Eulogy for a grandparent
A warm eulogy for a grandmother or grandfather, suited to teenage and adult grandchildren: their long life, the treats and traditions, and what you will keep.
Speech8 cardsAbout 5 min to speakBeginnerFamily
Eulogy
A gentle, step-by-step eulogy you can print on cue cards: a welcome, who they were, a few true stories, what they gave others and a calm farewell.
Free to use, edit, print and study. No account needed: your set stays on this device.
The cards
- 1
Welcome and who I am
Thank you all for being here to remember [full name].
My name is [your name], and I am [their son / niece / neighbour / friend of 30 years].
Breathe. Look up at one friendly face.
- 2
The short version of their life
- Born in [place], [year or season]
- Grew up [with / in / around ...]
- Worked as [job, trade or role at home]
- Loved by [partner, children, grandchildren, friends]
Keep this to four or five facts. People came for the person, not the timeline.
- 3
What they were like
If I had to describe [first name] in three words, they would be [word], [word] and [word].
You could always tell [first name] was in the room because [a habit, a laugh, a phrase they said].
- 4
Story one
[A short, true story that shows one of those three words. Where were you? What did they do or say? How did it end?]
Pause after the last line. Let people smile or remember.
- 5
Story two
[A second story, ideally from a different part of their life: work, a hobby, the kitchen table, a holiday that went wrong.]
That was [first name]: [one sentence on what the story says about them].
- 6
What they gave us
[First name] taught me [a lesson, skill or way of seeing things].
Many of you have told me they [helped you move house / always remembered birthdays / gave honest advice].
That is what we carry with us now.
- 7
Those they leave behind
[First name] is survived by [names, or simply "a family who loved them"].
To [partner / children], thank you for sharing them with all of us.
- 8
Farewell
[First name], thank you for [one thing]. We will miss you every [day / Sunday / time the kettle boils].
[Optional: a short line from their faith, a favourite saying of theirs, or simply "Rest well."]
Sit down slowly. You did it.
How to use this template
Use this eulogy template when you have been asked to speak at a funeral, memorial or celebration of life and you do not know where to start. Each card holds one idea, so if your voice breaks you only need to find your place on a single card, not on a full page. The order moves from a welcome and a brief outline of the person's life to two real stories, what they gave others, the family they leave behind and a farewell. Fill in the square brackets in your own words; the wording on the cards is there to get you moving, not to be read word for word. Most eulogies run three to seven minutes, which is about 400 to 900 spoken words.
Tips
- Print the cards in a large, clear font and number them in the corner, so a dropped card is easy to put back in order.
- Ask a family member or the celebrant to hold a second printed copy and be ready to finish reading for you if you cannot go on. Knowing someone is there often means you will not need them.
- When emotion rises, stop, take one slow breath and look at the next card. Silence feels long to you but natural to everyone listening.
- Choose stories that the whole room can share, and check anything private or sensitive with the closest family first.
- Read the cards aloud at least twice at home, with a timer, and cut any card that pushes you well past the time you were given.
- Hold the cards at chest height so your voice goes out to the room rather than down to the floor.
Make it fit
- For a religious service, ask the minister, priest, imam, rabbi or celebrant what is expected, and add a short prayer or reading reference on the farewell card if it suits the family.
- For a secular service, replace religious language with a favourite saying of theirs, a line about the places they loved, or simple thanks.
- If you only have two minutes, keep the welcome, one story and the farewell, and drop the rest.
- If several people are speaking, agree who covers which part of their life so the stories do not overlap.
- For an online or streamed service, speak a little slower and look into the camera on the welcome and farewell cards.
Updated October 28, 2026