When my grandmother passed I was the one who had to write her obituary. I had a hard time with it and not knowing where to start.
I didn’t know how to sum up my grandmas life in just a few short paragraphs. It felt impossible and a little unfair.
But I’ve since written a fair few of these, both for my own family and to help readers here. And an obituary for a grandmother while challenging shouldn’t be impossible.
You just need to write from the heart. I understand that’s easier said than done though.
So if you’re having a hard time this guide is for you. Below you’ll find plenty of obituary examples for a grandmother covering short notices, longer traditional ones and more personal tributes.
What to Include in a Grandmother’s Obituary
Before you look at the examples it helps to know the what usually makes up an obituary. You don’t have to include every one of these and you can move the order around depending on what feels right but most obituaries for a grandmother cover the following:
- The announcement – her full name (including maiden name and any nickname the grandkids used), her age and the date she passed. Some families add where she died and whether she was surrounded by family.
- A little biography – where and when she was born, her parents, where she grew up and the shape of her life. Her career, her marriage, the places she lived etc.
- The things she loved – this is the main part of it. Her garden, her card games, her cooking, the way she never missed a grandchild’s ball game. This is what makes the obituary properly about her and not just a list of dates.
- Family members – who she leaves behind and who went before her. Usually written as “survived by” and “preceded in death by” listing children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and sometimes siblings.
- Service details – the date, time and place of the funeral, wake or memorial. If it’s private you can say so.
- A closing line – a final sentiment, maybe a favorite saying of hers or quote or a note about donations in lieu of flowers.
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If you want a template you can build from our obituary templates have the structure you can use that will work for any family member.
How Long Should a Grandmother’s Obituary Be?
There’s no length it had to be and it really comes down to two things: what the newspaper charges and how much you want to say. Many papers charge by the line or the word so a lot of families keep the printed notice short and put a fuller version online where space is free.
As a rough guide a short obituary is about 75 to 150 words, a standard one is somewhere between 200 and 400 and a long tribute style obituary can get up to 500 words or more. A grandmother who lived a long full life and left a big family behind will need more room.
My advice is to write the long version first, get everything down and then trim what you don’t need for the paper.
Short Obituary Examples for a Grandmother
Short obituaries are perfect for a printed newspaper notice, a funeral program or an announcement online. They’re clear and get straight to the point.
Margaret “Peggy” Sullivan, 88, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2026, at home surrounded by her family. A devoted wife, mother and grandmother, Peggy will be remembered for her warmth, her Sunday roasts and her quick laugh. She is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A service will be held at St. Andrew’s on March 10 at 11 a.m.
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Dorothy Hale, 92, of Cedar Falls, went to be with her beloved husband Frank on January 18, 2026. Born in 1933, Dorothy spent her life caring for others, first as a nurse and later as the grandmother who always had cookies in the tin. She leaves behind four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren who adored her. The family will gather for a private graveside service.
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Ruth Callahan, 85, passed away on February 2, 2026. Ruth was a gifted gardener, a fierce card player and the kind of grandmother who spoiled you rotten and denied it completely. She is survived by her daughter Anne, her son Michael and five grandchildren. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you plant something in her memory.
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Our beloved Nana, Elizabeth Grant, 90, slipped away quietly on April 5, 2026. She was preceded in death by her husband David and is survived by her two daughters and four grandchildren. Nana loved fiercely and forgave easily. A celebration of her life will be held at the family home this Saturday.
Traditional Obituary Examples for a Grandmother
A traditional obituary follows the familiar structure most families expect. It starts with the announcement, moves through her life and family and ends with the service details. The following examples are a little longer and work well for the newspaper or a funeral home website.
Helen Marie Foster, 89, of Springfield, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.
Helen was born on June 4, 1936, in Dayton, Ohio, to William and Agnes Porter. She graduated from Dayton High and married the love of her life, Robert Foster, in 1957. Together they raised four children and built a home filled with music, good food and an open door for anyone who needed one.
Helen worked for many years as a bookkeeper but her real calling was her family. She was happiest with a grandchild on her knee and a pot of coffee on the stove. She never forgot a birthday, never missed a school play and could stretch a Sunday dinner to feed whoever showed up.
