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.
Speech8 cardsAbout 4 min to speakBeginnerFamily
Eulogy for a colleague
A respectful tribute for a co-worker, manager or team member, for a funeral or a workplace memorial: their work, how they treated people and a story from the team.
Free to use, edit, print and study. No account needed: your set stays on this device.
The cards
- 1
Opening
Good [morning / afternoon]. I'm [your name], and I worked with [first name] at [organisation / team] for [number] years.
On behalf of everyone at [organisation], our deepest sympathy to [family names / the family].
- 2
Their work
[First name] joined us in [year] as [role] and became [the person everyone went to for ... / a leader in ...].
[One concrete thing they built, fixed, taught or looked after.]
- 3
How they treated people
What we will remember most is not the work. It is that [first name] [always made time for new starters / remembered your kids' names / stayed calm in a crisis].
- 4
A story from the team
[A short story from work life: a late night before a deadline, a team trip, a funny email, the cake they always brought.]
- 5
What they taught us at work
Many of us learned [a skill, a standard or a way of working] from [first name].
[One example: the checklist they wrote, how they handled a difficult customer, the way they welcomed new people.]
That way of working is still part of our team.
- 6
What the team said
When we heard the news, people wrote things like:
- "[a short line from a colleague]"
- "[another line]"
(Shared with their permission.)
- 7
Their life outside work
[First name] talked often about [partner, children, a sport, a hobby, their faith, their garden].
We know [their family] was always the most important thing to them.
- 8
Farewell
[First name], thank you for [one thing you gave us]. The [office / ward / workshop / classroom] will not be the same.
[Optional: how the team will remember them, e.g. a bench, a donation, an award in their name.]
How to use this template
Use this template when you are asked to speak for a workplace at a colleague's funeral, or to lead a memorial at work. The family usually knows little about the person's working life, so this speech shows them how their loved one was valued: the work they did, how they treated people, a story from the team and messages from co-workers. It also gives a brief, respectful nod to their life outside work. Keep it shorter than a family eulogy, usually three or four minutes, unless the family asks for more. Avoid company jargon, sales results or anything that sounds like a performance review; this is about the person, not their output.
Tips
- Contact the family or funeral director first, and ask how long you have and what the family would like said.
- Collect short messages from colleagues by email and ask permission before reading any of them aloud.
- Leave out workplace politics, the circumstances of a death, and anything confidential about the organisation.
- Practise saying the family members' names correctly; ask how they are pronounced if you are not sure.
- Bring a printed copy for the family afterwards, as many people keep these words.
- If the family is not comfortable with a work speech at the funeral, offer a written tribute or a card signed by the team instead, and hold a separate gathering at work.
Make it fit
- For a memorial held at work, start by naming the support available to staff, such as an employee assistance line or quiet room.
- For a manager or leader, add a card on decisions they made that helped others grow.
- For a colleague from another country, ask the family about customs, and add a line in their language if it is welcome.
- For a video call memorial with remote teams, invite one or two people to share a memory after your farewell card.
- For a colleague who had retired, talk about the years you shared and who still remembers them, and thank former staff for coming back to say goodbye.
Updated October 28, 2026