Writing Your Own Obituary
BY MELANIE WALTERS

It may seem a little strange to write your own obituary, but actually, it is the best way to write what you want others to know about you after you have passed on.It is a great way to help your loved ones cope at a difficult time and you can rest assured that you have had a final farewell.

Preparing for Your Funeral: Obituaries, Wills and Donations

More and more people are preparing their own funerals long before they expect to pass on. Some people are even paying for them upfront so there is no burden to family and so that they can make arrangements that they want for their final farewell. Many people are choosing their casket, flowers, music, and even deciding on the menu for their funerals with the help of their funeral director. Preplanning like this benefits everyone. You get to choose things that you want for your funeral arrangements, and how you'd like people to donate money in lieu of flowers. But most importantly, preplanning reduces the responsibilities of your loved ones during a time of grief and sadness. Find out more at ObituariesHelp.org

Before the Funeral: Obituary Writing

Writing your own obituary is not morbid, nor does it hasten death, it's simply a way to make peace with your passing and to make things easier on your loved ones. When you sit down to write your own obituary, you want to keep one thing in mind.

Answer the question:
What do I want people to remember about me?

What to Write in Your Own Obituary

There are several ways to go about writing an obituary, but the best way starts with you recollecting events from your life that were meaningful or important to making you the person that you are today. Here are some tips for writing your own obituary.

• Think through and list out your accomplishments
• Write out anecdotes of events and happenings in your life
• Create a timeline of your life in chronological order so you don't miss anything out
• Ask others for their input, it's hard to see all your accomplishments objectively
• Read other obituaries for inspiration
• Find a recent photo that you'd like to use
• Live every day to its fullest so you have lots to write about

Information to Include While Writing Your Own Obituary

Obituaries contain a certain set of facts and stories from your life. Before you write out your own obituary get all the facts together. Below is a list of facts most commonly included in an obituary:

• Full name of the deceased
• Date and place of birth
• Date and place of death
• Surviving Family
• Date, time and address of funeral, memorial and burial services
• Officiating Clergy
• Memorial contributions to be made in lieu of flowers to:
• Photo
• Cause of Death
• Education
• Religious Affiliations
• Professional Memberships
• Participation in local or national organizations
• Military Service
• Occupation and employment history
• Accomplishments, achievements, awards
• Publications either written about or by the deceased
• Hobbies or Activities
• Acts of humanitarianism

Writing Your Own Obituary: A work in Progress

The wonderful thing about writing your own obituary is that you don't actually have to finish it! If you gather all your information and recollections but don't actually finish writing your own obituary, you'll still be helping your loved ones. By compiling this and telling your loved ones where the file is, will go a long way to getting an obituary that you would be happy with. All the information will be close at hand and your loved ones can simply start writing or give it to the funeral director to start writing the obituary. Just get started today and update it regularly. Who knows, it could become part of an autobiography or genealogy project!