Eulogy Template and Simple Outline
A fill-in-the-blank eulogy template you can finish tonight, plus a five-part outline and versions for short, lighthearted, or complicated situations.
A eulogy template won't write the eulogy for you, but it takes away the worst part: the blank page. Below you'll find a full fill-in-the-blank template, a five-part eulogy outline that explains what goes where, a short version for services with several speakers, a lighter one for someone who loved to laugh, and a careful version for when the relationship was distant or difficult.
Use whichever eulogy format fits. Replace every word in [brackets] with something true and specific, then read it out loud and change anything that doesn't sound like you. If you want to see what finished versions look like, our eulogy examples page has eight of them.
The 5-part eulogy outline
Almost every good eulogy follows this shape, whether the speaker planned it or not. Think of each part as a short paragraph or two.
- Opening. Introduce yourself and your relationship. Offer one first image or line about them that sets up what you'll talk about. About 30 seconds.
- A story. One specific memory told like a scene. Where were you, what happened, what did they say? This is the heart of the speech. One to two minutes.
- Who they were. Two or three qualities, each backed up with a small example. Their work, their people, their habits, what they loved. About a minute.
- What they meant. What they gave to you, the family, or the people in the room. What you'll carry forward. 30 to 60 seconds.
- Closing. A goodbye, a thank you, or their own words handed back to them. Ideally it ties back to your opening. 15 to 30 seconds.
That's three to five minutes total, the usual length for a eulogy. For the full process behind this outline, including how to gather memories and practice, see how to write a eulogy.
Fill-in-the-blank eulogy template
This is the full template for eulogy writing. Each bracket is a prompt. Some you'll fill with a word, some with a whole paragraph.
Good [morning/afternoon]. My name is [your name], and I'm [name]'s [relationship]. Thank you all for being here. [Name] would have [a small, true reaction they'd have had to this crowd, like "counted the chairs" or "asked why everyone looked so serious"].
If you knew [name], you knew about [one habit, phrase, object, or place that sums them up]. [One or two sentences describing it in detail.]
I want to tell you about [a specific time or event]. It was [year, season, or age you were], and we were [where]. [Tell what happened, step by step. Include what they said, word for word if you remember it.] [End the story with how it turned out or what it showed you about them.]
That was [name]. [He/She/They] [quality one], like the way [small example]. [He/She/They] [quality two], and [small example]. And [he/she/they] loved [people, places, or things they loved most], especially [a specific person or detail].
[Name] spent [number] years [their work, role, or main pursuit], but what people will remember is [what they were like with others]. [A line about how they treated family, friends, neighbors, or strangers.]
What [he/she/they] gave me was [something they taught or gave you, said or unsaid]. I see it [where you see it now: in your kids, in a habit you picked up, in how you handle hard things].
[Name], [a direct goodbye, thank you, or promise that ties back to your opening detail]. [Their own phrase or a short final line.]
Once it's filled in, read it aloud with a timer. At a calm pace of about 130 words per minute, 400 to 650 words will land you in the three-to-five-minute range.
An example of the template filled in (opening only)
Here's how the first two paragraphs might look once the brackets are gone:
Good morning. My name is Sarah, and I'm Linda's oldest daughter. Thank you all for being here. Mom would have counted the chairs and worried there weren't enough. If you knew Linda, you knew about the junk drawer, third one down, left of the stove. Birthday candles, stamps, a battery that still worked. Whatever you needed, she'd already put it there.
Notice that nothing in it is fancy. It's just specific.
Short eulogy template (about 2 minutes)
Use this short eulogy format when several people are speaking, when the service is brief, or when you just want to say something simple and true. It comes out to around 250 words.
I'm [your name], [name]'s [relationship]. I'll keep this short, because [name] always [a habit that fits, like "said the food was the best part" or "hated long goodbyes"].
When I think of [name], I see [one clear image: a place, an object, a routine]. [Two or three sentences describing it.]
[One short memory, four or five sentences, that shows what kind of person they were.]
[Name] [one or two facts about their life: work, family, community], and still found time to [the thing that made them who they were].
[Name], [a one-line thank you or goodbye that ties back to your image].
The key with a short eulogy is picking one image and staying with it. Don't try to cover their whole life. Pick the porch, or the kitchen, or the truck, and let that carry everything.
Lighthearted eulogy template
For someone who loved a joke, a lighter eulogy can be the most honest kind. The trick is to let the laughter come from who they were, and then turn sincere before the end so people have a place to set down their feelings. Our funny eulogy guide has more on getting the tone right.
[Name] would want me to start with [a joke they always told, a saying, or a funny habit]. [Tell it the way they did.] [How people reacted, and how they reacted to people's reaction.]
[Name] had opinions. About [a few harmless, specific things: the right way to load a dishwasher, a sports team, a brand of barbecue sauce]. [A funny example of one of those opinions in action.]
[A second lighthearted story or quirk: a hobby they were bad at but loved, a secret they couldn't keep, a team that never won.]
But here's the thing about [name]. [Shift tone. Tell a sincere story about a time they showed up for you or someone else.]
That was [name]. [A short line that holds both sides, like "Loud, a little ridiculous, and right about the things that mattered."]
[Name], [a closing that returns to the joke or saying from the opening, said with love].
