Eulogy Examples

Eulogy is a gesture of love and remembrance delivered as a speech at a funeral, where friends and family members share fond memories of their loved one. It is a kind act of honoring the deceased.

Writing a Eulogy

It is so true that good people are always dearer to the Almighty! Sarah, my best friend was one of them. A beauty with brains that she was, I can still feel her exuberant presence engulfing me in her peals of laughter. Since childhood, we were inseparable pals. From school, till the day of graduation, we had been together through thick and thin. We had shared so much in life. I still remember how she tended me with care when I was down with jaundice and my parents had been on a business trip. She left her date to be by my side. To me, she was love, she was the icon of friendship and a model of goodness. All had been fine until on August 10, 2006, I lost my best friend in a road mishap. Her sudden death left a void in me which has remained empty ever since then. And now I think a part of me has gone with her as well.

Everyone was acquainted with this lovely girl at some point or the other. A good dancer that she was, she used to put the floor on fire. And yes, the way she used to make everyone laugh with her funny jokes, that just seemed to flow out of her, is something that can never be forgotten. I am very grateful to the Lord for having given me such a friend. I'll always cherish the 20 years we spent together and will forever keep the flame of hope and goodness alive in me.

I am sure Sarah must be watching us from heaven. She hated crying and cribbing about things in life. Yes, this is not the time to grieve over her untimely death but to tell her how much we loved her and still love and miss her in our lives. Amen.

This was one of the funeral eulogy examples for a deceased friend.

You need proper preparation for writing a eulogy. Here are a few tips on the technique to write a eulogy:

• What did he/she mean to you?
• What did you learn from his/her life?
• What were his/her principles in life?
• What made the person happy?
• What were the pleasant moments shared with the person?
• What aspects of the person's personality were captivating?
• What did the family members and friends think of him/her?
• What were his/her favorite lines on life?
• How did the person like to be remembered as?
• What words of solace would you give to the family of the deceased?

Delivering a eulogy is as important as writing one. So here you go on how to deliver a eulogy?

• Pen down your feelings: Even if you believe you are a spontaneous extempore, writing down a few lines is a must. Also gather enough information about the person from other family members and friends to prepare the eulogy. Funeral is an event of sadness and the emotion levels are high and unpredictable. So it is better to be prepared with a write up.
• Be discreet: It is a funeral, longer eulogies, will either disinterest the people or turn them to a sulking zone. So try to cover the best moments spent with the deceased which may include humor and joy.
• Try to be calm: It is probable that while delivering a eulogy, a person might break down. In such cases, the priest or a rabbi can help deliver the speech. After all, the idea of a eulogy is to garner the attention of the family and friends to help them remember about a life that could have been.

This is another eulogy example for a teacher:

I was 12 years old when I first saw her. Mrs. Jerry was my music teacher then. She was the one who taught us to sing. Her enticing smile and her soothing voice was enough to attract everyone to her, because of which she never had to raise her voice. She was one of those teachers for whom teaching was a passion and children were personifications of love. I was one of those lucky students to have learned the art of music from her. It has been 7 years since I left school. But I still remember the song from the movie: Sound of Music ~ "These are the few of my favorite things." which she taught us for the music competition. And when we won the event, she invited us to her home and treated us with lots of chocolates. I still cannot forget that day when she taught us the most important lesson of our lives - "Life always unravels surprise packages that keeps you guessing what it will contain inside. If it is good, it is called success and if it is not, it is called failure. But remember my child, success and failure should always be taken in the same stride as they are two sides of the same coin." She also believed every child is special and gifted. Her famous words were - "Encouragement and love are the keys to open the box of talents hidden in a child". No wonder, she was every parent's favorite too.

It was September 15, 2005 when the news of her illness hit us like a thunderbolt. Our dear teacher was bed ridden with the cancer cells eating the life out of her body. It was on that day we came to know that she had been suffering from leukemia and had entered the final stage of the disease. She had camouflaged her misery from the world. How brave our teacher was! A few days later, on September 20, 2005 she finally embarked on her journey to heaven.

Everyone who knew her even as an acquaintance was attracted to her hearty laugh which had a genuine innocence about it. Mrs. Jerry will be surely missed by her family, students, colleagues and friends. I specially pray to the Almighty to grant enough courage and strength to her sons Jamie and Jonathan who have been suddenly deprived of the protective figure who meant a world to them.

The only self consolation we have is to have known such a good person who was beautiful inside out. Mrs. Jerry, if you are looking down from heaven, we want to let you know, we miss you from the bottom of our heart. The important lessons that you imparted will remain ingrained in our hearts forever. Amen.

Funeral is one time when one misses the deceased the most. The smile will never be seen and the words would never be spoken henceforth. Whatever remains behind are the fond memories. When writing and delivering eulogies for a deceased, one definitely needs a lot of strength and courage of conviction. The clogged up emotions are vented out through the eulogy. It would also be a very kind act if copies of these eulogies are made for people who could not attend the funeral pertaining to circumstances.

"Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That signifies nothing. For us believing physicists the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
~ Albert Einstein~

So true! Death and dying are just inevitable. And a eulogy makes us realize that. However for a eulogy, it is more important to understand what is there in the heart than how it is conveyed!