Obituary

Obituary for a grandparent

A grandparent's obituary has a long life to cover and often a large family to list. Keep the life story to its landmarks, a move, a career, a marriage, a war, add one or two personal details, and count the grandchildren rather than naming them all if the list is long.

Updated September 30, 2026

The examples on this page were written for TributePen. The people, names and details in them are invented: use them as a starting point, never as someone's real story.

Telling a long life

Ninety years will not fit in four paragraphs, and it does not need to. Choose:

Where it started: birthplace, and a phrase about childhood if it matters (a farm, a war, immigration, a big family).
Two or three landmarks: marriage, career, a move, service.
The grandparent everyone knew: the house, the table, the habit.

Examples

Helena Kowalczyk

warm≈ 1 min 07 sec read aloud

Helena Kowalczyk, 92, of Chicago, Illinois, died peacefully on September 25, 2026.

Helena was born in 1934 in a village near Kraków, Poland, and arrived in Chicago in 1956 with one suitcase and a cousin's address. She learned English from the radio, worked for thirty years at a neighborhood bakery, and married Stanley Kowalczyk, a customer who came in every morning to buy one roll.

For sixty years, her Christmas Eve table fed three generations on good dishes she carried from Poland. She kept the pieces of every dish that broke.

Helena is survived by her children, Anna (Mark) Reilly, Joseph (Beata) Kowalczyk and Theresa Kowalczyk; seven grandchildren, Anna, Michael, Kasia, Peter, Lucy, Adam and Sophie; and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Stanley.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday, October 7. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you share a meal with someone who is alone.

For a grandmother, funeral home website · 157 words · 944 characters

Why it works: the immigration story gives a long life its shape in two sentences, and the grandchildren are named because the notice is online. Make it yours: a creative "in lieu of flowers" line works when it reflects her.

Walter Henderson

traditional≈ 43 sec read aloud

Walter Henderson, 88, of Ames, Iowa, died on September 27, 2026, at his home on the family farm where he was born.

Walter served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960, then farmed corn and soybeans for fifty years. He was a member of the county fair board and his church council.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, June; four children; eleven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Evelyn.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 3, followed by burial in the country cemetery.

For a grandfather, newspaper · 100 words · 561 characters

Why it works: counting grandchildren keeps a paid notice short. Make it yours: keep the named list for the funeral home website.

Lou Henderson

uplifting≈ 50 sec read aloud

Louise "Grandma Lou" Henderson, 91, of Des Moines, Iowa, left us on September 24, 2026, having outlived two husbands, three cars and every one of her doctors' predictions.

Lou was born in 1935, raised four children, and spent thirty years as a church secretary who knew everyone's business and kept all of it. She played cards every Thursday for forty years and took her grandchildren's allowance money every summer "to teach them about risk."

She is survived by her children, Carol, Jim, Nancy and Robert; eleven grandchildren, each of whom she told privately was her favorite; and nine great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 10. Bring a deck of cards.

For a grandmother, online memorial · 117 words · 698 characters

Why it works: humor that matches a lively grandmother, with all the facts intact. Make it yours: a funny obituary needs the agreement of her children.

Leonard Hayes

simple≈ 33 sec read aloud

Leonard Hayes, 79, of Memphis, Tennessee, died on September 21, 2026.

A retired bus driver, Leonard raised his two grandsons, Devon and Andre, from the time they were small, and attended every parent-teacher conference, every game and both graduations.

He is survived by his grandsons, Devon (Aisha) Hayes and Andre Hayes; his daughter, Monica; and his sister, Bernice. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 3.

For a grandfather who raised his grandchildren · 77 words · 470 characters

Why it works: it honors a grandfather's role as parent without explaining family circumstances. Make it yours: list grandchildren he raised first, if that reflects his life.

For the speech at the service, see the eulogy for a grandmother or for a grandfather.

Common questions

Do you name all the grandchildren in an obituary?

It is the family's choice. Online, naming them is common and meaningful. In a paid newspaper notice, many families give the number, for example "twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren," to save space.

Who writes a grandparent's obituary?

Usually one of their children, sometimes a grandchild who writes well. Share the draft with every branch of the family before it is published so that no one is left out.