Before you use any joke, ask yourself whether the family will smile at it. Humor should feel like the person is in the room, not like you're doing a set.
Template for when you didn't know them well
Sometimes you're asked to speak for a relative you saw twice a year, a coworker, a member of your congregation, or a partner's parent. That's okay. You don't need to pretend to a closeness you didn't have. Be honest about your angle, and borrow stories from people who knew them best.
I'm [your name]. I knew [name] as [how you knew them: a coworker, my wife's father, a neighbor] for [length of time]. I'll be honest: there are people in this room who knew [him/her/them] far better than I did. So this week I asked a few of them to tell me about [name].
[Person or group] told me about [a story they shared]. [Retell it briefly, crediting them.]
[Another person] said [a quote or memory from someone else].
What I saw myself was [a small, true observation: how they greeted people, how they spoke about their family, a kindness you witnessed].
It's clear from everyone I talked to that [name] [what they meant to the people closest to them]. To [family members by relationship], thank you for sharing [him/her/them] with the rest of us.
Template for a complicated relationship
This one needs care. Maybe you and the person were estranged. Maybe they were hard to love, or hurt you, or the family is carrying a lot. You can still give a eulogy that's truthful without being cruel and kind without being false. You're allowed to keep it short. You're also allowed to say no to giving a eulogy at all.
A few principles before the template:
- Speak only to what's true. Don't invent a warmth that wasn't there. People who knew will notice, and you'll feel it.
- Look for the real good. Most people had something: a skill, a moment of tenderness, the way they were with a grandchild, a hard life they survived.
- Acknowledge, don't explain. One honest sentence like "Our relationship wasn't always easy" is enough. The funeral isn't the place for the details.
- Make room for others. Some people in the room may have had a very different experience of them. Leave space for that.
I'm [your name], [name]'s [relationship].
[Name] and I didn't always [understand each other / have an easy relationship / see things the same way]. I think a lot of families know what that's like. But I've been thinking this week about what I do know to be true about [him/her/them].
[Name] was [a true quality or skill], and you could see it in [a concrete example].
[A memory, even a small one, from a good moment between you or one you witnessed with someone else.]
[Name] lived through [a hardship or part of their life, if appropriate to share], and that shaped [him/her/them] in ways I'm still trying to understand.
I know [he/she/they] meant a great deal to [other people in the room], and I'm grateful for that.
[A short closing that feels honest to you: "I hope you've found peace." "I'm glad for the good days we had." "Rest now."]
If writing this brings up more than you expected, that's normal. It's okay to ask someone you trust to read your draft before the service.
Tips for filling in a eulogy template
A template is only as good as what you put in it. These are the things that make the difference between a eulogy that sounds generic and one that sounds like them.
Be specific in every bracket
"She loved to cook" could be anyone. "She made pound cake every Sunday from her mother's recipe card, which just says more butter than this on the back" could only be one person. Every time you fill a bracket, ask yourself whether a stranger could have written it. If they could, dig for a more specific detail.
Use their exact words
A phrase they always said is worth more than three adjectives describing them. If you can, put their words in your opening and again at the close.
Cut what doesn't fit
The template has more prompts than you need. If a section doesn't apply to your person, skip it. A eulogy outline is a guide, not a checklist.
Read it out loud before you call it done
Writing for the ear is different from writing for the page. If you stumble over a sentence, shorten it. If it sounds like a greeting card, rewrite it in the words you'd use on the phone with your sister.
Get help if you're stuck
If you've got the memories but can't turn them into sentences, the Speechfolk eulogy writer takes your notes and drafts a version based on this same structure, which you can then edit until it sounds like you.
Templates for specific people
The right details depend a lot on who you're writing for. A eulogy for a parent tends to center on childhood memories and lessons, while one for a grandparent often includes the whole family's shared rituals. These guides have prompts and sample lines tailored to each:
Whichever eulogy template you start with, remember that nobody in that room is expecting a perfect speech. They're hoping to recognize the person you're talking about. Give them that, and you've done it right.
Common questions
What is the format of a eulogy?+
Most eulogies follow a simple format: an opening where you introduce yourself, one or two stories, a section about who the person was, what they meant to others, and a short closing or goodbye.
Is it okay to use a eulogy template?+
Yes. A eulogy template just gives you a structure so you are not staring at a blank page. What makes the eulogy personal is the stories and details you put into it, not the outline.
How long should a eulogy template be when filled in?+
Aim for 400 to 650 words, which takes about three to five minutes to read aloud at a calm pace. The short template on this page fills out to about 250 words, or roughly two minutes.
What do you write in a eulogy for someone you did not know well?+
Focus on what you did see of them, and gather a few stories from people who knew them better. It is fine to say that plainly, such as noting that you only knew them for a few years but saw how much they meant to others.
How do you write a eulogy for someone you had a difficult relationship with?+
Be honest without airing grievances. Focus on the true and good things you can say, acknowledge complexity gently if needed, and keep it shorter. You are not required to describe a relationship that wasn't there.
What is a good eulogy outline?+
A reliable eulogy outline has five parts: opening, a story, who they were, what they meant, and a closing that ties back to the beginning. Each part can be a short paragraph.
Last updated October 13, 2026