Free obituary template
Obituary Template for a Husband
A free obituary template for a husband, written for a spouse, with short and long examples and guidance on tone, privacy, and family listings.
Writing your husband's obituary is different from writing anyone else's, because you are the person the notice is partly about. Everything you write about his marriage is also about you, and that makes it unusually hard to find a tone.
The practical answer most spouses arrive at is restraint. State the marriage as a fact, give the reader one true detail about how you lived, and keep the rest private. A notice does not have to contain your grief to be honest about your loss.
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] [optional circumstance].
He was born [birth date] in [birthplace] to [parents' names]. [He served in the [branch] from [year] to [year].] [He worked as [occupation] for [number] years.]
We were married on [date] at [location]. [Number] years. [One sentence about the ordinary shape of your life together: a standing weekly habit, a shared project, a trip taken repeatedly.]
[Husband's first name] loved [activity or interest], and was [one specific and true characterization].
He is survived by his wife, [your name]; [children and their spouses]; [number] grandchildren; and [siblings]. He was preceded in death by [names].
[Service type] will be held [date, time, location]. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to [organization].
What to include
- His full name, nickname, age, city, and date of death
- Birth date, birthplace, and parents' names
- Your marriage: date, place, and number of years
- His work, service, and the things he did outside of it
- One specific, ordinary detail about your shared life
- Children, grandchildren, siblings, and others who survive him
- Family who died before him
- Service details, and where donations may go
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.
Daniel Ruiz Ortiz, 68, of Santa Rosa, died on July 14, 2026, after a long illness.
Born January 5, 1958, in Fresno to Manuel and Elena Ortiz, he taught high school mathematics for 31 years.
He married Carmen Salcedo in 1984. He is survived by Carmen; his daughters, Sofia and Lucia Ortiz; two grandchildren; and his brother, Rafael.
A memorial service will be held July 22 at 2 p.m. at Community Presbyterian Church. Donations may be made to the Sonoma County Library.
Daniel Ruiz Ortiz, 68, of Santa Rosa, died on July 14, 2026, at home, after a long illness.
Daniel was born January 5, 1958, in Fresno, California, to Manuel and Elena Ortiz. He was the first in his family to finish college, and he taught high school mathematics for 31 years, most of them at Piner High School. Former students still write to say that he was the reason they stopped being afraid of numbers.
We were married on September 8, 1984, at Community Presbyterian Church. Forty-one years. For most of them, we walked the same loop around Spring Lake on Sunday mornings and argued amiably about whether to go clockwise.
Daniel read constantly and slowly. He made coffee too strong. He was the calmest person in every room he entered, which was occasionally infuriating and always useful.
He is survived by his wife, Carmen; his daughters, Sofia Ortiz and Lucia (Ben) Ortiz-Hale; two grandchildren; and his brother, Rafael Ortiz. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on July 22 at Community Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sonoma County Library.
Choosing between first person and third person
- Third person is the default and the safest: "He is survived by his wife, Carmen." Newspapers expect it, and it reads well aloud.
- First person can be used sparingly and to great effect for one sentence about the marriage: "We were married on September 8, 1984. Forty-one years."
- Mixing the two intentionally is acceptable. Mixing them accidentally is the most common error in spouse-written obituaries, so read the finished draft aloud once to catch it.
- You are not required to describe your marriage as happy, difficult, or anything else. Stating its length is a complete statement.
- If you want a private line included, put it in the funeral program rather than the public obituary. The program reaches the people it is meant for.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Publishing your own home address in a notice that also announces when the house will be empty
- Writing the notice alone in the first 48 hours and publishing it without a second reader
- Including a private detail that a child or grandchild has not agreed to make public
- Feeling obligated to name a cause of death; it is always optional
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
- Is it acceptable to write the obituary myself as his wife?
- Yes, and it is common. Funeral homes will edit for length and format if needed, but the text is normally the family's. Ask one other person to check names, dates, and spellings before it is submitted, because it is very difficult to proofread your own writing under grief.
- Should I mention his illness?
- Only if you want to. "After a long illness" acknowledges it without detail. Some families name the illness deliberately to direct donations toward research, which is a legitimate and common reason to include it.
- How do I write about a second marriage respectfully?
- State it plainly and name children from earlier marriages among the survivors. A construction such as "He is survived by his wife, Carmen, and his children from his marriage to the late Anne Ortiz" is clear and treats everyone as family, which is what most readers are looking for.
More templates
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.