Obituary writing service: three versions from the facts you give
For the family member who sends the obituary to the funeral home, a newspaper or an online memorial.
- You receive
- Three versions written from the facts you give: a full obituary, a shorter newspaper version and a short announcement for email or social media.
- Format and delivery
- On screen about a minute after you send your answers, link emailed to you. Copy each version, print it or save it as a PDF.
- Price
- $15, one-time payment, taxes included · 1 revision included · refund on request within 14 days
You answer the questions on this page and see what will be written before you pay.
- Secure paymenton Stripe
- On screen in minuteslink also emailed
- Full refundwithin 14 days
For $15 you receive a complete obituary in three versions, written only from the facts you give. Obituaries follow a familiar order, but finding the sentences while arranging a funeral is hard. Give us the facts and one or two details that were truly theirs, and receive three versions ready for the funeral home, the newspaper and the people who need to know.
- A full obituary for the funeral home website or an online memorial
- A shorter newspaper version (papers usually charge by the line)
- A short announcement to share by email or social media
- 1 revision included
Tell us about them
Answer here, at your own pace: a summary of what will be written appears below your answers, then you pay and the writing starts. Your answers are saved in this browser as you type, and they are used only to write your text.
Short on time? Pay now and answer on your private page right after payment (about ten minutes, what you typed here is kept): Pay $15 first
In pictures
Illustrative photos, published by their authors under free licences.
How we check
Verified, page by page
- 108automatic checks run on the site before every update
- 40official .gov pages read and cited, on October 22, 2026, October 28, 2026, October 29, 2026, October 30, 2026, October 31, 2026, November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026
Our guides and examples are reviewed by industry professionals.
- Checked against your answersEvery sentence of a written text is checked against your answers before you see it.
- Primary sourcesThe guides are built from the guidance of the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Internal Revenue Service, USAGov and the Social Security Administration.
- Every fact has its sourceEach guide lists the pages it relies on, with links, so you can check any point yourself.
- DatedSources read on October 22, 2026, October 28, 2026, October 29, 2026, October 30, 2026, October 31, 2026, November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026; each page shows when it was last updated.
A real delivery, unedited
This is exactly what the assistant wrote on September 30, 2026 for the answers below, with no editing on our part, after the automatic fact check that compares every sentence with the answers and removes anything they do not contain. The answers are fictional: the person and the memories were invented for this example.
The answers given
- What you need: Obituary (full, newspaper and online versions)
- Name of the person who died: Harold Lee Jenkins
- Your relationship to them: his son
- Age, and dates of birth and death: 79; born June 1947; died September 26, 2026
- Where they were born, lived and died: born in Knoxville, Tennessee; lived in Chattanooga for 50 years; died at home
- Family who survive them: wife of 54 years, Carol; sons Michael (Dana) and Steven; four grandchildren, Ava, Luke, Mia and Owen; sister Janice Pruitt
- Family who died before them (optional): his parents, Earl and Mae Jenkins; his brother, Donald
- Life story: school, work, service, community: U.S. Army 1966-1968; 34 years as a mail carrier; Little League umpire for 20 years; member of his local United Methodist church
- What they loved, and one detail that was so them: He knew every dog on his mail route by name and carried biscuits in his pocket for them.
- Three words that describe them: steady, kind, dry humor
- Service details (optional): visitation Thursday, October 1, 5-7 pm at the funeral home; service Friday, October 2, 11 am at his church; burial with military honors
- Memorial donations in lieu of flowers (optional): the local animal shelter
- Tone: Warm and personal
- Faith references: Christian
Full obituary
237 wordsHarold Lee Jenkins, 79, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died at home on September 26, 2026.
Harold was born in June 1947 in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Earl and Mae Jenkins. He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968. He later made his home in Chattanooga, where he lived for 50 years. He worked for 34 years as a mail carrier, and he spent 20 years as a Little League umpire. He was a member of his local United Methodist church.
Harold was steady and kind, with a dry sense of humor. On his mail route, he knew every dog by name and carried biscuits in his pocket for them.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carol; his sons, Michael (Dana) and Steven; four grandchildren, Ava, Luke, Mia and Owen; and his sister, Janice Pruitt. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Mae Jenkins, and his brother, Donald.
