Short obituary examples
A short obituary gives the name, age, town and date of death, one line about who they were, the closest family and the service. Here are seven examples between 40 and 120 words.
Facts checked at the sources on October 23, 2026.
The fill-in short template
[Full name], [age], of [town], died [date]. [One line about who they were.] [He/She/They] is survived by [closest family]. [Service: day, date, time, place.] [In lieu of flowers, gifts to charity.] [The full obituary is at web address.]
Examples
Frances "Frannie" Holt, 92, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, died October 8, 2026. She quilted for every new baby in the family, 23 of them. She is survived by three children, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Service Saturday at 11 a.m. at Mellinger Mennonite Church.
Walter Greene, 88, of Topeka, Kansas, died October 5, 2026. A wheat farmer and Navy veteran, he never missed a county fair. Survived by his wife, June; four children; and 11 grandchildren. Graveside service with military honors Monday at 2 p.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Angela Russo, 64, of Providence, died October 16, 2026. A hairdresser on Federal Hill for 40 years, she knew everybody's business and kept all of it to herself. She leaves her husband, Vincent, and her daughters, Gina and Marie. Mass Friday at 10 a.m., Holy Ghost Church.
Earl Washington Jr., 70, of Memphis, died October 13, 2026. A FedEx mechanic for 32 years and a deacon at Mount Pisgah, he leaves his wife, Gloria; four children; and eight grandchildren. Homegoing service Saturday at noon at Mount Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church.
Our friend Dana Whitaker, 52, of Portland, Oregon, died October 20, 2026. Dana ran the Tuesday trivia night at the Laurelhurst Public House and never once let us win on a technicality. A gathering will be held there Sunday, November 1, at 4 p.m.
Martha Lindgren, 81, of Fargo, North Dakota, died October 2, 2026. A retired librarian and lifelong birdwatcher, she is survived by her son, Peter, and two grandchildren. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.
Joseph Kim, 77, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, died October 17, 2026. Service Wednesday at 11 a.m., Korean Presbyterian Church of Fort Lee. Full obituary at obituaryus.org.
What to cut first
When a newspaper charges by the line, every phrase has a price. Cut in this order:
- Adjectives ("beloved", "devoted", "cherished").
- Grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's names: use the number.
- The full employment history: keep the one job people knew them by.
- Visitation details, if the funeral home lists them online.
- Never cut: the full name, age, town, date and the service time.
Then put the long version online for free and end the printed notice with its address. See what newspapers charge.
Turn a short notice into a full obituary later
Many families publish a short notice first, then a full obituary after the funeral, when there is time to collect stories. On ObituaryUS you can start with the short notice template and switch to the traditional template later without retyping anything.
Write it with us, free
Answer a few questions and ObituaryUS sets your words in a clean, printed-page layout you can share, print and keep. No fees, no ads on the page.
Questions families ask
How short can an obituary be?
The shortest useful notice is one or two sentences: name, age, town, date of death and the service time. Anything else is a gift to the reader.
What is the difference between a short obituary and a death notice?
Not much in practice. A death notice is the paid, facts-only announcement; a short obituary usually adds one line about who the person was.
Can I post a short obituary on Facebook?
Yes. Post the short version with a link to the full obituary online, so the details stay in one place and can be updated.