How to Sign a Sympathy Card
Finding the right words for a sympathy card is tricky. That’s the main reason for this website – to give you help in expressing your thoughts and getting the correct words for the way you’re feeling.
Hopefully if you’re struggling with this then you will find what you need here. But one area that is often overlooked is how to sign a sympathy card when you’ve written the message.
So if you need some help and aren’t sure how to end a sympathy card then this quick guide is for you. We will look at the usual ways of signing off a sympathy card, whether to keep it formal as well as the different things to say to people you know well and those you don’t.
How to Sign a Sympathy Card
How you sign your card will depend on how well you know the deceased, and to a certain extent on the message you’ve written. Some of the more basic closing’s that you can use before signing your name are:
- Our sincere sympathy
- Please accept my condolences
- With caring thoughts
- With deepest sympathy
- Warmest condolences
- With sympathy
- You are in our thoughts and prayers
- Wishing you peace
- Sending you love
- Wishing you strength for today and hope for tomorrow
Try to keep things short, but avoid using anything like “Sincerely” as this can come across as too distant and formal.
If you knew them well then you can consider using their name when you sign the card. This can add personalisation to the card, making it seem more genuine and sincere.
Also, including a more personal sentiment and perhaps the word “love” would be appropriate, depending on the relationship you had with the deceased. Some of these sentiments would be a good starting point for closing your sympathy card:
- With love
- With loving memories
- Thinking of you
- _______ will never be forgotten
- _______ will live on in our hearts
- _______ memory will never be forgotten
- _______ will remain in our hearts
- We will never forget ______
Extra Tips:
- It is often a good idea to keep your sympathy message or note brief, and the same applies to how you sign it. Don’t go on for too long, keep it short and simple.
- Sign your name, don’t leave it as anonymous. The recipient will want to know who it came from.
- If you’re signing a sympathy card for a pet then all the same rules apply. You can possibly be slightly more informal, but never forget that people appreciate and love their pets as much as they do family. Keep that in mind and avoid anything that might offend them.
- Unless you know it’s appropriate, avoid anything religious.
And that’s it. Hopefully you now feel more comfortable with how to sign a condolence card and the example closings have helped with making your sympathy card and message just right.
Sally Collins is a writer and the founder and owner of Sympathy Message Ideas. Her passion is to help others deal with grief and provide assistance with talking to those grieving. Learn more about Sally.
