Samples of Obituaries

This sample of an obituary can be adapted for any person who has had a long life. 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 Elderly Man

Northborough — John Ross Milton, 86, died Sunday, June 8, 2008 at the Overlook Masonic Health Center in Charlton following a brief illness.

He leaves his wife of 65 years, Shannon (Jacobs) Milton; his son, Robert Milton and his companion, Sadie Strong; his daughter, Pamela Milton; his cousin, Raymond Milton; two grandchildren; and many close friends.

Born and raised in Worcester, the son of Carl and Helene Pauline (Preston) Milton, he was a lifelong resident of Northborough.

In his early years, Mr. Milton would help sell milk for the family's business, Milton Milk. After graduating from North High School in 1941, he attended Clark University, graduating in 1945 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. He met his wife, Shannon Jacobs, at church and they were married in 1944 at Wesley United Methodist Church. In 1945, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard, where he was a Seaman, First Class.

After serving with the Coast Guard, Mr. Milton had the opportunity to join the Traveler's Insurance Company in Worcester. In 1948, he started the John Ross Insurance Agency, a partner of Insurance Services of Worcester. He not only took pride in his business, but truly relished the friends he made during his time in business. Over the years, his insurance expertise and reputation led him to be named the top Life Insurance Agent for Traveler's Insurance Co.

Mr. Milton had a passion for animals and was the head dog trainer for Shrewsbury Dog Training Club. For years, he would enroll his award winning German shepherds into dog shows, where he won numerous ribbons and awards.

An avid golfer, he was a longtime member of Worcester Country Club, the Worcester Club and the infamous Pinehurst Country Club in NC. He served on the board of directors for Worcester Country Club and First United Methodist Church of Westborough.

A funeral service was held June 12 from Hays Funeral Home of Northborough, with private burial.