What is a eulogy?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, a eulogy is:-

"A speech or piece of writing praising somebody/something very much - a speech given at a funeral praising the person who has died"

In my experiences on meeting with a family and organising a funeral ceremony, everyone has a different perspective and opinion on what a eulogy is. There are no hard and fast rules, however I believe that it is important ( and special ) to have someone either read or write ( or both ) a story of the person's life who has passed. Afterall, on our life's journey, we meet people at different phases. Some may know this person from their childhood, some may be in laws, so have come into their life later on, some may be grandchildren, nieces and nephews, some may be work colleagues and some may be neighbours, both past and present. So generally speaking, we all know snippits of the person's life that we are at the funeral ceremony honouring. It's nice to learn more!

It's always nice to hear what this person did in their life in a story format. You may like to include some of the following?

* When and where were they born?

* Who are their parents and siblings?

* Where did they do their schooling?

* Who were their childhood friends?

* What antics did the get up to as a youngster?

* What work or training did they go into on leaving school?

* Where did they meet their partner? ( I personally love this one - especially when the person who has passed is elderly - their wife/husband left behind often love to tell this story to me - it can be very cathartic for them to reminisce - and the grandkids love to hear this too!)

* Where did they get married?

* Childrens names

* Where did the family live?

* Travel and holidays

* What were there likes and dislikes throughout their lives?

* Work life over the years?

* Sporting interests

* Hobbies

* Positions held at clubs etc

All of this makes up a wonderful story and is quite a nice touch to a funeral ceremony.

There is absolutely no way that a person's life can be covered in the span of time that we have for a funeral ceremony. As a general guide though, a eulogy should be about 5 to 7 minutes and contain all of the important facts and stories of the person's life.