how to write biography of a dead father

• Funerals & Memorial Services

How to Write a Biography for a Funeral Program + Examples

Updated 05/11/2022

Published 03/10/2021

Belinda McLeod, BA in Secondary Education

Contributing writer

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After a person dies, someone in the family usually writes a biography or obituary about the person. This task sometimes falls to a friend or the funeral director may also help with the writing process. 

You may then submit the biography or obituary to the newspaper through the funeral home. Most newspapers charge families a per-word rate to print the article. You may also write the obituary for the funeral program on the funeral home’s website.

Check out our tips for writing a biography for a funeral. We will also give you short biography examples to help you with your task of telling your loved one’s life story. 

Jump ahead to these sections:

Steps for writing a biography for a funeral, funeral biography samples.

Think of a biography (or obituary) as a news article informing the general public about a death that occurred. Even though you may feel emotional when writing an obituary, this is not typically the outlet for writing about your feelings. 

Even though the biography is an informative article, it is up to you to include the details. You can include pretty much whatever you want, but it’s a good idea to get the family’s general consensus regarding what you will write about in the biography.

The number and types of details may vary, depending on the person and where the biography or obituary will be used. A biography (or obituary) read at a funeral may include more details than one printed in the newspaper or funeral program . 

Step 1: Start with the general facts

You want to identify the deceased first. Use the full name (with the maiden name in parentheses) and the age of the person. If the deceased had an often-used nickname, consider putting it in quotes. 

The more identification factors you use makes it less likely that your loved one gets mistaken for someone else. This is especially important if your loved one had a common name. 

Step 2: Consider including the essential dates in the obituary

Some families choose to include the birth date and death date of the deceased in the obituary. You can present this information in a variety of ways. 

Others avoid giving this detailed information in hopes of limiting the likelihood of fraudulent activity. You may provide partial information, such as “She was born to Bob and Mary Smith in October 1982.”

Step 3: Consider including the cause of death

The family must decide whether or not to include the cause of death. Most people who read the biography will wonder, “What happened?” This question may seem nosy to you, but it is only human nature to be curious about such matters. 

Some families choose to leave this information out of the biography, which is their prerogative. Others may view it as a piece of information that may be helpful to future generations. Some may give partial information, such as “Mary Frankie Jones, 65, passed away after a long illness.”

Step 4: Include information about the early life of the deceased

Most people choose to include the names of the parents of the deceased as well as the city of birth. Again, only include specific information if you feel comfortable; some unscrupulous individuals use this biographical information for nefarious purposes.

You may consider including where the deceased graduated high school and/or college. Include any brief military service during this section of the biography as well.

Step 5: Include other family information

Often, you list a deceased person’s marriages in the article chronologically and list children at the end of the article as “survivors to the deceased.”

For some, it’s easy to write about the deceased’s spouse but makes a difficult task for others. Again, there are no “rules” on who to include, so you and your family must make those determinations.

People agonize over whether to include estranged family members. You may also wonder whether to label stepchildren differently than biological children. Ex-spouses and long-term partners that never marry may pause you as you write the obituary. 

Each situation is different, so most etiquette guides recommend that people do their best to keep their relationships with their living family members intact by not limiting the list of survivors in the obituary. 

Step 6: Write about your loved one’s professional life

A funeral biography is not the same as a resume, but most people give at least some general information about how the deceased earned a living. 

If the deceased worked his entire adult life at one place of business, you would include this detail in the obituary. If he job-hopped but stayed in the same industry, you may include a sentence about his profession.

You may make this section of the biography longer for those with active careers. 

Step 7: Consider including information about community involvement

Many families choose to include their loved one’s involvement in community groups. For example, you may choose to include the deceased’s involvement in a specific church, civic organization, or volunteer group. You may also want to include any offices that the deceased held in any of these organizations as well as any awards earned. 

Step 8: Add any details that made your loved one special

There’s much more to life than work and club memberships. Think about other details you could include in the biography that would help people understand what made your loved one unique. 

Perhaps you want to write about how she was a Star Wars superfan and waited in line each time a new film was released. Maybe your loved one was an avid camper and fisherman and spent each weekend in a tent. 

You may want to write a lengthy exposition about what made your loved one special, which you should do. Use this information to write your loved one’s eulogy or share your writing with close family members. Depending on where you publish it, you may find your writing limited by the amount of space available. 

To get you started in your writing process, read these short, fictional obituary snippets. 

For a parent or grandparent

Douglas Richard Schrute, 82, passed away peacefully in his home on Monday, June 23, 2020. His wife of 53 years was by his side at the time of death.

Douglas was born on December 22, 1938, to Richard and Mary (Sullivan) Schrute in Elmwood, Illinois. He was the fourth son born to the couple. 

After graduating from Elmwood High School, he joined the U.S. Army, serving his country in Korea.

For a child or grandchild

Mary Kate is survived by her parents, Michael and Patricia Carmichael, and one brother, Cole. Other survivors include her maternal grandparents, John and Tawnya Crabtree, and her paternal grandparents, Frank and Louise Carmichael. 

For a partner or spouse

Peter worked in the telecommunications industry all his life. He began his career at Southwestern Bell in 1973 and retired from AT&T in 2018. He worked as a technical salesperson for most of his professional life. 

For an adult without immediate family

Michael will always be remembered by his friends as the “man of 1,000 stories.” He began each conversation by saying, “Stop me if you’ve heard this before,” which no one ever did. He was the life of the party, and laughter followed him wherever he went. 

For someone who died after a long illness

Jack passed away Friday, December 8, after a long battle with lung cancer. 

The family wishes to express appreciation to the Elmwood Hospice organization for helping make his transition to heaven as peaceful as possible.

Take Great Care When Writing the Biography of a Loved One

If you are in charge of making all of the arrangements, you may find yourself overwhelmed by your list of “to-do” items. 

Even though you may find yourself pressed for time, carefully consider the wording of your loved one’s biography or obituary. Take care to be as accurate as possible by double-checking dates, the spelling of names, and other facts. 

Anytime you write something of this level of importance, it is good to have other family members and friends check the piece for accuracy, clarity, and grammar. Have others proofread the funeral program as well and help you pick which modern funeral program to include. 

You only have one chance to write the obituary of your loved one, so take your time as you complete this task. 

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Sample funeral biography

Sample funeral biography: a guide to writing a tribute to your loved one.

Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences that we may encounter in life. When a family member or friend passes away, it can be challenging to find the right words to express how much they meant to us. One way to honor their memory is by writing a funeral biography or obituary. This article will provide you with a guide to writing a sample funeral biography, including the essential elements that should be included.

What is a funeral biography?

A funeral biography is a written tribute to a person who has passed away. It is an opportunity to celebrate and remember their life, achievements, and contributions. Funeral biographies are usually read at the funeral or memorial service, published in the obituary section of a newspaper or online, or included in a funeral program.

Why write a funeral biography?

Writing a funeral biography can be a therapeutic process for those who are grieving. It allows you to reflect on the life of your loved one and remember the happy moments you shared together. A funeral biography also serves as a way to inform others about the deceased’s life, accomplishments, and personality. It is a way to honor their memory and celebrate their life.

How to write a funeral biography?

Writing a funeral biography may seem like a daunting task, but it can be a meaningful and healing process. Here are the essential elements that should be included in a funeral biography:

1. Basic Information

The first section of the funeral biography should include basic information about the deceased, such as their full name, age, date of birth, and date of death. You can also mention their place of birth and where they lived.

2. Family Background

The next section should provide information about the deceased’s family background, including their parents’ names, siblings, spouse, children, and grandchildren. You can also mention their family traditions, values, and beliefs.

3. Education and Career

The third section should highlight the deceased’s education and career. You can mention the schools they attended, degrees they earned, and any professional organizations they were a part of. You can also highlight their career achievements, such as promotions, awards, or significant projects.

4. Hobbies and Interests

The fourth section should focus on the deceased’s hobbies and interests. You can mention their favorite activities, such as sports, music, or art. You can also highlight any volunteer work they did or any causes they were passionate about.

5. Personality and Traits

The fifth section should provide insight into the deceased’s personality and traits. You can mention their sense of humor, kindness, or any other qualities that made them unique. You can also include any stories that showcase their personality.

6. Legacy and Contributions

The final section should focus on the legacy and contributions of the deceased. You can mention any charitable causes they supported or any community service they did. You can also highlight any impact they had on their family, friends, or community.

Why use FuneralPamphlet.com?

FuneralPamphlet.com is an online platform that provides customizable funeral programs, obituaries, and funeral biographies. With FuneralPamphlet.com, you can create a personalized tribute to your loved one that reflects their unique personality and life story. FuneralPamphlet.com offers a wide range of templates, designs, and themes to choose from, making it easy to create a funeral biography that honors your loved one’s memory.

In conclusion, writing a funeral biography is a meaningful way to remember and celebrate the life of your loved one. It allows you to reflect on their achievements, contributions, and personality. With the help of FuneralPamphlet.com, you can create a personalized tribute that honors their memory and provides comfort to those who are grieving.

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How to write an obituary for a father.

When it comes to writing obituaries, it can be hard to know where to start. Writing a beautiful obituary for your father can offer its own set of difficulties. Fathers play such important roles in their family’s lives -- how can you possibly sum all of that up in a few sentences? Here's where to start when it comes to how to write an obituary for your father.

What kind of information should you include in an obituary for a father?

Generally, you should include the following information in an obituary:

• Parents' Names
• Spouse's Name (if applicable)
• Children's Names (if applicable)

This type of information is standard to include in an obituary and helps provide a factual account of the individual’s life. Other biographical information that’s typically included is information on education, occupations, and any military service. When writing an obituary for a father, you’ll also want to focus on other aspects of his life that were particularly important to you (and your family).

What else should I say about my father in his obituary?

Include a brief overview and description of his life. The overview can be as in depth or brief as you’d like it to. The overview can be simply a statement of facts or it can be touching and descriptive. If you need to be mindful of length (which is applicable if you have to publish the obituary in a newspaper), you may want to avoid going into too much detail. You’ll always have the option to post a fuller obituary online or to share more about his life during the eulogy or memorial service.

It can help to begin by listing out details about your father’s life and what his impact was on those around him. Paying special attention to the way your father impacted others, such as your family, friends, and larger community can help you begin to put the pieces together. If your father had any lessons, values, or words he lived by, you could include these in the obituary as well.

In addition, including information about his passions, hobbies, and interests can help tell the story of your dad’s life. If your dad wasn’t a big hobbyist or you’re having difficulty coming up with favorite passions of his, here are some questions that can help guide you:

• Where were his favorite places to vacation? Why?
• Was he a part of any local community organizations or clubs? What made them special?
• Was he a part of any religious organizations? What made his religion important to him?
• Did he start or maintain any family traditions around birthdays or the holidays?
• Did he speak about his duties as a father and what he tried to impart?
• Did he have any lessons that he felt were most important to teach his children?
• Did he have any words of wisdom?
• Were there any subjects he studied or pursued throughout his life?

