{"id":4376,"date":"2026-05-10T19:54:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T00:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funeralocity.com\/blog\/?p=4376---de907415-7f06-47ab-923f-935c1154964c"},"modified":"2026-05-10T19:54:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T00:54:27","slug":"how-to-write-the-best-obituary-and-why-there-should-be-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funeralocity.com\/blog\/how-to-write-the-best-obituary-and-why-there-should-be-two\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write the Best Obituary \u2026and Why There Should Be Two"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who will tell your life story? And how well will that story be told? Will it be accurate? Will it miss important events? And, importantly, will it capture who you were and what you were about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his insightful and wonderfully witty new book \u201cYours Truly: An Obituary Writer\u2019s Guide to Telling Your Story<\/a>,\u201d James R. Hagerty says that, unless you take matters into your own hands, \u201cyour story is likely to be written in haste by a friend or family member distracted by grief and the many urgent tasks of dealing with a death. And, I\u2019m sorry to inform you, this well-meaning person will probably describe someone you wouldn\u2019t recognize.\u201d Expect that obituary to have inaccuracies and, most importantly, it will give \u201cno hint of who you truly were, what you were trying to do with your life, what you learned and what you accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked Hagerty, who is the obituary writer for the Wall Street Journal, for his advice on how an obituary can more fully capture the essence of a person and a life lived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One way is for a person to write his or her own life story. That is what Hagerty is doing. But he cautions us not to tell people to write their own obituary. It can sound off-putting. It\u2019s better simply to urge people to share their best stories and lessons learned. One option is to enlist a friend or family member to ask questions.\r\n

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