There are many details that you will have to put together in order to organize your loved one’s final services from start to finish. One traditional things that funeral homes in Des Moines, IA might suggest you do is write up an obituary. This is something they can place on their website, and you can then share, and it’s also something you can put in area newspapers. The obituary will announce your loved one’s death, but it will also give you the chance to showcase who your loved one was. Here are some things you will want to do to create a meaningful piece.

Read Through Examples

It’s a great idea to read through examples of obituaries so you can get a feel for what people include, the tone, and the general length. The funeral homes have plenty of examples they can pass off to you, and they can also point you to their website to read as many as you want. They often also have templates you can use to fill in your loved one’s details to make sure you get the important parts.

Decide What Purposes You Want It To Serve

Most people use the obituary as a death announcement, but you can also use it to announce the service details, if you choose to do so. You can even add details about your loved one to show their personality and style. Decide if you want the obituary to highlight their life in a larger way, or just act as an announcement for those who already knew them.

Include Pertinent Details

Obituaries always have some details included. You will need to include your loved one’s name, including any nicknames or maiden names people may have known them by. You will want to say their age and when they passed on. You will also include family members names for those close to them who already passed, and those who are still living. And it’s also customary to list the funeral home caring for them so people can direct their questions there.

Add Personality Items

It can be nice to add a few details about the person’s life so you are able to highlight who they were and some things about their style. You might talk about their career, their hobbies, or other things that were important to them. These are things you will briefly add because the longer the obituary is, the more it will cost to place in the papers. But it can be nice to add a few lines to customize the details even further.

Expand On It At Services

Keep in mind that you aren’t going to be able to say everything you want to say about your loved one in the obituary—and that’s okay. You have a funeral service to look forward to and you can print a bio of them that includes anything you want. Or, you can use the service and the things said about them to expand on it with funeral homes in Des Moines, IA.