Here’s more information you can include that’s separate from typical biographical information:

• His interests and hobbies
• Any organizations he belonged to or volunteered for
• His sayings, words of wisdom, or values he imparted
• His relationship with his friends, family and community
• His favorite places to travel, things to make, food to eat or things to do
• Other aspects of his life that you felt made him special and unique

Important tips when writing an obituary for a father

At this point, you should have some information that you’re ready to start putting together in the form of an obituary. Here are some tips to keep in mind when you start writing an obituary for your father: Try to keep the tone in mind. Was your father funny? Serious? Lyrical? Writing an obituary that matches this style can personalize the obituary. Acknowledge his accomplishments and interests outside of fatherhood. Describe activities and hobbies he was proud of or interested in. If you have to publish the obituary in a newspaper, be mindful of length. Many newspapers charge by the line, so an obituary of just 4-5 sentences can cost you hundreds of dollars. Don’t forget to include information about any services (or if there’s no services, include that as well).

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Sample obituary for fathers

For an example of how to write an obituary for your (or father figure), you can reference the sample below. Most obituary examples for fathers focus on elements that made the individual a good dad. This is typically paramount to the obituary and generally includes information on how they functioned as a part of their family, as a support for their kids, and what fatherhood meant for them. This sample can be used for biological fathers, step-fathers, or even father-in-laws -- an obituary is a personal endeavour and customizing the sample obituary for your dad is important.

If you'd prefer to follow templates instead of real samples of obituaries for fathers, you can check out Ever Loved's free obituary templates for fathers and father figures. These touching obituary templates for fathers will provide you with a foundation and starting place to writing a fuller obituary that matches up with your preferences. (Regardless of what you choose to follow, writing an obituary for a dad can be made easier by checking out references, samples, and examples as it'll help you identify commonalities between examples of obituaries for a father, templates, and customized and personalized obituaries.

Jon Menken, 72, of Columbus, OH, passed away on December 1st after a brief battle with pneumonia. Jon was born on November 3rd, 1949 to Jon and Marion Menken in Minneapolis. After graduating from Eastview High in 1965, he went on to study Art History at Ohio State University. After graduation, he got his first job as a historian for the Art & History Museum in Columbus. He loved it and would end up staying with the museum for over 20 years, rising through the ranks the entire time. It was at this time that he met and fell in love with Caitlyn. They were married in 1974 and were with each other through all of life's ups and downs. Jon and Caitlyn would go on to have 2 children, Marion and Mariah. Jon was a wonderful and devoted father, husband and teacher. He always taught us to stand tall, be proud, and know ourselves in all situations and supported us all throughout the many accomplishments and difficulties of our lives. When Jon wasn't working in the archives of the museum, he could be found flyfishing and painting. An avid painter, Jon dedicated much of his time to experimenting with different styles of painting and reading about the greats. Jon was predeceased by his parents, Jon and Marion Menken. He is survived by his wife, Caitlyn; his children, Marion and Mariah; and many grandchildren. The family requests that donations be made to the Art & History Museum of Columbus, of which Jon was a member. There will be a memorial service at Greenhold Park on December 9th at 10 AM.

Here is the template, which you can edit and use as you see fit:

[Full name], [age], of [place of residence], passed away on [date of death] after [cause of death]. [First name] was born on [date and year of birth] to [parents] in [city of birth]. After graduating from [name of high school] in [high school graduation year], he went on to study [college major] at [college name]. After graduation, he got his first job as a [job title] for [company]. He loved it and would end up staying with [company] for [number] years, rising through the ranks the entire time. It was at this time that he met and fell in love with [spouse's name]. They were married in [year] and were with each other through all of life's ups and downs. [First name and spouse's first name] would go on to have [number] children, [names of children]. [First name] was a wonderful and devoted father, husband and teacher. He always taught us to [life lesson] and supported us all throughout the many accomplishments and difficulties of our lives. When [first name] wasn't working in [location], he could be found [describe hobby]. An avid [hobby name], [First name] dedicated much of his time to [description related to hobby]. [First name] was predeceased by [list of family members who have passed away]. He is survived by [list of family members who are still alive]. The family requests that donations be made to [organization name], of which [first name] was a member. There will be a [funeral service/memorial/celebration of life] at [date & time] at [location].

If you’re looking more obituary samples for dads, you can more on this list of obituary templates . These templates come with both the template and the sample obituary for fathers so that you can see what it’d look like with the template filled in. If you’d like real-world obituary samples for fathers, check out this article on examples of obituaries that have been posted to Ever Loved .

When you’re ready to post an obituary for your dad, publishing an obituary for free using Ever Loved is easy. Ever Loved obituaries come with tons of other features, such as the ability to post and collect condolences, start a fundraiser, share event information, and much more -- all for free.

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Table of Contents

1. Begin with an introduction

Creating touching eulogies for revered spiritual figures, weaving memories into a reverent tribute, real voices, real experiences: client testimonials, what is a tribute to a dead father, what is the purpose of a tribute, who can write a tribute for a dead father, what should be included in a tribute to a dead father, how do i start writing a tribute, what is the typical length of a tribute, can i use humor in a tribute, can i include quotes in my tribute, how should i structure my tribute, how do i deliver the tribute, what if i get too emotional while delivering the tribute, can more than one person contribute to the tribute, can children also contribute to the tribute, should the tribute be religious, is it okay to edit the tribute, should i practice beforehand, can i record a tribute, how can the tribute be preserved, how can i make my tribute unique, can i use the tribute for other memorials, should i share the tribute before the funeral, 2. share personal stories, 3. mention your father's impact on your life, 4. express gratitude, 5. close with a final message, example of tribute to a dead father 1, example of tribute to a dead father 2, eulogy assistant: honoring spiritual legacies with words, example of tribute to a dead father frequently asked questions.

Losing a father is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences that we can ever face. For many, fathers are the first heroes in our lives - the ones who teach us the important lessons, give us guidance, and always provide unwavering love and support. Writing a tribute to a deceased father is an emotional journey that helps us to express our feelings and pay homage to the incredible impact that he had on our lives. In this article, we will provide an example of a eulogy for a father, to help you navigate through this difficult time and craft a heartfelt tribute that you can be proud of.

When starting to write a tribute to your father, it can be helpful to consider the following key aspects:

This should include your father's full name and a warm mention of how much he meant to you and your family. You can also thank family and friends for coming to support you during this challenging time.

Include anecdotes that showcase your father's character, sense of humor, and achievements. This will make the eulogy more personal and relatable, and it will give people a glimpse into the many wonderful memories that you shared with your father.

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Discuss how your father inspired you, taught you valuable lessons, and helped you become the person you are today. This is an opportunity to celebrate the positive influence he had on your life and the lives of those around him.

Take a moment to thank your father for all the love, guidance, and support he provided throughout your life.

End your tribute with a heartfelt message about how much your father will be missed, and how you hope to honor his memory moving forward.

Today, as we gather to celebrate the life of my father, John Smith, I find myself grappling with a whirlwind of emotions—grief, love, gratitude, and even a touch of pride for being the son of such an extraordinary man. My father was not just a parent to me; he was my mentor, my confidant, and the anchor that held our family firm through the highs and lows of life.

The Early Days

Dad grew up in a small town, the eldest of four children in a modest family. From an early age, he demonstrated qualities that would come to define him: responsibility, kindness, and an unyielding work ethic. He worked his way through college, juggling multiple jobs and still finding time to excel academically. His determination paved the way for a successful career as an engineer, but to him, work was never just about earning a paycheck; it was about making a meaningful difference in the world.

A Family Man

My father was the epitome of a family man. He and my mother were soulmates in every sense of the word, and their love story is one for the books. Together, they built a home filled with love, laughter, and endless support. Dad never missed a baseball game, a school play, or a parent-teacher conference. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for family—because to him, family was the most important thing in the world.

Lessons Learned

Dad was a man of few words, but when he spoke, we all listened. He had a way of imparting wisdom without preaching, guiding without imposing. "Always be true to yourself," he'd say, "and the right path will unfold before you." He taught me the value of integrity, the importance of standing up for what is right, and the courage to face adversity head-on. These lessons have shaped me into the person I am today, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

His Sense of Humor

Despite the challenges life threw his way, Dad always maintained his sense of humor. He had an infectious laugh and a knack for lightening the mood, even in tense situations. I remember the family road trips, where he'd have us all in splits with his hilarious anecdotes and witty one-liners. He taught me that laughter truly is the best medicine, a lesson I carry with me to this day.

Dad was also deeply involved in community service, often spending weekends volunteering at local shelters, organizing charity events, and mentoring young professionals. He believed in giving back to society and instilled the same values in us. As we stand here today, it's clear that his legacy will continue to live on—not just in the deeds of his family but in the lives of those he touched along the way.

The Final Goodbye

Losing Dad has left an irreplaceable void in our lives, but we find solace in the memories we shared and the love that will forever bind us. As we bid him a final farewell, let us remember him for the wonderful person he was—a loving husband, a devoted father, a doting grandfather, a loyal friend, and above all, a truly remarkable human being.

Today, we celebrate a life well-lived, and although he may no longer be with us in body, his spirit will forever remain in our hearts. Rest in peace, Dad; you've earned it.

Gathered here today, we remember a man whose life was a testament to the power of love, kindness, and resilience—my father, Michael Johnson. He was a man of simple tastes but profound wisdom, a man who wore his heart on his sleeve and whose legacy will continue to inspire us all.

A Tale of Courage

Born into a family of immigrants, Dad had his share of struggles. But he never let adversity define him. Instead, he chose to define himself through courage and perseverance. He served in the military, an experience that shaped his character and instilled in him a strong sense of duty and honor.

The Provider

Dad was the breadwinner, the provider, but he was so much more than that. He was the guy who'd stay up late to help us with our homework, the one who'd drop everything to fix a leaky faucet or build a treehouse in the backyard. He didn't do these things because they were expected of him but because he genuinely enjoyed being our go-to guy for just about anything.

A Man of Principle

My father was a man of principle. He believed in justice, equality, and the power of community. He was a staunch advocate for social causes and never hesitated to speak out against injustice. His moral compass was steadfast, guiding him in every decision he made and every action he took.

The Gift of Empathy

One of the most extraordinary things about my father was his ability to connect with people. He had the gift of empathy, the ability to step into someone else's shoes and understand their feelings and perspectives. This quality made him not just a good father and husband but also a cherished friend and respected member of the community.

The Rock of Our Family

Through all the trials and tribulations, Dad remained the rock of our family. He was the one we turned to for advice, the one whose approval we sought, the one whose love and respect meant the world to us. He was our pillar of strength, our source of wisdom, and our beacon of light in a world that can often be dark and confusing.

