t quite the same thing. A death notice is the very brief announcement that only deals with the facts while even a short obituary usually allows one small human detail. If a plain announcement is all you need then our guide to death announcements covers that.
What to Leave Out to Keep It Short
The trick to a good short obituary isn’t writing less, it’s cutting the right things. When you’re tight on space, these are usually the first to go:
- Detailed life history. A line about their career or passion is enough.
- Extended family. List immediate family only or just write “survived by a loving family.”
- Long personal anecdotes. Pick one trait that was synonymous with them instead of three stories.
- Cause of death. It’s fine to leave this out and most families do.
- Full service logistics. “Services will be private” or “details to follow” is enough.
How Long Should a Short Obituary Be?
There’s no fixed rule but a useful target is one to two short paragraphs, roughly 50 to 200 words. Print obituaries stay on the shorter end because newspapers limit space and charge on that basis. Online you’ve got more room so if you start short and later wish you’d said more you can almost always add to a digital version.
And yes, you can absolutely write your own in advance. Some people prewrite their obituary so their family isn’t left trying to figure out what to use. If that’s something you’re thinking about it’s a lovely gesture of something you can leave behind.
Final Thoughts
Writing an obituary, short or long, is something that none of us feel ready for. So please don’t put pressure on yourself to make it perfect.
Get the name right, name the people who loved them, tell readers what happens next, and if you can, include one true thing about who they were. That’s a good obituary. The length has very little to do with it.
When you’re ready for the next steps our guides on how to write a eulogy and short eulogy examples can help with what comes after the notice. And if it’s a specific person you’re writing for we have full obituary examples for a mother, father, husband, and wife, among others.