Visitation will be held Thursday, October 1, from 5 to 7 pm at the funeral home. A service will be held Friday, October 2, at 11 am at his church, followed by burial with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to the local animal shelter, in honor of a man who loved the dogs on his route.
The family is grateful for every kindness shown to Harold and to them. We trust him to God's care.
Newspaper version
117 wordsHarold Lee Jenkins, 79, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died at home on September 26, 2026. Born in June 1947 in Knoxville to Earl and Mae Jenkins, he served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968, worked 34 years as a mail carrier, and umpired Little League for 20 years. He was a member of his local United Methodist church. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carol; sons Michael (Dana) and Steven; four grandchildren; and sister Janice Pruitt. Visitation is Thursday, October 1, 5-7 pm at the funeral home. Service is Friday, October 2, at 11 am at his church, with burial with military honors. Memorial donations may be made to the local animal shelter.
Online announcement
67 wordsWith sad hearts, our family shares that my father, Harold Lee Jenkins, died at home on September 26, 2026, at the age of 79. Visitation will be Thursday, October 1, from 5 to 7 pm at the funeral home. His service will be Friday, October 2, at 11 am at his church, with burial with military honors. Memorial gifts may be made to the local animal shelter.
What you receive
Three versions, written from your answers alone: the full obituary for the funeral home website or an online memorial, a newspaper version that keeps the essentials when space is paid for, and a short online announcement to share by email, text or social media. Survivors are listed exactly as you give them, in the usual American order.
If you only need a first draft and prefer to write it yourself, the free obituary template assembles the standard sentences from your answers in your browser.
Obituary writer, funeral home form or this page
| Hiring a freelance obituary writer | The funeral home's form or guide | TributePen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Published rates we found in October 2026 started around $75 | Usually part of the funeral home's services | $15, taxes included |
| What you get | One obituary, written after an interview | A form to fill in, or a draft you finish yourself | A full obituary, a newspaper version and an online announcement |
| When you have it | Usually a day or more | Depends on the funeral home | On screen a few minutes after you send your answers |
| Facts you did not give | Depends on the writer | You write every line | Removed: every sentence is checked against your answers |
If the funeral home has already offered to write it with you, that is often the simplest path. This page is for the family member who has been handed the task, has the facts but not the sentences, and needs a version that fits the newspaper's space as well as a longer one for the website.
Before you pay: what families ask
- "The family has not agreed on the survivors list yet." Type it as it stands; the one revision included can update names and order, and you can edit any line yourself before sending it.
- "I don't know every exact date." Type what you know, such as "born in 1942"; the obituary uses exactly that, and nothing is guessed.
- "Can it mention the cause of death, or leave it out?" Only what you type is mentioned. With no cause given, the obituary says nothing about it.
- "The newspaper charges by the line." That is why you get a shorter newspaper version alongside the full text. Check the paper's own rules and price before you submit.
Common questions
Should the obituary include the cause of death?
Only if the family wants it. Many obituaries say "passed away peacefully" or simply give the date. If you do not type a cause, none will be mentioned.
Can I send it directly to the newspaper?
Check it first. Newspapers and funeral homes each have their own rules and prices, often by the line or by the word, and some edit obituaries to their style. The newspaper version is kept short for that reason.
What details should I leave out for safety?
Many families leave out a full date of birth, a home address and the exact times when the house will be empty, because published obituaries can be read by anyone. Month and year of birth, and the city, are usually enough.
What if a date or a name is wrong?
The assistant uses only the facts you type, so check them before you submit. If something needs fixing, use the included revision or edit the text directly before you send it to the funeral home or newspaper.
Who or what writes it?
An AI writing assistant, guided by rules we wrote: the usual American obituary order, survivors listed exactly as you give them, no invented facts. You review it before it is published.
What if it does not work for me?
Write to us within 14 days and we refund you in full. If the text cannot be written at all, you are refunded automatically.
Is the payment secure?
Yes. You pay on Stripe's secure payment page, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your card number never reaches our servers, and the charge appears on your statement as "OG* TRIBUTEPEN".
Who is the seller?
LACANGEL GROUP, SAS (French simplified joint-stock company), SIREN 995 268 018, registered office: 1 rue Marguerin, 75014 Paris, France. Questions about an order: administration@lacangel.fr.
How it works