The End of An Era

As we say our final goodbyes, I find comfort in knowing that my father lived a fulfilling life, enriched by the love of his family and the respect of his peers. He may be gone, but he will never be forgotten. His teachings will live on in us, his values will guide us, and his love will sustain us as we navigate the path of life without him.

In closing, let us remember my father, Michael Johnson, for the incredible man he was and the indelible impact he had on each and every one of us. May his soul rest in eternal peace, and may his legacy continue to inspire generations to come.

Dad, you were a hero in your own right, and you will forever be in our hearts. Thank you for everything.

"Good morning everyone, my name is [Your Name] and I stand before you today with a heavy heart as we bid a final farewell to my father, [Father's Name]. I want to thank each one of you for being here today to support my family and me as we come together to celebrate my dad's incredible life and legacy.

My father was a man of many talents, but his greatest gift was the unwavering love and devotion he had for his family. He was our rock, always ready to lend a helping hand or a listening ear when we needed him most. As a father, he instilled in us the values of hard work, integrity, and kindness, and these are the principles that have guided us through life.

I will never forget the time my dad took me fishing for the first time. As a young child, I was so eager to catch a trout, but I lacked the patience and skill required. Dad, ever the patient teacher, showed me how to cast my line and wait for the fish to bite. He taught me that valuable life lesson, that sometimes we don't always get what we want right away, but with persistence and patience, we may eventually succeed.

My father was also a man who cherished his community, volunteering for various causes, and always looking for ways to make a difference. He inspired us to be engaged in our community by leading through exemplary acts of service.

I am deeply grateful for the time I spent with him, for the laughter we shared, and for the life lessons he passed on to me. He was a remarkable father, and I will miss him dearly.

As we say goodbye today, I hope to honor my father by living a life that reflects his values, of love, compassion, and selflessness. I am confident that he is watching over us now, and his memory will always be at the core of our hearts.

Thank you, dad, for everything you did for us. You will be dearly missed, but your legacy will live on through the love and strength you’ve bestowed upon our family."

In the solemn moments before parting, putting your profound feelings into words can feel as delicate as painting the quiet of an early morning. Writing a eulogy for a revered spiritual figure is an undertaking of heart and soul, blending deep respect with heartfelt authenticity. Eulogy Assistant is here to accompany you in this sacred task, melding honor with genuine narrative, to transform cherished memories into lasting tributes.

Our team, fluent in the art of sensitive eulogy crafting, is here to guide you in composing a eulogy that captures the serene dignity and wisdom of your spiritual figure. Eulogy Assistant offers more than a mere service; we provide a partnership, delivering understanding and support as you navigate this path of loving remembrance.

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A tribute to a dead father is a heartfelt expression of love and gratitude, often delivered as a speech, poem, or written message to honor the life and legacy of a deceased father.

The main purpose of a tribute is to celebrate the life of the deceased, remember their qualities and achievements, and provide comfort to grieving family and friends.

Anyone who had a meaningful relationship with the deceased can write a tribute. This often includes children, spouses, siblings, and close friends.

A tribute often includes anecdotes, memorable experiences, the deceased's virtues, and the impact he had on the lives of others.

Start by jotting down your thoughts, feelings, and memories. You can also ask other family members for their recollections and perspectives.

The length can vary widely, but a tribute often lasts between 5 and 10 minutes if it's intended to be spoken aloud.

Yes, humor can be an appropriate way to lighten the mood and celebrate a father's life, as long as it is respectful and suitable for all attendees.

Incorporating meaningful quotes can enhance the tribute, whether they are favorite sayings of the deceased or quotes that encapsulate his spirit or beliefs.

A common structure includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The body typically contains stories or qualities that you wish to highlight.

The tribute can be delivered as a speech during the funeral service, written in the funeral program, or posted online as a lasting memorial.

It's completely natural to get emotional. Take a few deep breaths, pause, and continue when you're ready. The audience will understand.

Absolutely. Co-writing a tribute or having multiple people speak during the service can be a meaningful way to honor your father from different perspectives.

Yes, younger family members often have a unique and touching perspective that can add depth to the tribute.

The religious content in the tribute depends on the beliefs of the deceased and the family. It can be as religious or secular as you feel is appropriate.

Certainly, it's not uncommon to make revisions, whether to add forgotten details or to refine the tone or content.

If you plan to deliver the tribute as a speech, practicing beforehand can help you become more comfortable and manage your emotions during the actual event.

Yes, for those who may not be able to attend the service, recording the tribute can be a meaningful way to share your words.

The tribute can be saved in various ways, from printing it in the funeral program to creating a digital memorial online.

To make your tribute stand out, focus on specific qualities, stories, or experiences that capture the essence of your father.

Yes, you can adapt the tribute for different occasions, such as memorial anniversaries or when contributing to a memorial scholarship in your father's name.

It's up to you. Some people prefer to keep it private until the funeral, while others share it beforehand to receive feedback or to include contributions from others.

Writing a tribute to your late father can be an emotional but rewarding experience. It serves as an opportunity to articulate your love, respect, and the profound impact he had on your life. This FAQ should guide you through the process, ensuring that you create a fitting and memorable tribute.

Writing a tribute to a deceased father can be an emotional and overwhelming task, but it is also an opportunity to celebrate the incredible impact our father had on our lives. By using the example provided above and incorporating your personal memories and feelings, you can create a heartfelt tribute that both honors your father's legacy and helps you find some solace in the grieving process. However, despite our best intentions, sometimes finding the right words can be a challenge, especially during a time of heightened emotions.

That is where Eulogy Assistant can come in handy. We will guide you step by step through the process of crafting a personal and moving eulogy for your loved one.

Looking For Examples? Here Are Some of The Best Eulogies

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How to Write an Impactful Obituary for a Father

Gabrielle is an experienced freelance writer and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with experience using equine-assisted therapy.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

It can feel overwhelming writing an obituary for your father after he has passed away. Using some simple tips and guidelines can help you create a beautiful obituary that honors the memory of your father.

How to Write an Obituary for a Father

Whether you are writing an obituary for a newspaper or for a website, there are a few tips you can keep in mind when creating a touching obituary for your father.

• 18 Poignant Poems in Memory of Dad
• 100+ Funeral Quotes to Help Say a Final Goodbye
• 51 Father's Death Anniversary Quotes to Honor His Memory

How to Start

Describe your father's full name, date of passing, birth year or age ( may not choose to include full birthdate for security reasons), and birthplace. Always use your father's preferred gender pronouns and preferred name when writing the obituary. Doing so is respectful and validating of their identity. Discuss the details surrounding the passing briefly (if you choose to include that). For example:

"Kellan James Davis, 55, of Los Angeles, California, passed away unexpectedly on July 9th. He passed away on a solo camping trip due to a chronic medical condition."

Include Biographical Information

Include biographical information that offers a brief overview of your father's life. For example:

"Kellan graduated with honors from Pepperdine University and went on to become a marine biologist who was dedicated to protecting the oceans. In his spare time, he loved being outdoors, spending time with his family, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. Kellan wrote three books, two of which became bestsellers."

Personalize the Obituary As Space Allows

Discuss personality and traits briefly. Include a short story, meaningful poem , or favorite saying to personalize the obituary. For example:

"He was a kind and loving partner to his spouse Darryl, as well as an amazing father to their daughter Jada. Kellan's favorite saying was 'be kind', and this is exactly how he choose to live his life."

List Surviving Family Members

This information can be as detailed or as brief as desired. Most families list spouses and children, along with siblings and grandchildren. For example:

"Aside from being survived by his partner and daughter, Kellan also leaves behind his two parents, Jack and Kate Davis, as well as his dog."

Finish With Funeral and/or Donation Information

If the newspaper or obituary is printed before the services, include that information. If services were private or held previously, mention it so friends do not wonder. For example:

"The family held a private funeral last weekend and asks that any donations made in Kellan's honor go towards ocean preservation, or to a local animal shelter."

Obituary Examples for Fathers

After sharing biographical information, as well as noting the passing, you can focus on your father's impact on your life, as well as on the life of others. Keep in mind that even if you are including personal anecdotes about shared memories with your father, obituaries are typically written in third person. Short obituary examples:

From a Daughter or Son

"One of (insert deceased individual's name) biggest accomplishments was being a father. He had always wanted children and considered himself lucky enough to have two. His children, (insert children' names), called their dad a superhero, and even as adults, still see him that way. He was always there for them through their ups and downs, and taught them to enjoy every moment life has to offer."

For a Father-in-Law

"(Insert deceased individual's name) always aimed to make people feel welcome in their life, whether they were volunteering to help someone move, offering sage advice, or just being supportive to their loved ones (insert deceased individual's name) would often go above and beyond. When their daughter got married, they welcomed their son-in-law with open arms. Although they passed away before getting to meet their grandchild, the little one is named in (insert deceased individual's name) honor."

For a Step-Dad

"(Insert deceased individual's name) always wanted a big family, and when he remarried, he got his wish. His family of three grew to seven, and he absolutely loved being a father and "bonus" dad, as his step-children lovingly called him, to all of his children. As a family, their favorite activities included snowboarding, water skiing, and surfing."

For a Father Who Died Too Young

"(Insert deceased individual's name) passed away tragically in a car accident on his way to meet his partner at the hospital who was giving birth to their first child. Their daughter will be named after him to honor his kindness, confidence, strength, and amazing sense of humor."

For a Father Who Battled an Illness

"(Insert deceased individual's name) passed away due to (insert illness). Just like he dealt with all experiences in life, (insert deceased individual's name) managed his illness with strength and grace, and wanted to spend as much time with his loved ones as possible. On his final day, he was surrounded by his children, who he adored more than anything else in the world."

What to Write if Your Relationship Was Strained

If your relationship with your father was strained, focus on stating facts and details about your father's life, and know that you don't need to include personal anecdotes if you aren't comfortable doing so. Note that some surviving family members may not feel comfortable being listed in the obituary, so it's always best to check in with someone before including them. For example:

"(Insert deceased individual's name), (age), and (location), passed away on (date) due to (insert reason why if you'd like). (Insert deceased individual's name was a (insert a few adjectives) person who worked extremely hard. After graduating from (insert schooling), he went on to be a (insert career). He had a passion for (insert hobbies, passions). He is survived by (insert surviving family members' names). The funeral will take place on (insert date) at (insert location) at (insert time)."

Sample Obituary for Father

Using an obituary template can give you a great place to start if you would like some extra guidance in structuring your obituary. Download the printable image to create a customized obituary.

How Do You Write a Eulogy for Your Dad?

If you are in charge of writing the obituary for your father, you may also be tasked with writing a eulogy as well. Taking a look at sample eulogy speeches can help you format your own speech, while still leaving room for you to add your own unique touches.

How Do You Write a Meaningful Obituary?

Writing an obituary for your father can feel like a daunting task, especially if you are experiencing any symptoms of grief . Take your time, enlist the help of loved ones, and be kind to yourself during this time.

