Newspapers bill obituaries by the line — and a line in a standard column is only around thirty characters — so a short obituary is not a lesser obituary. It is a practical one. A well-made 50-to-80-word notice announces the death, honors the person in a single true line, lists the closest family, and tells the community where to gather. Many families run a short version in print and publish the full-length obituary online and in the service program, where length costs nothing.
Three compact templates follow. Replace the bracketed details, cut what you don’t need, and count your lines before submitting — or use the writer below and choose the brief tone, which composes newspaper-style automatically and shows a running line estimate.
Standard short obituary (about 60 words)
[Last Name], [First Name] "[Nickname]", [Age], of [City], died [Date]. [One phrase — occupation or what they were known for.] Beloved [husband/wife] of [Spouse]; [father/mother] of [Children's Names]; [grandfather/grandmother] of [Number]. Services [Time], [Date], at [Location]. Memorials to [Charity].
Very brief death notice (about 35 words)
[Last Name], [First Name], [Age], of [City], passed away [Date]. Survived by [closest family, briefly]. [Funeral/Memorial] service [Time], [Date], [Location]. Arrangements by [Funeral Home].
Short obituary with one personal line (about 75 words)
[Full Name], [Age], of [City], died [Date]. [He/She] spent [Number] years as a [Occupation] and was happiest [one specific image — e.g., "in the garden before the dew burned off"]. Survived by [Spouse]; children [Names]; and [Number] grandchildren. Preceded in death by [Name]. Services [Time], [Date], at [Location]. In lieu of flowers, donations to [Charity].
What to cut first when trimming for print
Keep: name, age, city, date of death, closest survivors, service details.
Trim next: extended family lists — count grandchildren rather than naming them.
Trim next: biography — one phrase (“retired machinist,” “teacher for 31 years”) instead of a paragraph.
Keep if you possibly can: the one personal line. It is the sentence people clip and keep.
Compose a short obituary now
Pre-filled with fictional sample details — replace them with your own, then pick the brief tone on the last step for a newspaper-ready draft with a line count.
Write a short obituary
Answer what you can and skip what you can’t — every field is optional. Composed entirely in your browser; nothing you type is uploaded.