How to Write a Eulogy: 5 Short Eulogy Examples

Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences one can go through. If you’re reading this to prepare a eulogy for someone in your life, we’re sorry for your loss and here to help.

A eulogy is a speech given at a funeral to remember and honor the dead. It’s one way of showing appreciation and respect for the lasting memory of an impactful family member, true friend, or loved one. 

We’ve put together this guide to help you through this often-overwhelming process. Let's get into how to write a eulogy, complete with examples.

What makes a good eulogy?

In funeral speeches, every person deserves to be remembered in a way that honors their impact on the people around them. What this looks like depends on your relationship with the person you speak of. 

The strongest eulogies will evoke the person’s personality through sincere storytelling. Sharing a fond memory of your loved one can help you and others remember everything that made them special to you. 

While this is undoubtedly sad, your eulogy doesn’t have to be. If your loved one had a vibrant and gregarious personality, try to capture their essence in your speech. Speaking about your loved one positively with personal stories can help the rest of the audience remember their own fond memories.

Step-by-step guide on how to write a eulogy

Use the following step-by-step guide to write a eulogy for your loved one that is personal and memorable. The deceased will sometimes have a letter of last instruction or final wishes. If this is the case for your loved one, try to take a look at that document before deciding how to write a eulogy for them.

1. Prepare

Write down any funny stories, feelings, or memories you have about the deceased. Remember that this can be a personal story or anecdote about your relationship with your loved one. In this first step, it is OK to write down anything and everything.

2. Organize your thoughts

Now is the time to shape your thoughts into a rough outline. Draft a structure that allows you to have an introduction, middle, and conclusion. 

Sort all your different fond memories in a way that can best showcase your loved one’s personality in a relatable way. 

Eulogies are typically between 5 and 15 minutes, so make sure to consider that when drafting your outline.

3. Consider the introduction

Begin with your relationship with the deceased, any notable life milestones, or any particularly personal stories you want to share.

The introduction should highlight your relationship with the deceased. You can then tie in any personal stories in the middle, but people should know why you are speaking and giving this eulogy. 

Decide what you’re going for in your speech, and use your introduction to create a suitable environment.

4. Flesh out the middle 

Here is where you can cover the important parts of the deceased’s life. You can share personal stories from others, achievements, the impact on their community and family members, and more.

It can be a good place to share some fond memories about your loved one and how your relationship grew through different memories together.

5. Decide on your conclusion 

There’s no wrong way to end a funeral speech. Some end with a poem, a quote, funny stories, or a summary of the deceased’s impact on their community. 

The conclusion should encapsulate the individual’s spirit and legacy. How you do that is up to you.

6. Review and revise 

Part of what it means to write a eulogy or is to start the healing process for you and everyone attending the funeral or memorial service. 

Do’s and don’ts for writing a eulogy

Do’s

• Tell a story: If you have any heartfelt stories or fond memories of the deceased, take this time to share them with the other attendees. You're encouraged to talk about someone’s qualities and personality in a funeral speech, but you can enhance each trait by sharing a personal story through their life events.
• Be honest: Nobody’s perfect. You can humanize the deceased by being honest about the good and the bad so long as you’re coming from a place of love. Don’t try to glorify your loved one by painting a false picture of them.
• Write for your strengths: It’s okay to speak in simple and complex language. There’s no right tone. Be true to yourself when writing your speech so that your delivery is authentic. You can practice delivering your speech so you know what feels right to say.
• Prepare a backup reader: It’s common for folks to feel emotional at a funeral or memorial service. If you fear you’ll be too emotional on the day itself to give the speech yourself, a backup reader can help deliver your words for you.
• Mention the deceased’s family members by name: Family members are a part of the deceased’s legacy; this is a simple yet effective way to honor them.

Don'ts

• Wing it: Winging a eulogy might seem like a path to being genuine and straightforward in your approach. In reality, it often leads to speaking insensitively or incoherently. Make sure to prepare what you want to say.
• Dwell on touchy subjects like the cause of death, legal issues, and family disputes: It’s bad form to talk poorly about the dead, and people might not take kindly to controversial subjects like the aforementioned.
• Go over on time: Most eulogies last 5 to 15 minutes, and going much longer than that risks cutting another part of the service short. Stay respectful of others’ time and keep the focus on honoring the deceased’s legacy. Taking too long in your speech can inadvertently take away from the rest of the service.