Need help writing an obituary?

Write the obituary in 5 minutes using an AI tool, then make the final edits to make it perfect. Click here to view the examples.

How to Write an Obituary for a Father

October 3, 2023

Understanding an Obituary's Role

An obituary serves more than the mere purpose of announcing a person's demise. It's a testament to the life lived, a narrative of a person's journey, enshrining their experiences, contributions, and the love they fostered. Writing an obituary for your father transforms into an act of homage, encapsulating his essence, spirit, and the impact he had on the lives of those around him.

Navigating Emotions while Writing a Father's Obituary

Writing an obituary for a loved one, especially a father, can be an emotional minefield. It's normal to feel an amalgam of feelings - grief, nostalgia, regret, and more - clamoring for attention. Treat these emotions as allies, not foes. They are a testament to the bond you shared with your father. Allowing yourself to feel is not a sign of weakness but rather an indication of the strength of your love.

Gathering Information: The Foundation of an Obituary

Collecting key details about your father's life.

To honor your father's legacy, begin by gathering the mosaic pieces of his life. His early years, education, career, achievements, and personal anecdotes form the cornerstone of the narrative. Whether it's the place of his birth or his favorite pastime, each fact will contribute to painting a holistic picture of his life.

Sourcing Anecdotes and Memories from Family and Friends

An obituary is enriched by a multitude of perspectives. Conversations with family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors can unearth hidden anecdotes, revealing unknown facets of your father's life. These shared remembrances, from significant achievements to simple, day-to-day joys, add depth to your narrative, enabling a more intimate and human portrayal of your father.

Structuring Your Father's Obituary

The opening: communicating the loss.

A poignant opening sets the tone for the obituary. It communicates the loss, subtly yet firmly, while introducing your father to the reader. Use simple language, allowing the weight of the sentiment to carry the message.

Crafting an Opening Statement that Honors Your Father

An opening statement should go beyond the declaration of loss. It should be a tribute, a reflection of who your father was. By incorporating his defining characteristics, core values, or impact on others, you can turn the opening into an evocative epitaph that pays homage to your father.

Detailing His Personal and Professional Life

This section serves as a testament to your father's journey through life. Detail his educational background, career, milestones, and achievements. But remember, personal life is equally significant. Describe his relationships, hobbies, passions, and all the tiny quirks that made him, him.

Highlighting Key Achievements and Impact

Your father's accomplishments and influence on the people around him are indispensable parts of his story. Describe how he impacted his community, profession, or family. These highlights demonstrate his values and how he put them into action.

Adding Personal Touches: Memories, Hobbies, and Favorite Sayings

Personal touches breathe life into an obituary. These can be anecdotes, his favorite sayings, cherished hobbies, or even specific memories associated with him. These intimate details bring warmth and familiarity to the narrative, offering readers a glimpse into your father's unique personality.

Revealing His Character through Stories and Achievements

The tales of your father's life and accomplishments aren't mere facts but reflections of his character. They reveal what mattered to him, what made him laugh, what made him proud. Sharing these stories and achievements allows his spirit to resonate with those reading the obituary.

Listing Family Members and Their Relationship to Your Father

An essential element of an obituary is acknowledging the family left behind. A comprehensive list describing their relation to your father reaffirms the familial bonds and acknowledges the shared loss.

Expressing Family's Shared Loss and Love

The obituary should embody the family's collective voice, expressing shared grief and enduring love. While infused subtly throughout, this sentiment can be explicitly stated, offering a united front in the face of loss.

Sharing Funeral or Memorial Service Information

The obituary also serves a practical purpose, providing details about the funeral or memorial service. Remember to include the date, time, location, and any specific wishes the family might have, such as preferred charities for donations.

Including Any Final Words or Sentiments

Concluding the obituary can be as difficult as beginning it. Consider closing with a meaningful quote, a heartfelt sentiment, or a simple message of love and remembrance. This final note echoes your father's life, resonating beyond the silence of loss.

Dos and Don'ts of Writing a Father's Obituary

Striking a balance between public and private information.

While an obituary is a public document, it's crucial to strike a balance between sharing details and respecting privacy. Sensitivity towards personal information ensures dignity and respect for your father's memory and the family's feelings.

Maintaining Dignity, Respect, and Accuracy in Your Writing

An obituary must embody dignity and respect, capturing the essence of a life well-lived with grace and accuracy. Ensuring factual correctness and a tone of reverence honors your father's memory and provides a reliable record for future generations.

Proofreading: Ensuring Your Father's Obituary Is Perfect

The importance of proofreading in the obituary process.

Proofreading isn't merely a task in the process but an act of love. It ensures that your father's obituary is flawless and worthy of the life it represents. Attention to detail in this final review ensures accuracy, coherence, and perfect syntax.

Enlisting Help from Family Members or Friends for a Second Look

Having a second pair of eyes review the obituary can be beneficial. Not only can they help spot any inadvertent errors, but they may also provide insights or details you may have overlooked.

Publishing the Obituary: Ensuring Your Father's Story is Told

Deciding on the right publication or platform for your father's obituary.

Choosing where to publish the obituary depends on several factors, including the reach of the platform, the associated costs, and its relevance to your father's life. It's about finding a space where his story can be told, heard, and appreciated.

Navigating the Submission Process: Costs, Deadlines, and Guidelines

Submitting an obituary comes with its considerations - understanding the deadlines, adhering to the guidelines, and budgeting costs. It may seem daunting, but it's a necessary step in ensuring your father's story is shared.

Coping with Grief During the Obituary Writing Process

Dealing with emotional challenges while writing.

Writing an obituary for your father is an emotional journey. It's okay to take your time, pause when the sorrow becomes overwhelming, laugh at a fond memory, or shed a tear at a loss. The emotional challenges are not roadblocks but companions in your journey of reminiscence.

Using the Writing Process as a Form of Healing and Celebration

Remember, writing an obituary isn't just about commemorating a life; it can also be a cathartic experience, a form of healing. As you revisit your father's life, you celebrate his journey, accomplishments, and love. This can provide comfort and a sense of connection during a difficult time.

Conclusion: The Healing Power of Writing Your Father's Obituary

How an obituary honors and continues your father's legacy.

An obituary is more than a document; it's a conduit for your father's legacy to continue to influence others. Through the stories, achievements, and memories, your father lives on in the hearts of those who knew him and those who didn't.

Embracing the Enduring Tribute of an Obituary

Writing your father's obituary is an act of enduring tribute. It's an acceptance of loss, an expression of love, and a commitment to remembering. By embracing the process, you affirm that while your father may no longer be physically present, his influence and the love he fostered endures.

---TaKe ConTroL---

Get to know the person, Celestine Ezeokoye.

• TiketMobile

Thursday, October 23, 2014

A life of service: a mini-biography of my late father, john asiegbu ezeokoye, 20 comments:.

Lovely biography and well written...tanks

Wow, great post.

Thanks for this great post. I have read this short details biography about John, father etc. I a writer and want to learn how to write the biography. I told that it is useful site for me.

your blog is better but you can make more better to host your website on any hosting provider.I can suggest you to make your blog like read more this blog

I think it is really difficult to complete a mini biography as there has not that much space to write the whole biography and there has less option there too. http://www.biographywritingservices.com/how-to-write-a-chef-biography/ this website will help you more to know about the writing service.

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Wao your father was a great man.Its an amazing experience to read here him.If you want read about his earlier life then read here.Thanks for this post.

This really helped me in writing my Late Dads Biography. May God bless the One who wrote this. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this. It was of help to me while writing my late Dad's Biography. Thank you

God bless the writer

Thanks so much for everything sir

Nice one dear

Good write up. May his soul rest in peace amen

This helped me in writing my sister’s biography. Thanks to the writer

Post a Comment

How to Write a Biography of a Deceased Person

Rebecca cioffi, 29 sep 2017.

Everyone dies. It’s a simple fact of life. And when they do, many times an obituary is needed, which is just another word for biography. If you are writing one for a local newspaper or something that requires brevity, use three paragraphs. For anything else, like a eulogy or even a school paper on a dead relative, you can make it as long as you like. Just remember you are writing about someone's life and give your biography the respect that this person deserves.

Explore this article

• Begin with the background
• Include personality traits
• Was sad but so many rich things
• Fact check your article

1 Begin with the background

Begin with the background. Described who the person was as evidenced by whom he left behind, including spouses and children. You can also include details like where he worked and what he did. Include that he was a wonderful teacher or everyone loved his Santa at Christmas; it doesn't have to be a full life story, just some interesting tidbits and highlights. It doesn't have to be the Nobel Prize to be included, unless he did win the Nobel Prize.

2 Include personality traits

Include personality traits and unusual or funny characteristics. If he was extremely philanthropic or donated to one cause, mention that. Give a sense of the man here -- a sense of his personality, what he found funny or cared deeply about and why people liked him.

3 Was sad but so many rich things

End with the idea that his passing was sad but so many rich things came from his life. You can then end with some accomplishments of the deceased’s family. Remember that research is important here. Make some phone calls to his family and friends and interview them. Just a few comments from relatives can really add to the biography.

4 Fact check your article

Fact check your article thoroughly as you don't want to get any facts wrong including dates of birth and death, a list of survivors and funeral dates and times. If you are including sensitive information such as cause of death, check with the family first before publishing.

About the Author

Rebecca Cioffi worked in the entertainment industry for almost 20 years and is currently living in Phoenix, Ariz., where she is working on a book. She is also a phlebotomist.

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A short biography of my father

As I've already mentioned online somewhere, my father died in late November. His memorial service will be held in February, at the church he attended. I wrote up a short biography for the pastors at the church to refer to in their eulogy (or whatever it is called that is read out at a memorial service) and I thought I'd post it here too, as a sort of closure. It is admittedly the 'good' version of my father's life, and leaves out a lot, but it is what I think is most fitting.

Masamichi Itoh was born in 1936 in Tokyo. His parents were Salvation Army officers working at a Salvation Army hospital. They were Christians, which was very unusual for Japanese people at that time. While he was evacuated to the countryside during the war, he spent most of his youth in Tokyo. Years later he remembered always being hungry as a child, especially in the postwar period, and his mother struggling to feed six children. He was the oldest.

From an early age he was very interested in America and learning English. In his teens he had more than 25 penpals in America, all but one of whom were girls, most of them blonde. His favorite American actress was June Allyson. When he entered college in the '50s, he grew his hair into a "regent" - a big fluffy pompadour at front, like James Dean - and frequented the dance halls of Tokyo, dancing the boogie woogie.

At the age of 26 he married Michiko Munemura, a 21 year old girl with big eyes. It was an arranged marriage, the usual way young people got married in Japan at the time. They eventually had three daughters - Makiko, Mayumi and Megumi. Makiko lives in France, Mayumi in Japan, and Megumi in Florida. He also has two grandchildren, Lyoh and Lena.