She was preceded in death by her husband Robert and her son James. She is survived by her children Susan (Mark) Riley, David (Karen) Foster and Nancy Foster; eleven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at First Presbyterian Church on March 18 at 10 a.m., with a reception to follow in the church hall. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the local food bank, a cause close to Helen’s heart.
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Barbara Ann Whitfield, 84, of Portland, went home to the Lord on February 20, 2026.
Born on September 9, 1941, in Salem, Barbara was the eldest of five children. She met her husband Thomas at a church dance and they were married for fifty-three years before his passing. Barbara devoted herself to raising their three children and later delighted in every one of her grandchildren.
She had a gift for making people feel welcome. Her kitchen table was the center of the family and no one left it hungry or unheard. She loved her garden, her crossword puzzles and a good long chat on the porch.
Barbara is survived by her children Linda (Paul) Chase, Gary (Michelle) Whitfield and Karen Doyle; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Thomas and her sister Joan.
Visitation will be held at Rose Chapel on February 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will follow the next morning at 11 a.m. Burial will be private.
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Evelyn Rose Barnett, 93, of Asheville, passed away on January 30, 2026, at the age of 93 after a life well and fully lived.
Evelyn was born on May 15, 1932, in a small farmhouse outside Knoxville. The daughter of a farmer, she grew up knowing the value of hard work and never lost it. She married Charles Barnett in 1953 and the two ran a hardware store in town for more than forty years.
Anyone who knew Evelyn knew her strength. She raised five children, buried a husband and still found the energy to teach every grandchild how to bake her famous apple pie. She was practical, funny and endlessly generous with her time.
She is survived by her four daughters, her son, fifteen grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren, a number she was quietly very proud of. She was preceded in death by her husband Charles and her daughter Mary.
A celebration of Evelyn’s life will be held at the Barnett family farm on February 8 at noon. All who loved her are welcome. Bring a story to share.
Heartfelt and Personal Obituary Examples for a Grandmother
Not every family wants the standard format. Some of the most beautiful obituaries I’ve read read more like a love letter than a notice. If your grandmother was a character then let the obituary show that.
If you knew Rosalind “Roz” Hayes you were lucky, and she’d have been the first to tell you so.
Roz passed away on March 1, 2026, at the grand age of 87, most likely mid-sentence and definitely with the last word. She was born in Brooklyn in 1938, the daughter of Italian immigrants, and she carried that borough with her everywhere she went along with a strong opinion on everyone’s cooking but her own.
She was a grandmother of the loud and loving kind. She hugged too tight, fed you too much and worried about you constantly. Her home was chaos and comfort in equal measure and her grandchildren wouldn’t have traded a minute of it.
Roz is survived by her two sons, her daughter and eight grandchildren who will miss her terribly and hear her voice in their heads for the rest of their lives, usually telling them to eat something.
We’ll gather to celebrate her, argue over her recipes and laugh until we cry on March 9 at the family home. Come hungry. She’d insist.
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Grandma Jean believed three things without fail: that any problem could be solved over a cup of tea, that idle hands were the devil’s work and that her grandchildren were the smartest, kindest and most handsome children ever born. We loved her for all three.
Jean Marshall passed away peacefully in her sleep on February 14, 2026, at the age of 90. It seems fitting that she left us on Valentine’s Day because love was the whole of her.
She was born in 1935 and spent forty years as the school secretary, which meant half the town called her Mrs. Marshall and the other half just called her Grandma. She knew everyone’s name and everyone’s business and she kept both safe.
Jean is survived by her three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom learned to knit whether they wanted to or not.
A memorial tea, and it had to be a tea, will be held at the community hall on February 22 at 2 p.m. Bring your favorite memory of her. We’ll be swapping them all afternoon.
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They broke the mold when they made Grandma Sofia, then they lost the pieces.
Sofia Reyes left this world on January 25, 2026, at the age of 82, after a short illness she faced with the same stubborn grace she brought to everything. Born in 1943, she came to this country at nineteen with two suitcases and a fearlessness that never left her.
Sofia raised four children largely on her own and treated every grandchild as a personal project to be spoiled, corrected and adored in equal measure. She danced in her kitchen, sang badly and loudly and told stories that got better every year she told them.
She is survived by her four children, ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, a whole noisy tribe she built from nothing.
