obituary

An obituary is a notice that provides information on the death of a person along with an account of the person's life and information about the funeral arrangements.  At Oaklands we can give you guidance writing the obituary and also place the notice on our online website.

Eulogies

Giving a meaningful, moving eulogy can be a nerve-wracking situation for even the most accomplished public speaker.  How can you summarise somebody’s life in a few short minutes while being both somber and reflective of their personality and character at the same time?  Writing and delivering a eulogy is a therapeutic tool to help deal with your grief and being chosen to give a eulogy truly is an honour.  Here are some tips for writing and delivering an eloquent and memorable eulogy.

• Gather information.  Talk with family members, close friends and colleagues to get important information on the deceased.  Some important information to include in the eulogy is the persons family and other close relationships, their education, career, hobbies or special interests and any special accomplishments they had.
• Organise your thoughts.  Write down your ideas and create an outline of your speech.
• Write it down.   Writing it all down allows you to include and remember every detail you wanted in your eulogy. When you bring a copy of your eulogy to the podium make sure it is easy to read, print it out in a large font or if it is hand-written leave a few spaces between the lines.  Keep in mind your time constraints, it’s best to keep things on the short side especially if there are other speakers.
• Practice, Practice, Practice. Read over your eulogy several times to become familiar with it. Practice in front of a mirror, read it over to some friends or family and have them give you feedback.  Become familiar with your speech so you can recite it without making it look like you’re reading from the script.  The more you practice the more comfortable you will be.
• Make them laugh, but be respectful.   A funeral is a sombre time, however there is room for humour in your eulogy.  Fondly remember a story about the person that everyone can relate to.  Laughter is truly the best medicine, and some well placed humor will help people cope, and will bring back fond memories of the deceased.
• ​Don’t be afraid to show emotion. Funerals are an extremely emotional event, nobody expects you not to shed a few tears.  However, if you feel that you will be too strongly overcome by your emotions, have a back-up plan in place where someone you trust can deliver the eulogy for you.