His English ability and his interest in travelling abroad finally came together in his early 30s, when he was sent to England by his company to cultivate business there. He was their sole representative in Europe for 5 years. After six months he was joined by his wife and two older daughters (daughter no. 3 was born later in the United States). Life was tough sometimes, but looking back later he said he really enjoyed his time in England.

After several years in England and a year in New York, he and his family returned to Tokyo. But back in Japan, he did not feel like he fit into his company anymore. Unhappy, he took the drastic step of resigning - a very unusual thing to do for a Japanese salaryman in the 1970s. He found another job back in New York and the family moved once more.

Perhaps because of so many moves, the marriage became too strained, and he divorced from his wife a few years later. He eventually found friendship and a purpose in life again when he joined the Universal Church, which became the center of his spiritual and social life. He found it very fulfilling to serve on the church's board, especially after retirement. That and his friends here [in New York] were the main reasons why he decided to live out his retirement in New York rather than going back to Japan.

Masamichi had a lifelong love of good food, movies, and travel. He used to keep file folders full of the business cards of restaurants he visited around the world. When he was in his 60s, he went back to dance class again to boogie woogie once more.

(See also: Doing business as a Japanese businessman in the '60s and '70s' )

Comments on this post:

Thank you for sharing.

Did you parents decide to keep the M name going or is that something that Japanese families do traditionally? We almost did that with our son. But I decided I didn't want tradition and his name is so strange to most people anyway that I just like it. Even though it's a really old English name. Your Father really lived a vibrant life, or at least it sounds that way! Thank you so much for sharing!

The M thing is just a

The M thing is just a coincidence, definitely not any kind of tradition. Though when it came time to name my youngest sister my parents may have looked for an M-name on purpose.

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Recent popular.

How to write a biography of a deceased person

By rebecca cioffi / in lifestyle.

Everyone dies. It's a simple fact of life. And when they do, many times an obituary is needed, which is just another word for biography. If you are writing one for a local newspaper or something that requires brevity, use three paragraphs. For anything else, like a eulogy or even a school paper on a dead relative, you can make it as long as you like. Just remember you are writing about someone's life and give your biography the respect that this person deserves.

• It's a simple fact of life.
• And when they do, many times an obituary is needed, which is just another word for biography.

Begin with the background. Described who the person was as evidenced by whom he left behind, including spouses and children. You can also include details like where he worked and what he did. Include that he was a wonderful teacher or everyone loved his Santa at Christmas; it doesn't have to be a full life story, just some interesting titbits and highlights. It doesn't have to be the Nobel Prize to be included, unless he did win the Nobel Prize.

Include personality traits and unusual or funny characteristics. If he was extremely philanthropic or donated to one cause, mention that. Give a sense of the man here -- a sense of his personality, what he found funny or cared deeply about and why people liked him.

• Include personality traits and unusual or funny characteristics.
• Give a sense of the man here -- a sense of his personality, what he found funny or cared deeply about and why people liked him.

End with the idea that his passing was sad but so many rich things came from his life. You can then end with some accomplishments of the deceased's family. Remember that research is important here. Make some phone calls to his family and friends and interview them. Just a few comments from relatives can really add to the biography.

Fact check your article thoroughly as you don't want to get any facts wrong including dates of birth and death, a list of survivors and funeral dates and times. If you are including sensitive information such as cause of death, check with the family first before publishing.

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How to Write a Biography

Last Updated: April 1, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,849,729 times.

Writing a biography can be a fun challenge, where you are sharing the story of someone’s life with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write one as a personal project. Once you have identified the subject of the biography, do your research so you know as much about them as possible. Then, dive into the writing of the biography and revising it until it is at its finest.

Researching Your Subject

• If the subject does not give you permission to write the biography, you may want to choose a different subject. If you decide to publish the biography without the subject’s permission, you may be susceptible to legal action by the subject.
• If the subject is no longer alive, you obviously do not need to ask permission to write about them.

• You may create research questions to help focus your research of the subject, such as, What do I find interesting about the subject? Why is this subject important to readers? What can I say that is new about the subject? What would I like to learn more about?

• For in person interviews, record them with a tape recorder or a voice recorder on your computer or phone.
• You may need to interview the subject and others several times to get the material you need.

• You may also want to visit areas where the subject made a major decision or breakthrough in their life. Being physically in the area can give you a sense of how the subject might have felt and help you write their experiences more effectively.

• When researching the time period ask yourself: What were the social norms of that time? What was going on economically and politically? How did the social and political climate affect the subject?

• You may also include historical events or moments that affected the subject on the timeline. For example, maybe there was a conflict or civil war that happened during the person’s life that affected their life.

Writing the Biography

• You may end up focusing on particular areas of the person’s life. If you do this, work through a particular period in the person’s life chronologically.

• For example, you may have a thesis statement about focusing on how the person impacted the civil rights movement in America in the 1970s. You can then make sure all your content relates back to this thesis.

• Flashbacks should feel as detailed and real as present day scenes. Use your research notes and interviews with the subject to get a good sense of their past for the flashbacks.
• For example, you may jump from the person’s death in the present to a flashback to their favorite childhood memory.

• For example, you may focus on the person’s accomplishments in the civil rights movement. You may write a whole section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometown.

• For example, you may notice that the person’s life is patterned with moments of adversity, where the person worked hard and fought against larger forces. You can then use the theme of overcoming adversity in the biography.

• For example, you may note how you see parallels in the person’s life during the civil rights movement with your own interests in social justice. You may also commend the person for their hard work and positive impact on society.

Polishing the Biography

• Revise the biography based on feedback from others. Do not be afraid to cut or edit down the biography to suit the needs of your readers.

• Having a biography riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can turn off your readers and result in a poor grade if you are handing in the text for a class.

• If the biography is for a class, use MLA , APA , or Chicago Style citations based on the preferences of your instructor.

Biography Help

Community Q&A

• Be careful when publishing private or embarrassing information, especially if the person is not a celebrity. You may violate their "Right of Privacy" or equivalent. Thanks Helpful 31 Not Helpful 5
• Have the sources to back up your statements about the subject's life. Untruthful written statements can lead to litigation. If it is your opinion, be clear that it is such and not fact (although you can support your opinion with facts). Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 15

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
• ↑ https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-bio
• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/3-tips-for-writing-successful-flashbacks
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://www.plagiarism.org/article/how-do-i-cite-sources

About This Article

Before you write a biography, gather as much information about the subject that you can from sources like newspaper articles, interviews, photos, existing biographies, and anything else you can find. Write the story of that person’s life, including as much supporting detail as you can, including information about the place and time where the person lived. Focus on major events and milestones in their life, including historical events, marriage, children, and events which would shape their path later in life. For tips from our reviewer on proofreading the biography and citing your sources, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Writing the Life and Times of My Father – Late Special Senior Apostle Sylvester Anele Njoku

Photo booth/stand at the funeral of Sp. Snr. Ap. S. A. Njoku

By Dr. Sarah Chidiebere Joe

My father, Late Special Senior Apostle Sylvester Anele Njoku went to be with the Lord on the 29 th of November, 2020. Although he had been ill for a while, the news of his death was still a surprise. For our family and many other friends, acquaintances and a host of extended relatives, Papa was an enigma and a force of nature. Therefore, somewhere in all our minds, we never quite imagined that one day, we will get the news of his final departure to be with the Lord.

Watch the funeral trailer/video here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CYrRMzQpucE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

After putting into consideration a wide range of factors, we reached the conclusion that we needed at least one year to prepare for his funeral. At the time, most persons frowned at the idea but we knew the challenges before us and stood our ground. Many meetings were held, some went well, others quite chaotic – a type of chaos that every polygamous family knows and understands too well.

During one of the meetings, the new head of the family said: “Dr, Sarah, I need you to take on the responsibility of writing Papa’s biography.” Although I don’t quite understand why my siblings address me as Dr Sarah, I simply said Okay. But later that day, I began to question whether I could effectively capture Papa’s essence into words especially in ways that people could truly resonate with. I stayed awake for a few nights thinking about how to approach the task because for me, it was really important I got it right.

The inspiration to write Papa’s biography came after I spent an entire day reminiscing on my time with my father. The most significant that came to mind was a four-day journey I made with Papa to Funtua, Katsina State where I, at age 10, had secured an admission to study at Federal Government Girls’ College, Bakori, Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria.

Our four-day rail trip was special in many respects. For the very first time, I had the rare opportunity of listening to the story of my father and by so doing began to construct a vision of life for myself. As I listened to him, I garnered an all-important lesson – All Things Are Possible If You Believe. Papa battled many challenges and, in the end, won each time.  He had very limited opportunities but always made the most of them. Even though our journey was fraught with many upheavals, he remained optimistic that that we would get to our destination safely and on time. And, yes, we did.

Lastly, during this journey, I understood why my father loved education and was willing to trade off anything to ensure that all fifteen of his children acquired the best. Knowing this, I resolved in my spirit to make Papa proud by obtaining the highest degrees in education. Today, I am proud I have done it and this is only the beginning!

Slide left to see more photos ????????

By the end of the day, I had remembered enough to start drafting Papa’s biography. I also drew up a list of persons to interview, to help me fill in any blanks. Chief on that list was my mother and Papa’s first wife, the lovely Mother-In-Israel Anna Njoku – I call her Lady Anne. Of course, Mama had a lot to say especially regarding their she and Papa’s “love” – a type of love that I have over the years found really hard to understand.

In three days, I had written the first draft and sent it off to some key members of the family for their comments. They were happy with the outcome and approved it for printing and publishing.

Biographies are essentially written to give us a brief insight into people’s lives, their challenges, failures and successes. They are also designed to inspire and encourage us to be better.  Today, I invite you to take a journey with me through the life and times of the man I described as “ Ogba aka ari ngara” – One who makes something out of nothing .   I have also laced this piece with images from Papa’s three-day funeral. Please enjoy!

The BIOGRAPHY of LATE SPECIAL SENIOR APOSTLE SYLVESTER ANELE NJOKU

Late Special Senior Apostle Sylvester Anele Njoku is an epitome of success borne of a rare combination of Tenacity, Hard work, and Love for God and Family. Papa, as he was called by his children, was born into the great Umuagunanna Family of Egbelubi Ndashi in Etche Local Government Area of River State on the 7 th of July 1942.  His father and Mother were successful farmers and were thus, revered and honoured by members of the Etche community.

Early Life & Career

Sylva, as he was fondly called by his relatives and friends loved to study. Although he lost his father to the cold hands of death at the very tender age of two (2), he did everything possible including taking on menial jobs in order to successfully complete his Primary education. Upon completion of Standard Six, he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate. While he was not able to further his education, he worked tirelessly over the years to ensure all his children received quality education. This, for him, was a prime objective. Papa lived to see all fifteen of his children, whom he loved so dearly, graduate from top tertiary institutions in Nigeria and beyond.

