Verse · Obituaries
A whole life, in a few paragraphs. We’ll help you find the first words.
Tell Verse what you can about them and choose a voice. You’ll get three drafts, each from a different angle, to edit until it sounds like the person you knew.
Free for families. Every word stays yours to change.
How do you fit someone into a newspaper column?
An obituary has to do a lot. It tells people what happened, where to gather and who is left behind.
It also has to sound like them, and you’re writing it in the same week as everything else: the calls, the paperwork, the house full of people.
It’s fine to want help with the first draft.
- Everything I write sounds like a résumé.
- The funeral home needs it by Thursday.
- I don’t want to leave anyone out of the family list.
- She was funny. I want people to know she was funny.
From what you remember to words you can share.
Verse already has their name and the details you gave when you added them, so you don’t start from nothing.
Step 1: Tell it what you can
Choose one of five voices, then share what you know: family, work, what they loved. Every question is optional.
Step 2: Read the drafts
Verse writes three versions, each from its own angle: an overview, a portrait of who they were, and one centered on the people they leave behind.
Step 3: Change it by hand
Edit straight on the page, or ask for a change in plain words, like “Say more about their work.” Your edits to each draft are kept.
Step 4: Share it
Check names, dates and places, then copy it for the funeral home, the newspaper or a printed program. If they have an Evergreen page, it shows there too.
Help with the words, and nothing taken out of your hands.
Five voices
Traditional and dignified, warm and story-driven, brief for a newspaper listing, faith-centered with a prayer or blessing, or joyful for a celebration of life.
Three drafts to choose from
Each version takes a different angle, so the three can read quite differently. Switch between them, and your edits to each one are kept.
Only what you choose to share
Verse works from the details you give it. A question you leave blank isn’t sent at all, so the draft isn’t asked to fill it in.
Shown on their memorial page
If you’ve made an Evergreen memorial page for them, the saved obituary appears there too, with no copying and pasting.
Saved as you go
Changes you’ve made by hand are kept if you close the tab or step away. Verse is also inside the checklist, on the task to write the obituary.
Questions about writing an obituary
What goes in an obituary?
Usually their full name, age and when they died, a short account of their life, the family who survive them, and details of the service. Many also mention their work, faith, service or the things they loved. Our guide to obituary examples shows several styles.
How long should an obituary be?
There’s no rule. Newspapers often charge by length, so a brief notice of one or two paragraphs is common there. Online, or on a memorial page, three or four paragraphs is typical. Verse’s brief voice is written with a newspaper listing in mind.
Will it make things up?
It can. Verse only sends the details you fill in, and blank questions are left out so it isn’t asked to guess. Even so, a draft can get a name, a date or a detail wrong. Read each one carefully and fix anything that isn’t right.
Can I publish or print it from Verse?
No. Verse doesn’t print or submit anything itself. Copy the text to send to a funeral home or newspaper. If you’ve made an Evergreen memorial page, the saved obituary appears there.
Is it free?
Yes. Verse is free for families, like the checklist and Branches.
Their story deserves to be told well.
Start with what you remember. Verse will help you shape it, and you’ll have the last word.
Free for families. No card.