Losing a brother means losing one of the only people who knew the whole story — the childhood bedroom, the family jokes, the versions of your parents that only siblings remember. Writing his obituary as his sibling is different from writing as a spouse or child: you hold the early chapters no one else can tell. Tell one of them. "He once traded his bike for a saxophone and never regretted either the trade or the noise" says more about a brother than any list of survivors.
Some brothers are lost late in life, after long careers and full families. Others are lost far too early — and if that is your situation, please write without apology for the shortness of the story. An obituary for a young man is not a lesser obituary; it simply spends its words on who he was rather than what he accumulated. What he loved, who loved him, what made him laugh, what he was becoming. That is a complete life story, whatever the dates say.
Practical matters: if your brother was married or partnered, his spouse and children traditionally lead the survivor list, with parents and siblings following ("He is survived by his wife, Dana; his parents, Robert and Anne; and his siblings, Mark, Julie, and Tom"). If he was single, parents and siblings lead. It is customary — and kind — to name siblings' spouses in parentheses. If the family wishes to acknowledge a difficult cause of death honestly, a plain phrase like "after a long struggle with illness" or "unexpectedly" preserves both truth and privacy; you owe the newspaper nothing more.
Below are three templates: traditional, short for the newspaper, and a sibling's-voice version. Use whichever gives you a running start, and edit it until it sounds like him. The guided writer beneath will do the assembling for you if the blank page is too loud today.
Fill-in-the-blank templates
Copy a template, then replace each [bracketed detail] with your own. Cut anything that doesn’t fit — these are starting points, not rules.
Traditional obituary for a brother
[Full Name], [Age], of [City, State], passed away on [Date]. He was born [Birth Date] in [Birthplace] to [Parents' Names], the [oldest/middle/youngest] of [Number] children — a position he [held with pride / exploited shamelessly / never let the rest of us forget].
He worked as a [Occupation] and was known for [trait or passion — e.g., "his encyclopedic knowledge of baseball and his inability to lose gracefully at cards"]. To his siblings he was [what he was — e.g., "the first phone call in any crisis"].
He is survived by [his wife/partner, Name; his children, Names;] his parents, [Names]; his siblings, [Names, with spouses in parentheses]; and many nieces and nephews who adored their Uncle [Name]. He was preceded in death by [Names and relationships].
Services will be held at [Time] on [Date] at [Location]. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to [Charity].
Short newspaper obituary for a brother
[Last Name], [First Name], [Age], of [City], died [Date]. Loving [husband of Name and] father of [Names]; son of [Parents]; brother of [Siblings' Names]. [One phrase — his work or his passion.] Services [Time], [Date], [Location]. Memorials to [Charity].
From his siblings — remembering our brother
Our brother, [Full Name], died on [Date], at [Age]. We are still deciding whether to forgive him for going first.
He was the one who [what he was the one for — e.g., "organized every camping trip, remembered every birthday, and ate the last slice without apology"]. Growing up, he [a childhood story — e.g., "convinced us the creek behind the house was full of alligators, then charged us a nickel each for protection"]. He grew into [the man he became — e.g., "the steadiest man we knew, and the funniest"].
He leaves behind [his wife, Name; his kids, Names;] his parents; his siblings, [Names], who will be telling stories about him at every family table from now on; and friends too many to count.
Come tell yours at [Time] on [Date] at [Location].
Tips for writing a brother’s obituary
Tell one childhood story only a sibling knows — it is your unique contribution.
Spouse and children lead the survivor list; parents and siblings follow.
For a brother who died young, spend the words on who he was, not what he accumulated.
"Unexpectedly" or "after a long illness" is all the cause-of-death anyone is owed.
Include his crew — best friends, bandmates, teammates — brothers often chose family twice.
Or let the writer compose it for you
The guided writer below is pre-filled with fictional sample details so you can see how it works — replace them with your brother’s. It composes a complete obituary in your browser, free and private.
Write a brother's 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.