A eulogy for your father

Help writing a eulogy for your father

A eulogy for your father usually takes three to five minutes to read, around 400 to 700 words. The ones people remember are built on a few specific scenes, what he did with his hands, the advice he repeated, the way he showed love that he may never have put into words, rather than a list of achievements. Tell us about him, and we'll help you shape it.

Who are you writing for?

Free to start · your answers save as you go · read the opening before you decide

Saying what he didn't say out loud

Many people find their father showed care through actions rather than words: driving through the night to pick you up, fixing things before you knew they were broken, turning up. A eulogy is a chance to name those things plainly. A single detail, the toolbox, the early-morning coffee, the same joke every Christmas, often carries more than a paragraph of praise.

Questions that help you remember him

What did he always tell you, the advice you can still hear in his voice?
What was he like at work, or at the thing he loved doing?
What's one thing he taught you without ever sitting you down to teach it?
What did he do that embarrassed you as a kid and makes you smile now?
Who were his people: the friends, the team, the neighbours who'll be there?

His work and his life

If his job was a large part of who he was, a line or two about it helps people who knew him only there. Keep the focus on the person rather than the CV. If you're unsure about dates, titles or places, leave them out; we won't fill gaps with guesses.

When it's hard to be sentimental

Some fathers would have hated a speech that was too soft. Choose the calmer tone, keep it short, and let one good story do the work. Humour is fine if it came from him.

How an opening can sound

Dad never told us he was proud of us. He just kept every school report in a folder in the garage, labelled in his capital letters, and we only found it last week.

An illustration only, not a real family.

How it works

Three quiet steps

Tell us about him

A few gentle questions, one at a time. Leave anything blank. Your answers save as you go, so you can stop and come back.

ii.

Read how it begins

We prepare it in two voices, warm and personal or calm and composed, and show you the opening.

iii.

Keep it if it feels right

Download it as PDF or Word, with a large-print copy for reading aloud. Ask for changes for seven days.

Questions

Can more than one of us speak?

Yes. We can write a second, shorter eulogy from a sibling or grandchild for the same service.

Should I mention his illness?

Only if you want to. If you don't mention it in the form, it won't appear.

Can I include something funny?

Yes, if it comes from a memory you share; it's often a relief for the room.

Take your time. We'll be here when you're ready.