Being asked to give a eulogy is an honour, and it can also feel overwhelming. You’re grieving, and now you’re expected to stand up and speak about someone you love.
You don’t need to be a writer or a confident speaker. A eulogy only needs to be honest and to sound like the person you’re remembering. Below are examples you can borrow from, and a gentle way to write your own.
What a eulogy is
A eulogy is a short speech given at a funeral or memorial service that celebrates a person’s life. It’s usually three to five minutes long, roughly 500 to 800 words when read aloud at a calm pace.
It isn’t a full biography. It’s a portrait: a few stories and qualities that help everyone in the room feel close to them again.
How to write a eulogy, step by step
1. Gather memories. Ask family and friends for stories, sayings and small details. Jot everything down without judging it.
2. Choose a thread. Pick two or three qualities that were truly them: generous, stubborn, funny, endlessly curious.
3. Find a story for each. A single moment often says more than a list of achievements.
4. Open simply. Introduce yourself and how you knew them.
5. Close with a goodbye. A thank you, a line they used to say, or what you’ll carry with you.
6. Read it aloud. Time it, and mark where you’ll pause or breathe.
Eulogy example for a mother
My name is Claire, and I’m Helen’s eldest daughter. Mum was a primary school teacher for 35 years, and she never really stopped teaching. She taught us to read before school, to write thank-you cards the same day, and to always bring a plate. She did the crossword in pen. Not because she never made mistakes, but because she said you should commit to your answers. That was Mum: decisive, warm, and always certain there was room for one more at the table. In her last weeks, she still asked every visitor about their children by name. She remembered everyone. Mum, thank you for every packed lunch, every late-night phone call, every rose you cut for us from the garden. We’ll keep committing to our answers. We love you.
Eulogy example for a father
Dad was a man of few words, so I’ll try to keep this short, the way he’d like. He was a builder for forty years. He taught me to measure twice and cut once, and somewhere along the way I realised he wasn’t just talking about timber. Every summer he packed the car with military precision for our trip to the coast, and every summer he forgot the tent pegs. We’d laugh, he’d grumble, and then he’d make pegs out of driftwood. Dad, you left everything you touched a little better than you found it. Including us.
Eulogy example for a grandparent
Nonno Joe came to Australia in 1956 with one suitcase. By the time I came along, that suitcase had turned into a business, a backyard full of tomatoes, and a family that filled three tables at Christmas. He made sauce every March, and every grandchild had a job. Mine was turning the handle. He never told us the recipe, but he taught us something better: that the work is part of the love. Nonno, this March we’ll make the sauce. It won’t be as good as yours, but we’ll turn the handle together.
Eulogy example for a friend
I met Sam in our first week of nursing. Sam was the one who remembered everyone’s birthdays, organised every camping trip and always, somehow, had a spare jacket. At work, Sam cared for children and their families with patience I still find hard to believe. Out of work, Sam was the friend who’d drive across town at midnight if you needed it. Sam, we’ll keep the camping trips going. And we’ll always pack a spare jacket.
A short eulogy example
Thank you all for being here for Margaret. She was a wife, a mum and a Nan to five, and she loved nothing more than a full house. She’d want us to have a cup of tea, share a story, and look after each other. So let’s do that, for her.
Tips for delivering a eulogy
• Print it in a large font, with wide spacing.
• Practise once or twice aloud, ideally to someone you trust.
• It’s okay to cry. Pause, breathe, sip water. People will wait.
• Have a back-up reader who has a copy, just in case.
• Slow down. Nerves speed us up; the room wants to hear every word.
When you need a little help
If the words won’t come, start with one memory and build from there. The Memories eulogy writer can help you shape a first draft from the details and stories you share, which you can then make your own.
After the service, many families add the eulogy to an online memorial page, so people who couldn’t be there can read it too.
Not a speech about a life. But a way of saying thank you for it.