Samples of Obituaries

This sample of an obituary can be adapted for anyone who was an active member of the community. Make sure you keep in mind that an obituary is a way to inform people of a person's passing and to give information about the deceased's life, the funeral, and the surviving family members. All the samples of obituaries give those details.

Other samples of obituaries resources you might find helpful:

Obituary Collection

1. How do I write an obituary? - A sentence-by-sentence guide to writing obituaries
2. What do I write in an Obituary? - Point by point checklist of what to write in an obituary
3. What to write in Newspaper Obituaries, Death Notices and Funeral Obituaries?
4. Newspaper Obituaries are Disappearing! - Article by Melanie Walters
5. Avoid Identify theft from Obituaries - A checklist of what you can do right now
6. Avoiding Common Pitfalls when writing Obituaries - practical tips for writing a tactful obituary
7. How to Handle Delicate Issues When Writing an Obituary - family secrets should remain secrets and more
8. Newspaper Obituaries - online obituaries in alphabetical order
9. Free Obituaries - Where you can submit free obituaries online
10. Obituaries List - Listings of Obituaries categorized by state
11. Celebrity Obituaries - Deaths of stars and celebrities' online obituaries
12. Famous People Obituaries - Notable deaths and obituaries
13. Sunday Obituaries - Big City Newspapers Obituaries Online
14. Funeral Obituaries - Examples of funeral obituaries
15. Death Notice - Examples of death notices

Sample Obituary for an Active Community Member

John H. Holmes, 58, of Portsmith died January 15, 2009. He was born in Chicago, the only son of Roger and Mary (Smith) Holmes. He was educated in the Chicago public schools and later attended Pittsfield Academy in Pittsfield, MA. He went on to receive his BA from Ohio State University and his Masters from John Hopkins University.

In 1980 he was married to the former Cassandra Harris at Mt. Olivet Catholic Church in Fairborn, OH. They have two children.

Mr. Holmes was employed by Martin-Marietta Aerospace Division in Fairborn since 1990. He was previously employed at General Electric's Turbine Facility in Portsmith. John was a communicant of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Portsmith, where he served as a lay minister. John was an active member of the Rotary Club of Portsmith, serving twice as President and later as District Governor. He was twice elected to the school board in Portsmith, a position he proudly held from 1980-1994, serving as President in 1992-93. He was also an active member of the Portsmith Curling Club.

He leaves his beloved wife Cassandra; his son Paul and his wife Marie of Seattle; and a daughter Francine of Portsmith. He also leaves a brother Frank and his wife Linda of Palo Alto, CA and a sister Margaret and her husband Frederick Pierce of Orlando, FL. He is also survived by his in-laws, Vernon and Patricia Harris of Albany, NY. He also leaves several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a sister Betty.

Funeral services are private and will be held at the convenience of the family. A memorial service will be held at 10a.m. on January 23, 2009 at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Portsmith with the Rev. David Sears presiding. Memorial gifts in Mr. Holmes' memory can be made to the American Heart Association, 24 Lomond Court, Portsmith 20976.

Arrangements are being handled by the Ogden-Smith Funeral Home, Portsmith.