Words of Condolence for a Family Man

Dear Meyers Family,

Words can't begin to express the sympathy we feel on the untimely death of your beloved husband, father, brother, and friend. He will be missed by everyone that knew him.

I hope the expressions of sympathy that you must be receiving from everyone provide some consolation to you. Hopefully, knowing how much he was loved will give you a measure of comfort. He was always popular with the kids at softball practice, and my children often spoke of his funny stories and wonderful sense of humor. They never had a coach that inspired them the way he did with his positive attitude and encouragement.

I hope you and your family can find peace in the memories that you have of him.

May God bless you and your wonderful family,

Helen Palmer and family

1. Keep your letter short but thoughtful
2. Try to mention a fond or funny memory of the deceased if you have one
3. Respect religious beliefs. Some people have beliefs that are very different from yours. Whatever their belief, they still need sympathy.
4. Sign with a full name (first and surname). This is good etiquette as there may be other relatives or friends with the same first name as you.
5. Do not offer financial help
6. Don’t mention money the deceased may have owed you. This can be dealt with after the grieving period has passed.
7. Do offer to help in other ways such as offering to cook a nice meal for the surviving family members, or helping with chores.

Letters of sympathy and condolences are personal, and so you should first mention the name of the person you are addressing. Depending on how well you knew the deceased or the surviving family some of the ways you can do that are:

Dear _______,
My Dear Friend _______,
Dearest _______,
Dear Mrs. _______,
Dear Mr. _______,
Dear _______ Family,
Dear Family _______,

* Condolence Letter Writing Tip: If you knew the deceased, but not the family, address the letter to the closest family member, such as the spouse or eldest child. Also, if you did not know the deceased, address the card or letter to your friend, co-worker, or acquaintance.

Choosing the right words to include in your own letter can be a difficult task. Just be sincere when you write so that your letter reflects the true nature of your relationship with the bereaved.

In our letter we began with:

Words can't begin to express the sympathy we feel on the untimely death of your beloved husband, father, brother, and friend. He will be missed by everyone that knew him.

Other appropriate sentiments include:

We were sorry to hear of your loss. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

I want to extend my deepest condolences to you. I was so sorry to hear of the passing of ________.

I want to offer my sincere condolences on the loss of _______________. He was a good husband, father, son, and grandson, and I know that he will be missed.

Please accept our sympathies to your family during this time. We are sorry to hear of your loss and will keep you in our thoughts.

May your hearts soon be filled with special memories of the times you enjoyed with ___________ as you celebrate his life.

When writing words of condolence letters for a family man, it can be helpful to mention a fond memory of the deceased if you knew him. These memories can provide some comfort to the survivors as they deal with their loss. Here are some other options you can use:

• ___________ was well-loved by all who knew him. My husband used to talk about him and how much fun he was to work with. His happy personality and sense of humor was an inspiration to all who spent time around him.
• I didn't know ___________, but I have seen his impact as a husband and father through you and the kids. The stories you would tell about time spent together as a family showed me what a wonderful person he was and how he made your lives better. He will be greatly missed.
• It's difficult to lose someone, especially when they have played such a pivotal role in your lives. I know family was very important to him and he was so proud to be a husband, father, and grandfather. It was his greatest achievement and all of you meant so much to him. Please remember that and allow it to give you some measure of comfort for the days ahead.
• I was saddened to hear of ____________'s passing. We were great friends back in high school and he was the one who encouraged me to go on to medical school when I didn't think I'd have a chance. I grieve for the loss of your father, grandfather, and brother.

If you knew the deceased and family well, you may feel comfortable offering assistance. Here are some appropriate suggestions:

• I'll fix a few meals that you can put in the freezer. Just take them out and heat them up as you need them.
• I'll be going shopping on Tuesday. I'll stop by and see if there's anything you need.
• I'll take care of the yard work for the next few weeks so you don't have to worry about that.
• I'll stop by next week and take the kids out to a movie. I'll give you a call and we can decide on a time.

We closed our letter with:

May God bless you and your wonderful family,

These last words of sympathy end the letter with comfort and support. Other phrases you can use to end your words of condolence letters for a family man are:

• With warm and sincere sympathy,
• With hope that it provides comfort to know that we care,
• With blessings, love, and prayers,
• Know that you are in our prayers
• May God bring you peace and comfort,
• With deep and heartfelt condolences,

Makes sure you avoid these common spelling mistakes if using your own words for any in our sample words of condolence letters for a family man.

• Condolense
• Condolesens
• Simpathy
• Simpathie
• Preyers
• Blesings
• Simpothy
• Simpothie

If you choose to send a text or email message rather than a letter of condolence for a family man, you can say something similar to what you would include in a letter. However, it is appropriate for it to be shorter, especially for a text or social media message. Here are some examples that you can use.

I just heard about ______'s death. Please know you and your family are in my thoughts.

I heard from ______ that you lost your husband and father. I want to extend my sympathies to all of you.

I just heard about the death of ______. I want to offer my sincere condolences. He was such a great husband, father, grandfather, and brother. I know that he will be missed.

You can send one of these messages to provide immediate comfort and then send a traditional letter at a later time if you feel it is appropriate.

If you are sending flowers or another gift to the family, you may wonder what to put on a card to offer sympathy to include everyone in the sentiment. Here are a few ideas that you can use for your own condolence cards for a family man:

• May these flowers serve as an expression of my sympathy for your family.
• Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this time.
• May these flowers let you know that we care and share in your grief.
• You are in our thoughts during this time.
• May God be give you comfort during this time.

"Say not in grief he is no more – but live in thankfulness that he was." Hebrew Proverb

"Some are bound to die young, By dying young a person stays young in people's memory. If he burns brightly before he dies, his brightness shines for all time." Unknown

"It is not length of life, but depth of life." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." Robert Frost