Upon completion of his Primary education, Sylva travelled to Owerri, the Imo State capital to serve as a Cook to Reverend Fathers of the Roman Catholic faith. During his time there, he gained an exquisite culinary skill, one which endeared him to his wives and children. His children describe his Okro soup as second to none!

After successfully serving Catholic Priests, on the advice of his family, he journeyed to Enugu, where he worked with the Nigerian Railway Service. While in Enugu, Sylva joined the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim. A church he was completely devoted to and served in many capacities, including as the Provincial Chairman of Etche Province.

Sylva returned to Rivers State just before the Nigerian Civil war broke out.  Post-civil war, he relocated to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, where he secured a job with the Rivers State Government as a Radio Operator in the state’s Radio Room.

He retired early from Civil Service to venture into the world of Business. He established SACO Nigeria Limited and from this platform, he served as a Rivers State Government contractor. He secured and executed many school-building contracts. He was also tasked with supplying food and beverages to many schools including Government Girls’ Secondary School, Ndashi, Etche. Sylva also served as a contractor to Shell Petroleum Development Company, Risonpalm Limited and many firms in Rivers State.

Politics and Community Service

Papa saw politics as an instrument for positive social change. As a man with strong leadership qualities, he decided to not only actively participate in politics, but to also vie for political office as Councillor under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). His outspokenness and bravery made him a very distinguished, respected and loved member of his immediate family and community. It was commonplace to find Papa speaking up for the less privileged, widows, and the marginally displaced. His home was a place of refuge for family members, friends and strangers.

Final Moments

Papa fell ill in 2012 and was soon after, flown out of the country to the United Kingdom for medical treatment by his most precious daughter, Late Mrs. Nenne Ordu. Papa had another battle with his health in 2020. He finally went to be with the Lord on the 29 th of November 2020, while hospitalised at the Rivers State University Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

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Masterpiece…papa is a Gem….Rest in peace Papa

Sounds like a great man. Great writing too… sincere. I’m sure that Papa is smiling at this piece. Rest on Papa!!!

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Losing a parent is never easy, no matter your age

Readers respond to Adrian Chiles’s article about the death of his father and share their own experiences

The bewilderment that Adrian Chiles describes is very familiar – one might even say, predictable ( I’ve spent a lifetime dreading the loss of a parent. And now it’s finally happened, 20 March ). Nothing can prepare you for the loss of a parent. There is no roadmap for bereavement. Losing a parent means an enforced “stepping up” on the generational ladder – it’s a step nearer to death. Perhaps more importantly, it’s a step further away from childhood, now the all-protective figure has gone. We mourn the person we remember from long ago as much as the person we sat with last week.

However long-expected, the finality of death is always a shock. The platitudes abound – “a long life, well lived” – and comfort nobody. The sheer tedium of the administration, the registration, the organisation of a funeral, the contacting of old friends, can alleviate the initial shock, but it can also feel, as Adrian describes, like a repeated hammer blow of a horrible reality. Later, the disposal of effects feels intrusive, offensive, unnatural – clearing a house is like dismantling an entire life; intimations of mortality on a grand scale.

More cliches, but some cliches are so true (that’s why they were repeated): time does help; one step at a time; one day at a time. I wish the Chiles family the best of luck. Gill Othen Kenilworth, Warwickshire

I read Adrian Chiles’s piece on his father with tears in my eyes. I am an only child and I too, as my own daughter does now, feared the day my parents were no longer here.

My dad died nearly six years ago after a very long illness and so my mum and I were left, and the grief for me was easier to bear because she was there, but then a cancer diagnosis came. Even though I knew our time was coming to an end, it never felt real. Even on the day when I knew “this is the day”, it wasn’t real. And so it was just the two of us as I prayed for her, listening to Foster and Allen while I held her hand and shared her last hours until she finally slipped away with peace and dignity.

No amount of preparation or even experience of death prepared me for the pain I’ve felt since her death. Adrian, grief is a cruel thing. A painful reminder of love and loss. Take the ride as it comes. Jacqueline Beards Coventry

My dad just passed away as well, at 86. There is nothing that can prepare one for this. As I held his lifeless hands crossed on his chest, two versions of me wept. The man in his 50s and the child in me, losing his daddy. I too wasn’t prepared for the wealth of emotions bubbling up to the raw surface. They remain for ever in our aching hearts. Charles Rouleau Sutton, Quebec, Canada

My sister and I separately viewed our dad lying in his coffin. I burst into tears when I saw him, and told my sister afterwards that I felt stupid. She replied: “Don’t worry, he’d have loved it, he always enjoyed a good greet.” “Greet” is Glaswegian for cry. Paula McEwan Manchester

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When David Frum's daughter unexpectedly died, she left him with her dog Ringo

Kai McNamee

Patrick Jarenwattananon

Mary Louise Kelly

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with David Frum about his latest piece in The Atlantic, titled "Miranda's Last Gift: When our daughter died suddenly, she left us with grief, memories — and Ringo."

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Writers, even really good writers, can struggle to find the words to capture the most painful chapters of their lives. This was the challenge facing David Frum, who was a speechwriter for George W. Bush, who is today a really good writer at The Atlantic. His most recent piece is headlined "Miranda's Last Gift: When Our Daughter Died Suddenly, She Left Us With Grief, Memories - And Ringo." David Frum is in the studio. I'm so glad to see you.

DAVID FRUM: Yeah. Glad to be here.

KELLY: I'm so sorry.

FRUM: Thank you.

KELLY: So sorry for you and your family's loss.

KELLY: You're writing, as the headline makes clear, about the death of your daughter, Miranda, last month. But I have to say, she comes across as so alive, the way you write her. She's, like, smart and a total smartass. And, like, she just took no nonsense from anyone. Is that right?

FRUM: That is absolutely right. Can I say this on NPR, that one of her pieces of advice she gave her more bashful friends was, you have to say [expletive] you to more people more often?

KELLY: (Laughter).

FRUM: And some people took that to heart. She was - I wouldn't say she was fearless because she had a lot of fear. But she was very brave, and she put herself into dangerous situations. She worked as a fashion model. She worked as a war correspondent. She traveled all over the world. And in 2018, she was diagnosed with the brain tumor that we thought we had saved her from, but that instead did eventually kill her in 2024.

KELLY: Yeah. Yeah. How old was she when she died?

FRUM: She was 32.

KELLY: Thirty-two. As people will also have gathered from the headline of the piece, she had a dog...

FRUM: Yeah.

KELLY: ...Named Ringo, who you chose to put front and center in your tribute to her in The Atlantic. Introduce us to Ringo.

FRUM: Well, I began with Ringo, and I talked mostly about him because of something I actually did learn from Ringo, who is a small black-and-tan King Charles spaniel. He looks like he's the color of a cup of espresso. He's mostly black with a little brown foam at the tip of his nose and the tip of his tail. And he was - he's the very opposite of a good boy.

FRUM: He's the very opposite. And, you know, he attacks birds. He would bite my leg if I was slow opening the door for him. He would take his food bowl and throw it at the door. But when you walked him, if you came across a deer, he wouldn't see it. He saw birds. He saw squirrels. But he couldn't see a deer because a deer was too big to see. And I think when you write about some things, there are things that are too big to see and too big to say, and so you need to find an indirect way in.

KELLY: So you can write about an 18-pound spaniel...

KELLY: ...In a way that's bearable.

KELLY: Yeah.

FRUM: You know, when you write about a loss, you have a problem, which is you're asking the attention of the world for your loss in a world in which everybody has losses and there are wars going on and innocent people dying by the thousands. Why is your grief entitled anybody's attention? And so you need to discover what is in you that is universal because suffering is the great equalizer among human beings. And so you take something little, and you use that as a way to see something big.

KELLY: Tell the story, David, of how you came to be known within your family as assistant No. 2.

FRUM: Yes. So this dog, Ringo, who, as I said, is not a good boy - I complained to Miranda that he was just treating me in a not-very-respectful way. And the piece is filled with many examples of his disrespect for me.

FRUM: And anyway, she said, well, he doesn't think of you as an owner. He thinks of you as his assistant. And I said, well, that's a reputation of trust at least. And she said, don't flatter yourself. He's a Hollywood dog. He has a lot of assistants. Mom is assistant No. 1.

FRUM: You are assistant No. 2. And this convulsed everybody, and so I became known ever after in the family as assistant No. 2.

KELLY: And it stuck. Yeah. He was very much Miranda's dog? You write about how he stayed with her when she was sick, when...

KELLY: ...She had surgery, when she was recovering. He was with her when she was found.

FRUM: Well, this is the miracle of dogs. As I write in the piece about her final hours, he lay beside her. She was - she died at about 3 in the morning. She was discovered at about 9 in the morning. He lay beside her the whole time. And then through the ordeal of moving her from her apartment in New York to her resting place in rural Ontario, he was there all the time and was a transformed animal. And this is a little grim, but when her body was moved by air from New York state to Ontario, he lay on her the whole way until almost the end, when he jumped off her and jumped into my wife's lap as if to say, OK, I understand what has happened, and now you take care of me.

KELLY: I guess back to the theme of talking about something that's smaller and that's bearable instead of the big thing that's too hard to talk about, instead of asking how you are doing, I'll ask, how's Ringo?

FRUM: (Laughter) At first, he was very hesitant to let anyone touch him who wasn't Miranda. Miranda was a very challenging adolescent. And you'd try to put an arm around her, and she would wriggle out of it. And my sister observed that sometimes it's the kid who seems to want the hug the least - (crying) excuse me (ph)...

KELLY: Take your time.

FRUM: My sister Linda said to me, sometimes it's the kid who seems to want the hug the least who needs the hug the most. And so we experimented with this on Ringo. And it - he feels now like he's closer to my wife and to me and allows us to pick him up and to hold him, and he's much more calm about it.

KELLY: Well, I guess I'll bring us toward a close by quoting something from your piece. You write about how when you gave Ringo to Miranda - you and your wife gave her the dog - that she told you he was the best gift you'd ever given her. And it seems like, in the end, she returned the gift.

FRUM: When you lose someone unexpectedly, there's always unfinished business, and there are always regrets. And however close you were, however loving, there's always the thing you didn't say. There's always the moment when you said the wrong thing. There's - and what wakes you up at 3 in the morning are those moments of self-reproach.

And so in taking care of this very difficult dog, I get an answer to the self-reproach, which is OK, OK, yes, I did fail that time. I didn't understand what you were telling me. You know, I was impatient. You know, there's a time I could have - I said no, and I could just as easily have said yes. And it would have meant something to you, and it wouldn't have meant anything to me. So I didn't say yes that one time. But I'm taking care of Ringo. And if that doesn't make up for it, I don't know what will.

KELLY: That's the writer David Frum, aka assistant No. 2...

FRUM: (Laughter).

