Obituary Story Worksheet
A printable obituary story worksheet for gathering facts, memories, records, scenes, and citations before writing a sourced life story.
Before Writing
Use this worksheet before drafting an obituary story, memorial article, family-history note, or visual obituary. It separates verified facts from remembered details so the final piece can be warm without becoming vague or inaccurate.
Gather The Story
Essential facts
- Full legal name, preferred name, and name spellings
- Birth date, birth place, death date, and death place
- Immediate family, caregivers, community, and service details
- Education, work, military service, faith, clubs, awards, and affiliations
Evidence trail
- Obituary, death notice, funeral-home page, or memorial program
- Public records, newspaper clips, letters, photographs, and family documents
- Names or facts that still need confirmation
- Claims that should be written as memory instead of documented fact
Defining scene
- One moment that shows the person in action
- A place, object, tool, recipe, route, room, uniform, or photograph tied to the story
- What changed because this person was there
- A quote, habit, gesture, or repeated phrase people still remember
Dignity check
- Private details to leave out
- Medical, family, address, or conflict details that need consent
- Readers who must recognize the story as fair
- What the obituary should help future readers understand
Five-Line Draft Frame
- Start with the verified death notice facts.
- Add the life context that helps a stranger understand the person.
- Choose one scene or detail that carries the story.
- Name what remains: people, work, care, records, habits, places, or memory.
- Close with practical service, donation, or memorial details when needed.
Best Link Target For Worksheet Pages
Use this page for library resource lists, funeral-home planning resources, genealogy prompts, grief-writing guides, and classroom worksheets. For journalism lessons and reported obituary article resources, use the obituary articles page. For full lesson-plan repositories, use the obituary lesson plan. For prompt banks and legacy interview resources, use the obituary writing prompts page. For copyable formats, use the life story obituary template. For sample structures, use the obituary examples page. For the longer explanation, use the obituary story writing guide.