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A father is often one of the most important figures in one’s life. Attempting
to write a eulogy for a father can seem like an intimidating task. While writing
a eulogy is deeply personal, you should keep in mind that a eulogy not only
provides for your comfort, but also for the needs of the family and loved ones
attending the service.
With that said, keep in mind the following considerations:
- A eulogy helps recognize the life of your father, and marks and important
milestone. Death is an important event that deserves recognition and honoring.
- The eulogy helps everyone in the audience by comforting them, and by
allowing each person to accept their feelings.
- The eulogy can be an opportunity to honor the deceased.
- The eulogy can help individuals that do not know the deceased very well,
but identifying key achievements.
- The eulogy can help provide closure for many people, including friends,
family, and loved ones.
The eulogy does not have to be a severe or solemn experience, though many
people are accustomed to this. Rather, consider the eulogy in terms of the life
and characteristics of your father. If your father was a strong and unusually
humorous personality, then the eulogy may reflect this.
A military eulogy is typically more conservative than a eulogy for someone
that may have been a comedian or actor by trade.
Consider these things when creating your eulogy, as you will want to reflect
the personality and life of your father.
Important Features of a Eulogy
There are several characteristics of a well-written eulogy. Most contain at
least the following features:
- Important achievements or incidents in the life of the deceased. Consider
one or several achievements in the life of your father. You may want to
highlight one or several of these for your audience members. These can help
remind everyone about the best characteristics of your father.
- Talk about what you will miss most. Many people need to remind themselves
why they will miss the deceased. This helps not only you, but others in the
audience grieve the loss of their loved one.
- Consider your faith. For many their faith tradition plays an important role
in ceremony and the eulogy. If your father had a particular faith, or your
family does, consider incorporating this into the eulogy. You can include
scripture for example in the eulogy.
- Acknowledge other family. Be sure to mention other relevant family members,
which may include your mother, brothers, sisters, and other family members.
Don’t forget to thank everyone for attending your father’s funeral. Many
people close with a simple line or two that may thank those in attendance, and
acknowledges the deceased. Often something to the effect of, “Thank you all for
attending. I know my dad would be pleased to see you all here, although I am
sure he is hoping you all will spend the rest of the day doing something
infinitely more amusing…”
It is certainly ok to incorporate a little humor into a eulogy. This helps
lighten the burden placed on you, and everyone else in attendance. Remember, a
eulogy, while a solemn affair, also leaves room for you to interject a bit of
personality, and sometimes a bit of humor, which can be healthy for everyone in
attendance.
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