KELLY: ...Talking with us about his daughter, Miranda Frum, and her dog - now his dog - Ringo. Thank you, David.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Hero nypd cop jonathan diller came from ‘real-life blue bloods family,’ as heartbreaking post shows him in happier times with baby, kin.

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Slain hero city cop Jonathan Diller came from a “real-life ‘Blue Bloods’ family” — which posted a heartbreaking message online Tuesday to add to photos from happier times showing him at his wedding and with his baby.

“Jon, there are no words to describe how devastated we are that you are gone,’’ wrote Diller’s brother-in-law, Jonathan McAuley, also an NYPD cop.

“You were a good man and a great father whose shoes can never be filled,’’ said the grieving McAuley, who is married to the dead 31-year-old cop’s sister. “I swear to you that I will look after your son as if he were my own.

“For the rest of my life.’’

A high-ranking police source told The Post on Tuesday that the family is akin to the cop dynasty featured on CBS TV’s long-running classic “Blue Bloods” series.

“This is the real-life ‘Blue Bloods’ family — there are a tremendous number of cops in the family,” the source said.

In addition to his brother-in-law, Diller also had a female cousin who is an NYPD officer, a police source said.

Diller was fatally gunned down around 5:50 p.m. Monday during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, when the suspected killer refused to get out of an illegally parked car and pumped a bullet into the hero officer’s stomach under his protective vest.

Touching Facebook photos depict Diller — who had participated in more than 70 busts in his three short years on the force — as a family man and doting dad.

How Post Readers Can Help

You can help Officer Jonathan Diller’s 1-year-old son via the Silver Shield Foundation, which will help fund his future education. Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Queens, leaving behind his wife, Stephanie, and baby Ryan.

The Silver Shield Foundation was launched in 1982 by late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for the families of NYPD officers and FDNY firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty

You can make a contribution at  silvershieldfoundation.org/donate  or send it to: Silver Shield Foundation, 870 UN Plaza, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10017

He cut a dapper figure in a black tuxedo when he walked down the aisle with his new bride, Stephanie McAuley, in November 2019, snapshots show.

In one joyful photo, the newlyweds lift their joined hands in the air as they leave the church surrounded by loved ones.

This past July, Diller was pictured proudly posing alongside his baby son Ryan — who turned 1 in January — as he served as a groomsman at his sister’s Long Island nuptials, another photo shows.

Diller, of Massapequa Park on Long Island, was allegedly shot by Guy Rivera, 34, authorities say.

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“What started out as an everyday car stop, instantly became a moment where so many lives would be turned upside down,” McAuley wrote.

“Jon leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son who will now grow up without his father.

“To those of you out there in the streets, it can be so easy to become wrapped in the moment,’’ said the cop, who has worked in the NYPD’s Aviation Unit.

“To think horrible events like this can’t happen to you. To become focused on making that next arrest or racing to the action.

“Remember those who love you in the moment,’’ the brother-in-law said.

What to know about the fatal shooting of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller:

• Diller, 31, was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens, on March 25, 2024.
• Suspect Guy Rivera allegedly opened fire on Diller on Monday evening after the cop approached the vehicle Rivera was in for parking in front of a bus stop.
• Diller was shot once in the stomach below his bulletproof vest. The married father of a 1-year-old boy was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
• Rivera was wounded when Diller’s partner returned fire. The suspect has 21 prior arrests and was found to have a shiv stored in his rectum during the shooting — in apparent anticipation of being sent to jail again.
• Lindy Jones, the ex-con behind the wheel of the car during the shooting, was also arrested after a second gun was found in his car.
• Mayor Eric Adams has renewed his calls for Albany to address criminal recidivism following the shooting involving two suspects with lengthy criminal records.

Follow The Post’s complete coverage of fallen NYPD Officer Diller’s wake

The grieving relative also shared photos of Diller smiling alongside his wife and son in a rescue helicopter. McAuley was pictured in his own NYPD uniform.

A short time later, McAuley shared a photo of a young boy appearing to be Diller’s son wearing a “thin blue line” t-shirt emblazoned with the words “My Daddy’s life matters.”

The thin blue line – meant to represent the separation of society and chaos – is a symbol of support for police around the country.

The area where Diller was shot is a known hotbed for gang activity, law-enforcement sources said.

Despite his injuries, the cop was able to get the gun away from the shooter after it fell to the pavement, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during a press briefing a few hours after the incident.

Rivera was eventually shot in the back by Diller’s partner.

Both Diller and Rivera were taken to Jamaica Hospital, where the police officer — a former SUNY Maritime College student — was pronounced dead.

“Jonathan Diller represented everything that is good about public service,” NYPD Commissioner Eddie Caban wrote in an emotional internal letter to the force Tuesday.

“Yesterday, he was taken from us in a sudden, senseless act of violence. It is a tragedy that leaves us hurting, angry, and with many more questions than answers. But even in this tremendous grief, always know that you are not alone,” the top cop wrote.

Caban urged other officers to seek support if they find themselves struggling under “the eyes of the world” in the wake of Diller’s death.

Visitation with Diller’s family will be held at the Massapequa Funeral Home at 4980 Merrick Road between 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, followed by the same schedule Friday.

The officer’s funeral is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church, also in Massapequa.

Diller will be buried at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale immediately after the service.

One of Diller’s neighbors, Nancy Ferranoia, spent Tuesday afternoon tying blue ribbons to every nearby house.

The ribbons were donated by a local florist, she told The Post.

“They’ve only lived on this block for five or six years … They’re just the nicest people,” she said of the cop and his family. “A nice loving family, a beautiful wife, a gorgeous baby.

“We are all in shock. This entire community is in shock. This is just heart-wrenching,” she said.

Another neighbor, James Bonilla, held back tears as he tied a blue ribbon around his door.

“My son’s in the police force, too, so I think of all cops as family,” Bonilla, 73, told The Post. “And we got the blue ribbon to show our support for police officers.

“It’s sad that the suspects were caught in other crimes with weapons, and they got let loose, and this is the result of it,” he said.

Bonilla said he has not spoken to his own 31-year-old son, who joined the police four years ago, since Diller was killed.

“He works nights. He’s sleeping right now. They work long hours,” he explained.

Though Bonilla said he did not know Diller or his family, he said the loss is “going to be a sad moment in the neighborhood.

“It’ll be one less person in the block party next year,” he said. 

Massapequa Park Mayor Daniel Pearl said the cop’s murder “just breaks my heart. It’s a tremendous loss.”

Pearl said there may be “logistical issues” with the funeral but added that the city is “going to do whatever [it] can to help the family at this time.”

A GoFundMe for the family was started by a retired member of the NYPD scuba team and racked up more than $157,000 by Tuesday evening.

As of Tuesday, charges against Rivera and the driver, 41-year-old Lindy Jones, were pending, with Rivera, who was shot in the spine, coming out of surgery Tuesday, police sources said.

Both Rivera and Jones were well-known in that part of Queens, sources said.

Rivera’s lengthy rap sheet included 21 prior arrests and a five-year stint in prison for possession of a controlled substance.

He had shared associates with Jones, who was also a known recidivist with a history of 14 narcotics, assault, and domestic violence-related arrests, records showed.

He was convicted of attempted murder in 2003, records show, though no further details were immediately available.

Last April, Jones was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and other related charges after he was found with a loaded .25-caliber gun.

He was released on $75,000 bail after court proceedings in May.

Jones was set to appear at a hearing in that case Monday.

“I can’t not say it any clearer: It is the good guys against the bad guys and these bad guys are violent,” Mayor Eric Adams said Monday night, calling the shooting a “senseless act of violence.”

-Additional reporting by Larry Celona

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50 Easter Bible Verses to Commemorate the True Meaning of the Holiday

“He is not here; he has risen." ✝️

For those who need a refresher, Easter is one of the principal Holy Days of Christianity. It's the final day of Holy Week which begins with Palm Sunday to signify when Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem, leads to Good Friday to honor Christ's death by crucifixion, then ends with Easter to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. For many Christians, Easter also marks the joyous conclusion to Lent , a season of devoted prayer, fasting, and penitence. The holiday is a time to give thanks to Christ after He gave the ultimate sacrifice for our sins to grant eternal life to those who believe in Him.

As far as Easter activities go, attending a church service on Easter Sunday is of course, a wonderful way to commemorate His love for us. But another way to reflect on Jesus' glorious promise is to spend some time with the Word of God and read up on Easter Bible verses. There are so many scriptures and Easter quotes that highlight the importance of the season and will help guide you through your worship. Take time to go through them and rejoice as a family or use a few in your Easter prayers —they'd even make great Easter wishes to send to loved ones as texts or in Easter cards . However you spend the day, it's sure to be filled with joy as you commemorate the Risen Savior!

Bible Verses About Resurrection

• Matthew 28:6: "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
• Luke 24:6-7: "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"
• John 11:25-26: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?'"
• Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
• 1 Peter 1:3-4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."
• John 6:40: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
• Romans 6:4-5: "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."
• Romans 6:8-11: "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
• Acts 3:15: "You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead."
• Philippians 3:10: "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."
• Job 19:25: "For I know that my redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth."
• Colossians 2:12: "Having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead."

Easter Story Bible Verses

• Mark 8:31: "Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: 'The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.'"
• John 20:17-18: "Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: 'I have seen the Lord!' And she told them that he had said these things to her."
• Matthew 20:18-19: "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
• Revelation 1:17-18: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. But he put his right hand on me and said, "Don’t be afraid. I’m the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, but look! Now I’m alive forever and always. I have the keys of Death and the Grave."
• John 13:12-16: "After he washed the disciples' feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, 'Do you know what I’ve done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am. If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do. I assure you, servants aren’t greater than their master, nor are those who are sent greater than the one who sent them.'"
• John 19:5-6: "When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, 'Here is the man!' As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, 'Crucify! Crucify!' But Pilate answered, 'You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.'"
• Mark 15:29-32: "People walking by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying, 'Ha! So you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, were you? Save yourself and come down from that cross!' In the same way, the chief priests were making fun of him among themselves, together with the legal experts. 'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can’t save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down from the cross. Then we’ll see and believe.' Even those who had been crucified with Jesus insulted him."
• Luke 23:46-47: "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, 'Surely this was a righteous man.'"
• John 19:18: "There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between."
• Mark 15:46-47: "So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid."
• Matthew 27:65-66: "Pilate replied, ‘You have soldiers for guard duty. Go and make it as secure as you know how.’ Then they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard."
• Mark 16:5-7: "As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
• Luke 24:2-3: "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus."

