For the person you’re remembering.
Funeral program template, with wording you can use
You’re probably doing this in a hard week, with a deadline. Here’s what goes in a funeral program, page by page, with words you can borrow. Nothing here has to be perfect, and your pastor or funeral director will gladly help.
Updated November 5, 2026
The short answer
A funeral program usually has a cover with the person’s name, dates and photograph, the order of service, an obituary, and a back page with pallbearers, thank-yous and where to gather afterward. Four pages is enough for most services. Eight gives you room for more photographs.
Make this program
Answer a few plain questions and we will set the whole program for you. You can change anything before you print.
Make a funeral programYou see the finished program first. It is $29 once, with no account.
What goes on each page
With eight pages, the extra room usually goes to the words of the hymns, a page of photographs, or a poem the family loved.
A typical order of service
Most church funerals follow this shape. Yours can leave out or add anything, and the person taking the service will talk it through with you.
Wording for the cover
There is no right form of words. These are the ones people use most.
Celebrating the life of
In loving memory of
A homegoing celebration for
A service of remembrance for
Under the name, add the sunrise and sunset dates, or the dates of birth and death, then the church, the date and the time. Use the name people knew them by. If everyone called her Peggy, put Peggy.
Writing the obituary
An obituary in a funeral program can be warmer and more personal than one in a newspaper. A few short paragraphs are plenty.
- 1
Start with their life
Their full name, when and where they were born, and who their parents were.
- 2
Tell their story
Schooling, work, faith and church, and the things they loved to do.
- 3
Name their family
Those they leave behind, and those who went before them.
- 4
Finish with something true
A line that sounds like them, or that the family often said.
Wording for the back page
A few short lines are enough. Borrow any of these and change the details.
The family wishes to thank you for your prayers, your kindness and your love at this difficult time.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made in Denise’s memory to Grace Church.
Please join us for a repast in the fellowship hall following the service.
If there is a celebrant
A non-religious ceremony follows the same shape, with music and readings in place of hymns and prayers. Hymnfold leaves out every hymn and prayer heading, and your celebrant can check the wording from a phone link.
Choosing hymns and music
Choose what people already know, because a small congregation will not carry an unfamiliar tune. Our list of funeral hymns says when each one fits, and which ones need a license to print.
Photographs
- A phone photograph taken in good light usually prints well on the cover.
- A smile matters more than sharpness. Choose the picture that looks like them.
- For an old print, take a straight-on photograph of it near a window, without flash.
- If you are unsure, ask someone who knew them to choose between two.
Printing, and how many
Your funeral director can usually print from a PDF, or a local print shop will do it in a day. Allow one program per person, plus extras for family and anyone who couldn’t come. Ask for half-letter, on paper a little thicker than usual.
Check every name and date before you print, and ask someone else to read it too. It is hard to see your own mistakes in a week like this.
Let us set it for you
- 1
Answer a few plain questions
Their name, the dates, the place and the service.
- 2
See the finished program
It is set in front of you, and you can change anything.
- 3
Check it with the family
Each name and date can be checked from a phone, with no account.
- 4
Pay once, and print
It is $29 once, and you get a PDF ready to print.
Make this program
Answer a few plain questions and we will set the whole program for you. You can change anything before you print.
Make a funeral programYou see the finished program first. It is $29 once, with no account.
Questions people ask
Who usually makes the program?
Often a family member, sometimes with help from the pastor or funeral home. Many funeral homes will print it for you from a PDF.
What size should it be?
Half-letter is the usual size: a sheet of Letter paper folded in half. Four pages suit most services, and eight give more room for hymns and photographs.
What is the difference between an obituary and a program?
An obituary tells the story of the person’s life. A program is the printed guide to the service, and it often includes the obituary.
When does it need to be ready?
A day or two before the service is best, so there’s time to catch mistakes. A local print shop can often turn it around in a day.