Your presence is welcome at a gathering in the memory of [name], who passed away last [day of week]. We are shattered by [his/her] departure and would find immense comfort in your attendance at [his/her] ceremony. It will be held at [place] on [date] at [time]. We hope to see you there.
Death Announcement Wording Ideas
During a time of loss, it may be difficult to find the right words to let others know of someone’s death. Here are examples you can use to let people know.
1. It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dear friend, [insert name]. [He/she] was a light in this world, and now we need to continue shining [his/her] light by carrying it within us in our own lives. Please join us for a celebration of life at [place] at [time] on [date].
2. Our dear [family member] has passed away after a long battle with [illness], and we feel at peace knowing that [he/she] can rest now. Thank you for your visits, cards, and support during this difficult time for [name] and for our family. We would like to memorialize [him/her] at [place] on [date] at [time] by celebrating [his/her] wonderful life. Please join us if you would like to remember [name] with us.
3. No one loved life more than our [family member], [name]. We know [he/she] wouldn’t want us to wallow alone in our misery, so we are hosting a memorial party to rejoice in [her/his] life and toast to our memories. We hope you will come and pay your final respects to [name] with us.
4. With the news that our [family member] died last [day of week], we have been mourning the loss of a role model, friend, and confidant. [Name] wanted us to support causes that were important to [his/her] family, so we are asking for you to consider contributions to [charity] in [his/her] honor instead of flowers. There will be a funeral mass on [date] at [time] at [place]. We hope to see you there.
5. There are few words to express the deep pain and sorrow of losing [name] to [illness]. We want to host a private and dignified ceremony with [his/her] loved ones at [place] on [date] at [time]. [He/she] wanted a traditional memorial, so please dress in black and prepare any kind words you would like to share. [Name] is survived by [his/her] loving [wife/husband],[name], and his children, [name and name], and seven grandchildren.
What’s the easiest way to send out a death notification letter?
You usually want to notify as many people as possible about a death as quickly as possible, since arrangements after someone has passed away tend to move quickly. This means you should almost always send out a death notification letter to friends and family through the internet — either through social media, email, messaging apps, or through text to let everyone know as fast as possible.
Email is an easy and quick way to let others know that a death has occurred, especially if you have a lot of older folks who aren’t technically savvy or who don’t use social media as a primary method of communication.
Let People Know Some Details Surrounding Your Loved One’s Death
You don’t have to—nor should you—recount all the details of someone’s passing. But humans are curious by nature. We have a hard time processing the finality of death, and so we need to know some of the context to help us orient ourselves to the news.
If the person has been ill for some time, you can mention that. “As most of you know, Sarah battled breast cancer for the past two years. Though she fought it valiantly, last night she passed away from this disease.”
If the death was unexpected, you can still include some information. There’s no need for a blow by blow. Just a quick reference is all you need. For example, you could say something like, “Over the weekend, John was in a car accident. Sadly, he died as a result of his injuries.”
How to Spread the Word of a Death
- Phone call. This is the old-fashioned way: word of mouth. Most people will simply pick up the phone. You will call your close family members and friends to alert them that your loved one has passed.
- Text. Send out a mass text. Find everyone in your phone contacts that you may want to get in touch with and let them all know at one time. You can let as few or as many know at one time.
- Create a chain of people. You call two or three people, let them call two or three people and so on. Soon, everyone that you have contact with will know of your loss. It helps to let someone take on some of the burden at this time. Don’t be afraid to ask for support.
- Post on social media. As with most major life events (engagements, births, etc) most people communicate directly by phone or text with their closest handful of friends and family. After that, the news goes to social media. More on that next…
The answer is yes, by all means. Facebook and other online platforms have become so ubiquitous that there is no longer any concern about communicating important information on social media. Aside from the few phone calls or texts to your very closest friends and family, Facebook has become the primary way people find out about major life (or in this case, death) events.
The amount of people that will read the notice online far outnumbers the people that will read it in the newspaper. Plus, it is much more affordable because it is free.
If you have a link to an online obituary, simply post it to your social media page. If you want to write a brief death notice, follow the guidelines above and simply post it on your account. You can also copy and paste in the full obituary, or write a new one for your social media contacts and friends.
If you have access to your loved one’s account, you can do so there as well. However, we recommend posting the death notice from your account first so that the decedent’s friends and contacts don’t suspect that the account has been hacked or compromised.
Example letters announcing the death of an employee
Example 1
I’m deeply saddened to announce that our team member of 10 years, Yvonne Chaney died of a heart attack on Saturday night. During her entire tenure at Blueheart Solutions, she showed motivation, drive and compassion toward others. We already miss her kind spirit and creative mindset. Yvonne’s surviving family includes her husband, two sons and one granddaughter. We send our condolences to them during this time and encourage everyone to sign the sympathy card in the break room by this Friday.
We’ll share information about memorial arrangements as soon as they’re available. We encourage anyone seeking support or struggling with Yvonne’s death to contact me or anyone at HR for support. The company also provides an employee assistance program as part of your benefits, which includes three free sessions of counseling.
Example 2
I’m writing about the tragic news that our customer service manager, Pierce Davies, died unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. Their family has asked for privacy at this time. Pierce was one of the most friendly and welcoming people on our team and always had something kind to say when you passed by their desk in the front office. We know this is shocking news and we share our deepest sympathy with everyone who knew Pierce.
There’s a memorial website available where you can leave messages of remembrance for Pierce’s life, which I linked below. You can also use the site to share messages of support for the family.
Due to this sudden news, we’re offering additional PTO for anyone who wants to take the rest of the day off to process Pierce’s passing. We have counseling available through human resources, so please let us know if you want to talk to someone or need any additional support. We hope we can rely on one another during this sad time.
References:
https://brandongaille.com/8-death-announcement-wording-ideas/
https://everloved.com/articles/obituaries-and-funeral-announcements/how-to-inform-someone-of-a-death-by-email/
https://www.joincake.com/blog/death-notification-letter-to-friends/
https://www.usurnsonline.com/funeral-resources/death-announcements/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/letter-to-inform-death-of-employee