First off, I want to start by saying, I am sorry for your loss. I know what you’re going through and I know how overwhelming dealing with the loss of a loved one can be.
When I was 20 years old I sat where you are sitting right now when my mom lost her battle with cancer.
It sucks.
Now you’re trying to manage all the things that come with the end of someone’s life and that includes writing an obituary.
I have seen a few reasons why people consider hiring a freelance obituary writer.
There is a good chance you are overwhelmed by the financial aspect of things and that is adding additional stress to an already difficult time and you are looking to get things off your plate.
Maybe you don’t consider yourself to be a Hemingway and want a professional to handle these duties
Whatever your current reasoning is I want you to know that you are not alone.
I didn’t have the slightest idea what I was doing when I sat down with the funeral director to write my mom’s obituary and I did it completely wrong.
I didn’t realize the significance this document would have.
Obituaries are forever
Here is a quick lesson in search engine optimization for you.
More than likely for the rest of your life when someone searches your loved one’s name on Google this is the page that will be at the top.
I don’t have the numerical data to back it up but I am guessing the traffic to obituary pages is greater than foot traffic to grave sites.
As unfortunate as that is, we live in a digital era and that’s the way people are.
What goes in this document will be a lasting capstone to your loved one’s legacy.
We want to make sure we get this right.
Who’s the expert here?
All the fancy words in the world can’t make up for the depth of knowledge required to write a meaningful obituary.
Would you rather this everlasting document use a bunch of $5 words and include MLA-cited sources, or truly embody the legacy that your mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa left behind?
You are the expert. Period full stop.
You have the opportunity to put pen to paper and share what this person meant to the world.
Change your mindset.
Don’t look at this as a burden or something else to cross off the end-of-life checklist, look at as an opportunity to create an eternal piece of art.
Should you hire a freelance obituary writer? Short answer- NO.
No amount of saved time is worth cutting corners on this ultra-important document.
If you are worried about grammatical errors find someone near to you to proofread the document for you.
Just because lots of obituaries look the same doesn’t mean there is a right way or wrong way to do it.
I would even argue that maintaining the status quo is the wrong way.
Don’t do what I did and choose a boring templated obituary that the funeral home provides.
Put some meaningful thought behind this.
I documented what I would do differently, if I had the chance to do it again, in my guide to writing your parent’s obituary.
Unforeseen benefits
There is an aspect of reflection and gratitude that comes along with writing your loved one’s obituary.
You are forced to ponder on their time on this Earth.
What impact did they make? Were they a good person? Did they live a meaningful life?
Whether your answers to those questions are positive or negative, it gives you a chance to learn.
This isn’t meant to shovel philosophical life lessons down your throat, but taking advantage of this opportunity can make a meaningful impact in your life.
I found that going back and rewriting my mom’s obituary into what I wished it would have been helped me along my grief journey.
Set aside an hour and spend time reflecting and writing down the greatest aspects of your loved one’s life.
Then put the pen to the paper and see what you end up with at the end.
You can always make edits or restart completely if needed.
Don’t hire someone else to do this important job.