Tips for delivering a eulogy at a funeral or memorial service

• Practice the speech: This is a good way to manage nerves on the funeral or memorial service day and ensure a smooth delivery.
• Check your timing: You should have a rough idea of your speech's length before delivering it. Remember that other people may be speaking, or the funeral service might be on a strict schedule. You don’t want to cut into others’ time
• Speak clearly: Try your best to manage your emotions, and use notes as needed. No one is expecting you to be perfect here, so just do your best.

5 short eulogy examples

We’ve compiled a variety of eulogies that people have written for their loved ones for you to take inspiration from. 

Eulogy for Marilyn Monroe by Lee Strasberg

Lee Strasberg was a mentor to the late great Marilyn Monroe. His funeral speech is an excellent showcase of how to speak about someone you had a mentor relationship with.

“Marilyn Monroe was a legend.

“In her own lifetime, she created a myth of what a poor girl from a deprived background could attain. For the entire world, she became a symbol of the eternal feminine.

“But I have no words to describe the myth and the legend. I did not know this Marilyn Monroe. We gathered here today, knew only Marilyn—a warm human being, impulsive and shy, sensitive and in fear of rejection, yet ever avid for life and reaching out for fulfillment.”

Starsberg starts the speech by acknowledging Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with the general public and juxtaposing that with his relationship with the famous actress. This effectively answers the question of why he was giving one of the funeral speeches at this memorial service.

“Others were as physically beautiful as she was, but there was obviously something more in her, something that people saw and recognized in her performances and with which they identified. She had a luminous quality—a combination of wistfulness, radiance, yearning—to set her apart and yet make everyone wish to be a part of it, to share in the childish naïveté which was so shy and yet so vibrant.

“Now it is at an end. I hope her death will stir sympathy and understanding for a sensitive artist and a woman who brought joy and pleasure to the world.

“I cannot say goodbye. Marilyn never liked goodbyes, but in the peculiar way she had of turning things around so that they faced reality—I will say au revoir. For the country to which she has gone, we must all someday visit.”

This fitting tribute describes how Strasberg saw Monroe. Not a larger-than-life figure with the world at her feet, but an ambitious and relatable young actress who faced the world head-on.

This was a beautiful way of humanizing Marilyn Monroe as more than just a famous person who has died and teaching the audience something they may not have known about the late public figure. 

Eulogy for Steve Jobs by Mona Simpson

Mona Simpson was Steve Jobs’ little sister whom he didn’t meet until she was 25 years old. Her loved one’s eulogy is an honest picture of a man with strengths and weaknesses that made him who he was.

“I want to tell you a few things I learned from Steve during three distinct periods over the 27 years I knew him. They’re not periods of years but of states of being: his full life, his illness, and his dying.

“Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day. That’s incredibly simple but true. He was the opposite of absent-minded.

“He was never embarrassed about working hard, even if the results were failures. If someone as smart as Steve wasn’t ashamed to admit trying, maybe I didn’t have to be.”

This part of Simpson’s eulogy effectively shows how Jobs was an inspiration to her, as he had been to many people across the world.

“For an innovator, Steve was remarkably loyal. If he loved a shirt, he’d order 10 or 100 of them. In the Palo Alto house, there are probably enough black cotton turtlenecks for everyone in this church.

“He didn’t favor trends or gimmicks. He liked people his own age.

“His philosophy of aesthetics reminds me of a quote that went something like this: ‘Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first, but it becomes beautiful later.’

“Steve always aspired to make beautiful later. He was willing to be misunderstood.”

Simpson’s funny story about Jobs’ famous black turtlenecks gave everyone in the audience a fond memory to latch on to. The quote is another great way of capturing somebody’s essence through art.

“Before embarking, [Steve] looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them.

“Steve’s final words were:

“OH WOW. OH WOW. OH WOW.”

This eulogy is as unique as Steve Jobs himself. As the audience, we are left on a note of mystery and wanting to know more. It is a beautiful way of capturing Jobs’ remarkable, sometimes eccentric, personality.

Eulogy for Steve Irwin by Bindi Irwin

Losing a parent at any age can be unimaginably difficult. Bindi Irwin had to write a touching eulogy for her father when she was only eight years old. Her heart and authenticity shined through, showing how to write a eulogy without needing fancy words to honor someone you love.

“My Daddy was my hero—he was always there for me when I needed him. He listened to me and taught me so many things, but most of all he was fun. I know that Daddy had an important job. He was working to change the world so everyone would love wildlife like he did. He built a hospital to help animals, and he bought lots of land to give animals a safe place to live.

“He took me and my brother and my Mum with him all the time.

“We filmed together, caught crocodiles together, and loved being in the bush together. I don’t want Daddy’s passion to ever end. I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did.

