Free obituary template
Obituary Template for a Grandfather
A free obituary template for a grandfather, with fill-in-the-blank wording, examples, and guidance on trade, service, and multi-generation family lists.
A grandfather's obituary usually has to carry a working life, a marriage, a war or a trade, and three or four generations of family. Families often respond by compressing everything into adjectives — hardworking, devoted, loving — which is exactly the material readers skim.
Keep the facts tight and spend your remaining words on one specific thing he did repeatedly. A man who rebuilt the same lawnmower for thirty years is more recognizable than a man described as handy.
Fill-in-the-blank template
Replace every bracketed prompt with your own details. Delete any line that does not apply. Nothing here is required.
[Full name], [age], of [city, state], died on [date of death]. His grandchildren knew him as [Grandpa / Papa / Pop / other name].
He was born [birth date] in [birthplace] to [parents' names]. [He served in the [branch] from [year] to [year].] [He married [spouse's name] on [date]; they were married [number] years.]
He [worked as / farmed / ran] [occupation or business] for [number] years. [Add what he was specifically good at, or what he built, grew, drove, or maintained.]
[Grandfather's name] spent his free time [activity], and [one repeated habit or phrase his family will recognize].
He is survived by his [spouse]; his children, [names and spouses]; [number] grandchildren; and [number] great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by [names].
[Service type] will be held [date, time, location]. [Military honors will be provided by [organization].] Memorial gifts may be directed to [organization].
What to include
- His full name and the grandparent name his family used
- Age, city, and date of death
- Birth date, birthplace, and parents' names
- Military service with branch and years, if applicable
- His trade, employer, farm, or business
- Marriage details and length
- One repeated habit, skill, or saying
- Survivors across generations, and those who died before him
- Service details, honors, and donation preference
Completed examples
Both examples below are fictional. They do not describe real people, and they are written to show length and structure rather than to be copied word for word.
Walter James Kroll, 88, of Ellsworth, died November 3, 2026, at home.
Born June 18, 1938, in Marshfield to Emil and Hedwig Kroll, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1961 and farmed 240 acres in Pierce County for 46 years. He married Eileen Barta in 1963.
He is survived by Eileen; three children; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be held November 10 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Francis Catholic Church, with military honors. Memorials may be directed to the Pierce County 4-H.
Walter James Kroll, 88, of Ellsworth, died at home on November 3, 2026, with his family nearby. To nine grandchildren, he was Papa.
Walt was born June 18, 1938, in Marshfield, Wisconsin, to Emil and Hedwig Kroll. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1961, then came home and farmed 240 acres in Pierce County for 46 years. He married Eileen Barta on May 4, 1963. They were married 62 years.
He was a careful man with machinery and an impatient one with paperwork. He kept the same 1968 tractor running long past the point of reason, largely out of stubbornness, and he taught four of his grandchildren to drive on it. He read the weather page before the front page. He answered nearly every question with "we'll see," which the family eventually learned meant yes.
Walt served on the parish council at St. Francis for two decades and hauled more folding tables than anyone has counted.
He is survived by his wife, Eileen; his children, Mary (Doug) Sorenson, Paul (Lisa) Kroll, and Ann Kroll; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Leonard.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on November 10 at St. Francis Catholic Church, with military honors. Memorials may be directed to the Pierce County 4-H.
Wording for trade, farm, and service details
- Name the trade specifically. "Pipefitter," "long-haul driver," and "dairy farmer" carry more than "worked in industry."
- For farming families, acreage, county, and years are the details other farmers read closely: "He farmed 240 acres in Pierce County for 46 years."
- For service, branch and years are enough for most notices: "He served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1961." Add a ship, unit, or conflict only if it is accurate.
- If he continued working past retirement age, that is usually worth a clause. Many families consider it central to who he was.
- A single quoted phrase he repeated is often the most effective line in the entire notice.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Overstating military rank or decorations
- Reducing a 40-year trade to the word "worked"
- Listing grandchildren inconsistently, naming some and counting others without a reason
- Forgetting to state who will provide military honors when the family has already arranged it
When you are ready
Turn the finished wording into a printable program
The template above is free and always will be. If you also need a printed funeral program, memorial keepsake, and thank-you card, TributeReady drafts the wording with you, lets you edit every line, and produces print-ready files for a one-time $34.99. You can write and review the full draft before deciding.
Start a draft for freeQuestions families ask
- How much detail should I give about his job?
- One or two sentences. Name the trade, the employer or farm, and the number of years, then add one thing he was specifically known for doing well. Readers who worked alongside him will recognize him from that detail faster than from a job title.
- Is it appropriate to include humor?
- Yes, if it is affectionate and true. Dry, specific humor reads well in obituaries for grandfathers and is frequently the part relatives quote later. Avoid jokes that require context the reader does not have, and avoid anything that would embarrass a living family member.
- What if he was estranged from part of the family?
- Obituaries are not the place to document a rift. Most families either list survivors factually without characterization or omit characterization entirely. If listing someone would cause genuine harm, a neutral construction such as "He is survived by his children" without individual names is used, though it is worth agreeing on this as a family first.
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Editorial note
TributeReady writes and reviews these templates for clarity, accuracy, and practical usefulness. Customs vary by family, faith community, newspaper, and funeral home, so confirm submission deadlines and word limits with whoever will publish the notice. All examples are fictional.