There is an excellent article by Chandler Dean at McSweeney’s Internet Tendency on May 22, 2024 titled How to Craft a Eulogy When All You Want to Do is Crawl in a Hole. He advises:
Ask yourself the big questions.
If you’re feeling stuck, don’t overthink it; start writing exactly what you’re feeling.
Once you have your thoughts on paper, you may now overthink it until it’s under five minutes.
You will never capture this person in their entirety. So do not try.
Don’t be afraid to be funny.
It may be hard to find the words. But avoid saying, ‘There are no words.’
There also is a post by Jennifer Calonia at the Grammarly blog on March 24, 2022 titled How to Write a Eulogy. She instead also discusses topics to avoid:
The reason for their death
Trivializing their death
Family grudges and disagreements
Unhealthy habits
Criminal history and other legal issues
Triggering memories
Criticisms about their life choices
Unresolved arguments
Their faults
Jens E. Kjeldsen is Professor of Rhetoric at the University of Bergen in Norway. He wrote another excellent article with four examples titled “My Father Is No Longer Here – the Rhetoric of Eulogy” which you can read on pages 3 to 6 in These Vital Speeches: The Best of the 2023 Cicero Speechwriting Awards.
And there is a great brief article by B. J. Miller and Shoshana Berger at IDEAS.TED.COM on July 23, 2019 titled How to give a eulogy that truly celebrates the person you’re honoring.
Toastmaster magazine has four brief articles about eulogies. One by Theodore Lustig in the December 2009 issue on page 12 is titled The Most Difficult Speech: The Eulogy. A second by Tammy A. Miller in the November 2020 issue on pages 20 and 21 is titled Delivering a Heartfelt Farewell. A third by Bill Brown In the December 2023 issue on page 9 is titled Saying Goodbye Isn’t Easy. A fourth by Caren S. Neile in the June 2024 issue on page 8 is titled An Unwanted Honor.
The image of Frank Bolden is from Wikimedia Commons.
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