There is no obituary a parent should ever have to write, and there is no order of the world in which this one makes sense. If you are here, writing your son's obituary, we are so sorry. Please hold on to one thing before you begin: whatever you manage to put down — a paragraph, three sentences, a single true image of him — is enough. Grief this large does not require good grammar or a complete biography. It requires only that you were his parent and you loved him, and that is already on the page before you write a word.
Many sons are lost far too early, and if that is your situation, write without any apology for the shortness of the story. An obituary for a young man is not a smaller obituary — it simply spends every word on who he was rather than what he had time to accumulate. What made him laugh, what he was chasing, the friends who filled your kitchen, the way he said your name. "He was nineteen and about to be a father, an electrician, and, he swore, a professional fisherman — in that order" is a complete life, whatever the dates say.
For a son lost later in life, you may be writing alongside his own spouse and children, and the survivor list traditionally leads with them before circling back to you and his siblings. However old he was, it is always your right as his parent to claim one plain sentence of your own: "He was, first and last, our boy." No editor will cut it, and no reader will misunderstand it. If the cause of death was hard, "unexpectedly" or "after a long illness" honors both truth and privacy — you owe the world nothing further.
Below are three templates — a traditional obituary, a short newspaper version, and one in a parent's voice — and beneath them a guided writer that will assemble a draft from a few gentle questions if the blank page is more than you can face today. Take all the time you need. Come back to it. Ask someone who loved him too to sit beside you while you do.
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 son
[Full Name], [Age], of [City, State], passed away [Date]. He was born [Birth Date] in [Birthplace], the [oldest/youngest/beloved] son of [Parents' Names].
[He/Name] worked as a [Occupation] and loved [things he loved — e.g., "his friends, his old truck, and any excuse to be near the water"]. To those who knew him he was [qualities — e.g., "quick to laugh, quicker to help, and impossible to stay angry at"]. [One concrete detail — e.g., "He coached his little cousin's tee-ball team two summers running and never missed a practice."]
He is survived by [his wife/partner, Name, and children, Names;] his parents, [Names]; his siblings, [Names, with spouses in parentheses]; and [grandparents / friends who were family]. He was preceded in death by [Names and relationships].
A service will be held at [Time] on [Date] at [Location]. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to [Charity].
Short newspaper obituary for a son
[Last Name], [First Name], [Age], of [City], died [Date]. Beloved son of [Parents' Names]; [brother of Siblings; ] [husband of Name and father of Children]. [One phrase — his work or his passion.] Services [Time], [Date], [Location]. Memorials to [Charity].
From his parents — remembering our son
Our son, [Full Name], left us on [Date], at the age of [Age]. He was, first and last, our boy.
From the beginning he was [qualities — e.g., "stubborn, tender-hearted, and funny in a way that snuck up on you"]. He loved [what he loved — e.g., "his friends fiercely, his music too loud, and his mother's cooking most of all"]. He [one thing he did — e.g., "could take apart any engine by fourteen and put it back together better"]. We were so proud of him, and we told him — we are grateful, now, that we told him.
He leaves behind [his wife/children, if any;] his parents, who will love him every day for the rest of our lives; his [siblings, Names]; and more friends than we knew, all of whom he somehow made feel like the favorite.
Please come and help us remember him at [Time] on [Date] at [Location]. Tell us a story about him we haven't heard. We will want every one.
Tips for writing a son’s obituary
Whatever you can write is enough — a parent's grief is not graded.
For a son who died young, spend the words on who he was, not what he achieved.
If he had a spouse and children, they traditionally lead the survivor list; you and his siblings follow.
You are allowed one sentence that is purely a parent's — claim it.
"Unexpectedly" or "after a long illness" is all the cause of death anyone is owed.
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 son’s. It composes a complete obituary in your browser, free and private.
Write a son'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.