Short eulogy examples, and how to write your own
A short eulogy takes about two minutes, around 250 to 350 words. Say who they were to you, tell one or two small true moments, name one thing they leave behind, and say goodbye in a sentence. Short eulogies often move people more than long ones, because every line counts.
Sometimes a short eulogy is exactly right. Several people may be speaking. The service may be small and quiet. You may simply not have the strength for more, and that is completely fine. A two-minute eulogy that is true will be remembered long after a twenty-minute one that wanders.
Below is a simple shape for a short eulogy, three examples written for different relationships, and some advice for making your own. All the people in the examples are invented, so feel free to borrow the shape, but fill it with your own person.
The two-minute shape
A short eulogy is about 250 to 350 words. That is enough for four small parts:
- One line about who they were to you. Your relationship, and how it felt.
- One or two small moments. A habit, a phrase, a scene. This is the heart.
- One thing they leave behind. Something you or the family will carry.
- A one-line goodbye. To them, or about them.
That’s all. Resist the urge to add a list of achievements. The people listening already know the facts of their life. What they want is to feel them in the room again.
Example: a short eulogy for a father
Example
Walter was my dad, and for most of my life he was the quietest person in any room. He didn’t make speeches. He made breakfast. Every morning for eighteen years, there was a plate waiting for me, even on the days he left for work before six. When I moved away, he started texting me a photo of his breakfast every morning instead, with no words, just the picture. I used to laugh at them. Last week I scrolled back through three years of eggs and toast, and I understood that every one of them meant the same thing. Thank you, Dad. I’ll make my own breakfast now, and I’ll think of you every time.
Notice how little it says directly about love, and how much it shows.
Example: a short eulogy for a grandparent
Example
Grandpa taught me to fish when I was six, and I don’t think I caught anything for about four years. He never minded. He said fishing wasn’t about the fish, it was about sitting still long enough to notice things. Every Sunday we sat on the same wooden pier, and he would point out a heron, a change in the wind, the way the light hit the water. I didn’t know he was teaching me to pay attention. Lily and I are taking his rods to the lake next month. We probably won’t catch anything. He’d say that was the point.
Example: a short eulogy for a friend
Example
Sam was my best friend for twenty-two years, from the first day of school, when she lent me a pencil and never asked for it back. She was the person who remembered your bad day and called about it a week later. She was terrible at being on time and brilliant at being there. When my brother Tom was ill, she drove four hours on a weeknight just to sit in a hospital corridor with me, and she brought terrible coffee and good jokes. I don’t know how to do the next twenty-two years without her. I’ll start by being there for someone, the way she always was for me.
How to write your own short eulogy
Pick one detail first. Before anything else, ask: what is the one small thing that, if I said it, everyone would recognise them? A breakfast, a pier, a pencil. Build around that.
Write it badly, then cut. Write everything that comes, then remove anything that is a general description rather than a moment. You will be left with the strong parts.
Read it aloud and time it. Two minutes spoken is shorter than it feels. If you are over, cut a sentence of explanation rather than a moment.
Use the words you would use. If you called him Pops, say Pops. If she would have rolled her eyes at fancy language, don’t use it.
When short is the right choice
- Several people are speaking. Agree who covers which part of their life.
- The service is very small. A short, personal eulogy suits a quiet room.
- You are close to the loss. Two minutes is a kindness to yourself.
- You weren’t the closest person. A short tribute from a colleague, neighbour or friend can be very meaningful.
On the day
Print your eulogy in a large font. Read it slowly, more slowly than feels natural. Breathe between paragraphs. If your voice catches, pause. The room is on your side.
A short eulogy is not a lesser one. It is a careful one, where every sentence was chosen because it was true.
Written with the help of AI. General guidance, not advice.