Words of Condolence to Write in a Letter for a Niece

Dear June and/or Carl,

I was sorry to hear of the loss of your sweet niece. I know she was the light of your life, especially since you had no children of your own.

It seems like only yesterday when she broke out in song with "the wheels on the bus go round and round." In no time, she was grown up and planning her future. It's such a terrible shame to lose someone so young and with such promise. I'm sure the family is numb with shock.

Such a tragedy serves to remind us of how fragile life is and that we can never know what tomorrow will bring. The lesson for all of us in this sad moment is to appreciate the little everyday things of life and never take anyone for granted. I hope those little moments with your niece will bring you comfort as you treasure the memories.

With hope that my words provide some comfort to you,

Susan

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 may believe in reincarnation rather than heaven, or could be atheists. Whatever their belief, they still deserve 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 take a walk with them so they can get away and talk.

Letters of sympathy and condolences are personal, and this should be reflected in your greeting. You should first mention the name of the person you are addressing. Depending on how close you are with the aunt or uncle or the deceased, 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 aunt and/or uncle. 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 challenging task. Just remember to write from the heart so that your letter reflects the true nature of your relationship with the bereaved.

In our letter we began with:

I was sorry to hear of the loss of your sweet niece. I know she was the light of your life, especially since you had no children of your own.

Other appropriate sentiments for opening a letter include:

My most sincere condolences to you. I was sorry to hear of the loss of ________. Know that you and your family are in my prayers.

We were so sorry to hear of your loss. You have our most heartfelt sympathy. We are praying for you during this difficult time.

My deepest condolences on the loss of your niece. May your beautiful memories sustain you during this sad time.

May you be filled with the wonderful memories of special times together as you celebrate this beautiful life.

Please accept our deepest sympathies. Our prayers are with you and the family during this time.

When writing words of condolence letters for a niece, it is appropriate to mention a special memory of the deceased as we did in the example with the song the niece sang as a child. It can help the survivors to better deal with the pain of losing their loved one as they remember happier times together with the niece. Here are some other ways to do so:

• I remember your niece's bubbly personality and how inquisitive she was when she came to visit you. Always wanting to know why and how things worked. Even at that tender age, I knew she would be a student of life and learning.
• Even though I never met your niece, I felt like I knew her through your stories. You always had such funny anecdotes after she had a visit with you. It was easy to see how much she meant to you.
• I was so sorry to hear of __________'s passing. We were such good friends in high school. We lost touch once we went our separate ways in college, but I always remembered her fondly. She was such a positive influence on my life, always encouraging me to study and stay out of trouble. I truly believe she is one of the reasons I went on to medical school. She believed in me even when I didn't believe in myself. I know you must feel her loss deeply.
• I was so shocked to learn of ________'s passing. She was so fond of you that I felt I had to send my condolences to you. She used to talk about her Aunt _______ and Uncle _______ with such love and admiration. I know you had a great impact on her life and the wonderful person she had become.

Some appropriate ways to offer help are:

• I’ll prepare several meals that you can keep in the freezer. That way you can just thaw them out and heat them up as you need them.
• I’m going shopping on _____ so I’ll call and see what you need and drop them by on the way home.
• Since I lost _____ I attend regular support meetings. I have one on _____, I’d really like for you to join me.
• I have _____ and _____ off, so I’ll pick you up and we can go for a walk on whichever day suits you.
• I'll give you a call in a couple of days and we can schedule a lunch date.

We closed our letter with:

With hope that my words provide some comfort to you,

These final words of sympathy are your last chance to show your support and end the letter in a comforting way. Other phrases you can use to end words of condolence letters for a niece are:

• With hope that it helps you to know we care.
• With since and heartfelt sympathy.
• With blessings, love and prayers.
• May these flowers express what our words never will.
• Know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
• With our deepest and and most sincere condolences.

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

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

There are times it may be appropriate to send a quick message in an email or text to offer your support to the surviving family. If you choose to send a text or email message rather than a letter of condolence for a niece, you can write something similar to what you would include in a formal letter. However, it is appropriate to write a shorter message in this format, 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 niece. I want to extend my sympathies to you and the family. I'll call you in a few days so we can schedule a time to get together for lunch or a walk.

I just heard about the death of ______. I want to offer my sincere condolences. Please let me know if you need anything. I can keep an eye on the house while you are out of town for the funeral.

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 aunt or uncle, you may wonder what to put on a card to offer sympathy. This is a good time to offer a few words of comfort in a concise way. Here are a few ideas that you can use for your own condolence cards for someone's niece:

• May these flowers serve as an expression of my sympathy for you and your family.
• Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this time.
• May these flowers let you know that we care.
• You are in our thoughts as you grieve the loss of your niece.
• May God be with you during this time.

"Death-the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening." – Walter Scott

"The song is ended, but the melody lingers on…" Irving Berlin

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein

"Say not in grief that she is no more, but say in thankfulness that she was. A death is not the extinguishing of a light, but the putting out of the lamp because the dawn has come." Rabindranath Tagore