“I have the best Daddy in the whole world, and I will miss him every day. When I see a crocodile, I will always think of him, and I know that Daddy made this zoo so everyone could come and learn to love all the animals. Daddy made this place his whole life, and now it’s our turn to help Daddy.”

Eulogy for Muhammad Ali by Billy Crystal

Here is an excerpt from Billy Crystal’s eulogy for Muhammad Ali. It shows a touching, heartwarming, and hilarious way of how to write a eulogy using funny stories without being inappropriate.

“Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, we’re at the halfway point. I was clean-shaven when this started.

“Dear Lonnie (Ali’s wife), family, friends, Mr. President, members of the clergy, all of these amazing people here in Louisville. Today, this outpouring of love and respect proves that 35 years after he stopped fighting, [Muhammad Ali] is still the champion of the world.”

“He was a tremendous bolt of lightning created by Mother Nature out of thin air, a fantastic combination of power and beauty. We’ve seen still photographs of lightning bolts, ferocious in its strength, magnificent in its elegance. And at the moment of impact, it lights up everything around it so you can see everything clearly. 

"Muhammad Ali struck us in the middle of America’s darkest night, in the heart of its most threatening gathering storm. His power toppled the mighty foes, and his intense light shined on America, and we were able to see clearly: injustice, inequality, poverty, pride, self-realization, courage, laughter, love, joy, and religious freedom for all. 

“My friends, only once in a thousand years or so do we get to hear a Mozart, or see a Picasso, read a Shakespeare. Ali was one of them, and yet at his heart, he was still a kid from Louisville who ran with the gods and walked with the crippled and smiled at the foolishness of it all. He is gone, but he will never die.

“He was my big brother.”

The eulogy beautifully concludes with a metaphor symbolizing Muhammad Ali’s impact on so many people.

While there are aspects of this eulogy that might not be relatable to everyone, it shows how to appropriately take a lighthearted tone in your speech while staying respectful of the deceased, even if you're not a family member.

Eulogy for Gerald Ford by Jimmy Carter

Gerald Ford, once a political rival to Jimmy Carter, turned out to be a true friend. President Carter’s speech was professional and inspiring, and it befitted of a tribute to a former president.

"'For myself and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.' Those were the first words I spoke as president. And I still hate to admit that they received more applause than any other words in my inaugural address.

“You learn a lot about a man when you run against him for president, and when you stand in his shoes and assume the responsibilities that he has borne so well, and perhaps even more after you both lay down the burdens of high office and work together in a nonpartisan spirit of patriotism and service."

“In fact, he was given a thorough briefing almost every month from the head of my White House staff or my national security adviser. And Jerry never came to the Washington area without being invited to have lunch with me at the White House.”

President Carter was in a unique position to speak about President Ford. Their 1976 battle for the Oval Office was defined by mutual respect above all else. This is another effective way of answering why President Carter was chosen to give this eulogy.

“I still don't know any better way to express it than the words I used almost exactly 30 years ago. For myself and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he did to heal our land.”

Tying the opening message into the closing statement is a surefire way to make an impact on the audience. It’s especially powerful when you’re sharing your direct experience with the deceased.

You can’t go wrong in taking inspiration from any of these examples. Take note of the structures of each, and pick one that feels right for you and your loved one.

FAQs

Can you write your own eulogy?

Sometimes, a person’s estate planning documents will include a personal eulogy or list of things they’d like mentioned at their funeral. For those who have an estate plan, this can provide a final opportunity to have your loved ones hear a special, heartfelt message.

Who should deliver a eulogy?

A relative or friend usually will deliver a eulogy for a person's life events.

Because of time constraints and emotions, families often choose a close friend or family member, like a child or sibling, to write a eulogy.

Is it OK to read a written eulogy?

Yes, it is OK to read a written eulogy. Emotions run high on the day of a funeral, and it’s easy to forget what you were going to say. Choosing to write a eulogy down can be a great way to ensure that you get your message across.

Can there be more than one eulogy?

Yes. There is no set number of people who deliver eulogies at a funeral. In smaller ceremonies, one or two people may deliver a eulogy, while some ceremonies—like Muhammad Ali’s—can have as many as nine people. 

How long should a eulogy be?

There is no set time limit for how long a eulogy should take. That being said, the time it takes to deliver a eulogy is typically between 5 to 15 minutes. This is to respect the time of the service and other speakers.

What is appropriate to share in a eulogy?

This is an answer that mostly depends on your preference for how to write a eulogy. If you’re going to add a funny story to your eulogy, make sure it’s something that everyone can laugh at and won’t make anyone feel uncomfortable. Be respectful of the fact that this is a time of grieving, and speak from a place of love.