We will honor her the way she’d want, with music, food and far too many people crammed into one room, on February 1 at the family home. She would have loved the crowd.
A Fill in the Blank Grandmother Obituary Template
Fill in the blanks of this template with your grandmother’s details and change the wording to suit her.
[Full name], age [age], of [town/city], passed away [peacefully/suddenly/after a long illness] on [date] [at home/at hospital/surrounded by family].
[First name] was born on [birth date] in [birthplace] to [parents’ names]. She [married/was married to] [spouse’s name] in [year] and together they [built a life / raised a family / lived in ______].
She spent much of her life [career or main role] but her greatest joy was her family. She loved [hobby], [hobby] and above all [her grandchildren / her time with loved ones]. She will be remembered for [a quality, a habit, a saying that was hers].
She was preceded in death by [names]. She is survived by her [children and their spouses], [number] grandchildren and [number] great-grandchildren.
A [service/celebration of life] will be held on [date] at [time] at [location]. In lieu of flowers the family asks that [donation request or other wish].
Print it out, scribble on it, cross bits out. The finished obituary rarely looks like the template you started with and that’s exactly how it should be.
Words and Quotes to Include in Your Grandmother’s Obituary
A short line of verse or a quote can be a lovely way to close an obituary. It gives readers a moment to pause and it can say something the facts can’t.
Below are a few original lines you’re welcome to use:
- “She loved us into who we are, and love like that never really leaves.”
- “A grandmother’s hands are never really still. Hers are folded now, but their work lives on in all of us.”
- “Gone from the kitchen, gone from the garden, but never once gone from our hearts.”
- “She spent her whole life gathering people in. We carry the warmth of that gathering with us still.”
If you’d like more to choose from our collections of loss of grandmother quotes and I miss you Grandma quotes have lots of options. And if you’d rather include a poem take a look at our funeral poems for a grandmother, many of which work well as a closing line.
Tips for Writing Your Grandmother’s Obituary
- Get the facts first. Dates, full names, spelling of every family member. Have these before you start writing so you’re not stopping every two minutes to check.
- Ask the family. Everyone remembers a different version of Grandma. A message to siblings and cousins asking for their favorite memory will give you some great lines you can use.
- Read it out loud. An obituary is meant to be heard as much as read. If a sentence is a problem when you say it make sure you change it.
- Don’t aim for perfect. You’re grieving. The obituary doesn’t need to be a masterpiece.
- Double check the service details. The date, the time, the address. This is the one part people act on so it’s worth reading twice.
- Let someone else look. A second pair of eyes will see any typos you’ve missed. Ask a family member to check the names and dates before it goes to print.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an obituary and a eulogy for a grandmother?
An obituary is a written notice usually printed in a newspaper or posted online that announces her death and shares the key facts of her life and the service details. A eulogy is a spoken speech given at the funeral. They have different purposes so you may well need both.
We break the two down in our guide on the difference between a eulogy and an obituary, and if you’re writing the speech too there’s help in our eulogy examples for a grandmother.
How do I start a grandmother’s obituary?
Most obituaries open with the announcement: her full name, her age and the date she passed. Something as simple as “Margaret Sullivan, 88, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2026” is fine. If you want a different opening you can start with a line about who she was instead, then work the facts in after.
What should I not include in an obituary?
For safety reasons it’s wise to leave out her exact date of birth, her mother’s maiden name and her home address, as these details can be used for identity theft. It’s also best to keep the tone kind. An obituary isn’t the place to air any family grievances.
Can I write an obituary for a grandmother who wasn’t related by blood?
Absolutely. A step grandmother, a grandmother in law or the woman who simply was your grandmother in every way that mattered all deserve the same loving tribute.
How much does it cost to publish an obituary?
It varies a lot. Local papers often charge by the line or the word and the costs can add up to around fifty dollars to several hundred for a longer notice with a photo. Funeral home websites and online memorial pages are usually free which is why many families post a short version in the paper and a fuller one online.
Final Thoughts
Writing an obituary for the woman who helped raise you is one of the hardest things to do. Whichever of these examples you use for help don’t worry about it being perfect. Whatever you manage will be more than good enough.
And when the obituary’s done and the service is over our guide on writing a death announcement and our funeral flower messages for a grandmother can help with whatever comes next.