Easter Bible Verses for Children

• John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
• Mark 16:6: "'Don’t be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!"
• 1 Corinthians 6:14: "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power."
• John 14:6: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"
• Ephesians 1:20: "God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens."
• Luke 24:34: "The Lord is risen indeed!"
• 1 Corinthians 15:4: "He was buried, [and] he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
• Acts 4:33: "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all."
• Colossians 1:13-14: "God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
• 1 Peter 1:3: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
• 1 Thessalonians 4:14: " For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him."
• Mark 16:1-4: "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?' But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."
• 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
• Romans 10:9: "Because if you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Bible Verses About the Cross

• Philippians 2:8: "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!"
• 1 Peter 2:24: "'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'"
• Mark 15: 32: "' Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.' Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him."
• 1 Corinthians 1:18: "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
• Luke 14:27: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."
• Matthew 16:24: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."
• Acts 5:30: "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross."
• Hebrews 12:2: "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
• John 19:17-19: "Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
• Galatians 6:14: "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
• Colossians 2:14: "Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross."

Macie Reynolds is the assistant editor of E-Commerce and SEO for The Pioneer Woman.

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Laurent de Brunhoff, Artist Who Made Babar Famous, Dies at 98

After his father, who created the character, died, he continued the series of books about a modest elephant and his escapades in Paris for seven decades.

By Penelope Green

Laurent de Brunhoff, the French artist who nurtured his father’s creation, a beloved, very Gallic and very civilized elephant named Babar, for nearly seven decades — sending him, among other places, into a haunted castle, to New York City and into outer space — died on Friday at his home in Key West, Fla. He was 98.

The cause was complications of a stroke, said his wife, Phyllis Rose.

Babar was born one night in 1930 in a leafy Paris suburb. Laurent, then 5, and his brother, Mathieu, 4, were having trouble sleeping. Their mother, Cécile de Brunhoff , a pianist and music teacher, began to spin a tale about an orphaned baby elephant who flees the jungle and runs to Paris, which is conveniently located nearby.

The boys were enthralled by the story, and in the morning they raced off to tell their father, Jean de Brunhoff, an artist; he embraced the tale and began to sketch the little elephant, whom he named Babar, and flesh out his adventures.

In Paris, Jean imagined, Babar is rescued by a rich woman — simply referred to as the Old Lady — who introduces him to all sorts of modern delights. Armed with the Old Lady’s purse, Babar visits a department store, where he rides the elevator, irritating the operator: “This is not a toy, Mr. Elephant.” He buys a suit in “a becoming shade of green” and, though the year is 1930, a pair of spats, the natty, gaitered footwear of a 19th-century gentleman.

He drives the Old Lady’s automobile, enjoys a bubble bath and receives lessons in arithmetic and other subjects. But he misses his old life and weeps for his mother, and when his young cousins Arthur and Celeste track him down, he returns to the jungle with them — but not before outfitting Arthur and Celeste in fine clothes of their own.

Back home, the old king of the elephants has died after eating a bad mushroom (these things tended to happen) and the rest of the elephants, impressed by Babar’s modernity — his fine green suit, his car and his education — make him their new king. Babar asks Celeste to be his queen.

“Histoire de Babar” (“The Story of Babar”), an oversize, gorgeously illustrated picture book in which Babar’s escapade is recounted in Jean de Brunhoff’s looping script, was published in 1931. Six more picture books followed before Jean died of tuberculosis in 1937, when he was 37 and Laurent was just 12.

The last two books were only partly colored at Jean’s death, and Laurent finished the job. Like his father, Laurent trained to be a painter, working in oils and exhibiting his abstract works at a Paris gallery. But when he turned 21, he decided to carry on the adventures of Babar.

“If I became a writer and artist of children’s books,” Mr. de Brunhoff wrote in 1987 for the catalog that accompanied a show of his work at the Mary Ryan Gallery in Manhattan , “it was not because I had in mind to create children’s books; I wanted Babar to live on (or, as some will say, my father to live on). I wanted to stay in his country, the elephant world, which is both a utopia and a gentle satire on the society of men.”

His first effort, “Babar’s Cousin: That Rascal Arthur,” was published in 1946. Mr. de Brunhoff would go on to write and illustrate more than 45 more Babar books. For the first few years, many readers didn’t realize that he was not the original author, so completely had he realized Babar’s world and his essence — his quiet morality and equanimity.

“Babar, c’est moi,” Mr. de Brunhoff often said. By all accounts, artist and elephant shared the same Gallic urbanity and optimistic outlook.

By the 1960s, Babar was a very famous elephant indeed.

Charles de Gaulle was a fan. The Babar books, he said, promoted “a certain idea of France.” So was Maurice Sendak , though Mr. Sendak said that for years he was traumatized by Babar’s origin story: the brutal murder of his mother by a hunter.

“That sublimely happy babyhood lost, after only two full pages,” Mr. Sendak wrote in the introduction to “Babar’s Family Album” (1981), a reissue of six titles, including Jean’s original.

Mr. Sendak and Mr. de Brunhoff became friends, however, and the latter encouraged the former, as Mr. Sendak wrote, to ditch his “frantic Freudian dig.”

“I calmed him down,” Mr. de Brunhoff told The Los Angeles Times in 1989. “I said bluntly that the mother died to leave the little hero to struggle with life on his own.”

There were other critiques. Many charged that Babar was an avatar of sexism, colonialism, capitalism and racism. Two early works were particularly offensive: Jean de Brunhoff’s “The Travels of Babar” (1934) and Laurent de Brunhoff’s “Babar’s Picnic” (1949) both depicted “savages” drawn in the cruel style of their times, as cartoon images of Africans. In the late 1960s, when Toni Morrison , then a young editor at Random House, Babar’s publisher, objected to the imagery in “Babar’s Picnic,” Mr. de Brunhoff asked that it be taken out of print. And he made sure to excise the racist scenes from “The Travels of Babar” when that title was included in “Babar’s Family Album.”

“Should We Burn Babar?” the author and educator Herbert Kohl wondered in the title of a 1995 book subtitled “Essays on Children’s Literature and the Power of Stories.” Well, no, he concluded, but he nonetheless argued that Babar’s stories were elitist for glorifying capitalism and unearned wealth. Where did the Old Lady get her money? Mr. Kohl asked, annoyed by the implication “that it is perfectly normal and in fact delightful that some people have wealth they do not have to work for.”

Nonsense, Mr. de Brunhoff told The Los Angeles Times, in response to an earlier Marxist analysis of his stories , “These are stories, not social theory.”

They were also works of art, and critics compared Mr. de Brunhoff’s use of color and his naïve style to painters like Henri Rousseau.

“With Bemelmans’s ‘Madeline’ and Sendak’s ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’” Adam Gopnik of The New Yorker wrote in 2008 , when the Morgan Library exhibited the sketches and maquettes of both Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff’s early efforts, “the Babar books have become part of the common language of childhood, the library of the early mind.”

Like Babar, Laurent de Brunhoff was born in Paris — on Aug. 30, 1925, into a family of artists and publishers. His father’s siblings were all in the magazine business. His brothers, Michel and Jacques, were the editors, respectively, of French Vogue and Le Décor d’Aujourd’hui, a magazine of art and design; his sister, Cosette, a photographer, was married to Lucien Vogel, the publisher of Le Jardin des Modes, a fashion magazine, and it was under that magazine’s imprint that Babar was first published.

Laurent worked differently from his father, who conceived his stories as a whole — narration and pictures in tandem. (Jean had also wanted to include his wife as his co-author, but she adamantly refused. “My mother was absolutely against it,” Laurent said, “because she thought that even if she helped the idea, the whole creation was my father’s.”)

For Laurent, the idea and the images came first — what if Babar were abducted by aliens, or practiced yoga? — and he then began to sketch and paint what that might look like. When he married Ms. Rose, his second wife and a professor emerita of English at Wesleyan University, they often collaborated on the text.

The couple met at a party in Paris in the mid-1980s — Ms. Rose was working on a biography of Josephine Baker — and fell hard for each other. “After dinner we sat down on the sofa together,” Mr. de Brunhoff told an interviewer in 2015. “She said, ‘I love your work.’ I said, ‘I don’t know your work, but I love your eyes.’ And that was the start of it.”

Mr. de Brunhoff joined Ms. Rose in Middletown, Conn., in 1985, and brought Babar with him. The couple married in 1990 and later lived in New York City and Key West.

In 1987, Mr. de Brunhoff sold the rights to license his elephant to a businessman and artist named Clifford Ross, who then sold those rights to a Canadian company, Nelvana Ltd., with the understanding that Mr. Ross would continue to be involved in the conception of future products.

What followed was what The New York Times described as “an elephantine array” of Babar-abilia — including Babar pajamas and slippers, wallpaper and wrapping paper, perfume, fruit drinks, backpacks, blankets and bibs. There was “Babar: The Movie” (1989), which critics said was boring and violent, and, that same year, a television series, which critics said was less boring and less violent.

And then there was litigation. Mr. Ross found Nelvana’s creations tacky and degrading to Babar’s wholesome image, as he charged in a lawsuit. Mr. de Brunhoff, with typical equanimity, kept out of the fray.

“Celesteville is a sort of utopian city, a place where there’s no robbery or crime, where everyone has a nice relationship with the other, so there’s really no need for lawyers there,” Mr. de Brunhoff told The New York Times .

Federal District Court Judge Kenneth Conboy agreed.

“In the world of Babar, all colors are pastel, all rainstorms are brief, and all foes are more or less benign,” he wrote in his decision, ruling that Nelvana had unfairly excluded Mr. Ross in the licensing. “The story lines celebrate the persistence of goodness, work, patience and perseverance in the face of ignorance, discouragement, indolence and misfortune. Would that the values of Babar’s world were evident in the papers filed in this lawsuit.”

In addition to his wife, Mr. de Brunhoff is survived by his brothers, Mathieu and Thierry; a daughter, Anne de Brunhoff, and son, Antoine de Brunhoff, from his first marriage, to Marie-Claude Bloch, which ended in divorce; a stepson, Ted Rose; and several grandchildren.

“Babar and I both enjoy a friendly family life,” Mr. de Brunhoff wrote in 1987. “We take the same care to avoid over-dramatization of the events or situations that do arise. If we take the correct, efficient steps, we both believe that a happy end will come. When writing a book, my intention is to entertain, not give a ‘message.’ But still one can, of course, say there is a message in the Babar books, a message of nonviolence.”

Babar’s stories have been translated into 18 languages, including Japanese and Hebrew, and have sold many millions of copies. Mr. de Brunhoff’s last book, “Babar’s Guide to Paris,” was published in 2017.

“Laurent’s idea of a good story,” Ms. Rose said by phone, “is this: Something bad happens, nobody panics, and it all turns out fine.”

An earlier version of this obituary misstated the given name of one of Mr. de Brunhoff’s uncles, who was the editor of the magazine Le Décor d’Aujourd’hui. He was Jacques, not Maurice. It also misstated the title of Lucien Vogel, who was married to Mr. de Brunhoff’s aunt, Cosette. He was the publisher of Le Jardin des Modes, a fashion magazine, not the director.

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Penelope Green is a Times reporter on the Obituaries desk. More about Penelope Green