Announcement of death

Having to let people know that someone has passed away can be a very difficult and stressful thing to go through. If you’re in the unfortunate position of having to announce the death of a loved one, we hope you find the following information helpful.

How to announce a death

The way you break the news to people will completely depend on how well you know them and their relationship to the person who has passed away. No matter what you say, nothing can ever truly prepare them for such upsetting news.

Telling family members and friends

Telling family and friends about the passing of a loved one is very important and can be an overwhelming experience for some. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to tell people as quickly as possible but it needs to be handled with compassion and care.

You will need to decide whether you’re telling people face-to-face or over the phone. If you have a large family, it’s common to ask people for help when informing other relatives and extended family members.

It’s important that you keep it simple; take your time and speak clearly. Upon receiving traumatic news, may people can only take in a small amount of information, so be prepared to repeat yourself and gently correct them if they misunderstand anything that you might have said.

Telling children

Telling young children about the passing of a loved one should be kept as honest and simple as possible. Children feel and show their grief in different ways, depending on their age and how close they were to the person who died. You need to be prepared to answer questions truthfully and comfort the child if they require hugs and reassurance.

Read our guide on how to explain death to a child.

How to support someone who is grieving

When you break the sad news to others, you may have to deal with their grief as well as your own. Sometimes you don’t need to say or do anything; just being there to comfort them can be enough.

Allow them to deal with it in their own way and be prepared to listen. Try not to perturb them and only touch or hold them if that’s what they actually want.

Read our guide on helping friends through grief.

How to write a death notice or obituary

You may also want to put a death announcement or an obituary in a local or national newspaper to tell people about the passing of a loved one. We can offer help when drafting and sending an obituary to a newspaper, should you need it.

Funeral Notices

We are pleased to introduce an online Funeral Notice Service that is exclusive to our clients. Funeral Notices is a simple, elegant and convenient way to inform family and friends of the details of a funeral via email, Facebook and Twitter. It also allows you to arrange flowers or charitable donations if that is part of your wishes.

Find out more about Funeral Notices.