Funny Obituary Examples That Celebrate Life
Because some people deserve to make you laugh one last time.
Some people spend their entire lives making other people laugh. Their obituary should do the same thing.
If you're here, you probably lost someone who had a wicked sense of humor, who told the same three stories at every family gathering, who would have been deeply offended by a stiff, formal obituary that made them sound like a stranger. You want to write something that sounds like them.
Good. That instinct is exactly right.
I've helped hundreds of families write obituaries, and the funny ones are always — always — the most shared, the most read, and the most comforting. Because laughter and grief aren't opposites. They're neighbors. And the people who made us laugh the hardest are often the ones we miss the most.
Why Funny Obituaries Work
A funny obituary isn't about being irreverent or disrespectful. It's about telling the truth about someone whose truth happened to be hilarious.
Think about it: when you're at the visitation and someone tells a story about the deceased that makes the whole room burst out laughing — does that feel wrong? No. It feels like relief. It feels like the person is still in the room for a second.
A funny obituary does the same thing, just on paper.
There's also a practical reason: funny obituaries get read. A humorous obituary published online will be shared dozens, sometimes hundreds, of times. That means more people learn about the person's life, more people show up to the service, and more people remember them. If the goal of an obituary is to honor a life and inform a community, humor is one of the most effective tools you have.
How to Write a Funny Obituary (Without Crossing the Line)
The secret to a great funny obituary is that it's not really about being funny. It's about being specific. Humor comes from details that are so particular to one person that they can't help but be entertaining.
Start with the real stuff
Every funny obituary still needs the basics: full name, dates, survivors, service information. Start there. Get the factual framework in place, and then let the personality bleed through in how you present everything else.
Use their actual words and habits
The funniest obituaries aren't written by comedy writers. They're written by family members who simply describe the person accurately. If your dad really did insist that his chili recipe was classified information, write that. If your grandmother really did threaten to haunt anyone who put her in a nursing home, write that.
You're not inventing jokes. You're reporting the truth about a funny person.
Write in their voice
Some of the best humorous obituaries are written as if the deceased wrote them. First person. Their phrases, their cadence, their opinions. This works especially well for people who were opinionated, sarcastic, or had strong personalities. It's like getting one last conversation with them.
Balance humor with heart
Even the funniest obituary needs a moment of sincerity. A line about how much they loved their family, or how the world is quieter without them, or how they'll be missed at the kitchen table on Sunday mornings. That contrast — funny, funny, funny, then suddenly deeply real — is what makes people cry in the good way.
3 Funny Obituary Examples
These are fictional, but they're modeled on the kind of obituaries that families share proudly. Borrow any structure or approach that fits your person.
Example 1: The self-written style (opinionated patriarch)
Gerald "Gerry" Patrick Doyle, 78, of Omaha, Nebraska, died on February 5, 2026, which he would want you to know was not his fault.
Gerry was born on September 12, 1947, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Frank and Betty Doyle. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1965, where he earned three varsity letters and one suspension for "creative interpretation of the dress code."
He served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968, an experience he described as "two years of bad food and good stories." He married Sandra Kessler in 1971, and she tolerated him for 54 years, which he considered his greatest achievement and she considered a form of community service.
Gerry spent 35 years as a plumber for Doyle & Sons, a company he founded and named optimistically, given that neither of his sons showed any interest in plumbing. He took this betrayal with characteristic grace, reminding them at every holiday dinner that "someone has to know how toilets work."
He was a devoted fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a terrible golfer who refused to accept this fact, and a man who believed that any problem could be solved with duct tape, WD-40, or a firm handshake. He grilled the same six meals on rotation from May through September and genuinely believed his burgers were nationally competitive.
Gerry is survived by his wife, Sandra; his sons, Michael (Jennifer) and Patrick (Lisa); five grandchildren who each received $5 in every birthday card with a note reading "don't spend it all in one place"; his sister, Maureen Sullivan; and his dog, Walter, who was the only member of the household who consistently agreed with him.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Dennis, whom he will now be annoying again in perpetuity.
Services will be held Saturday, February 8, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Cecilia's Cathedral, 701 N. 40th St., Omaha. In lieu of flowers, Gerry requested that you fix that leaky faucet you've been ignoring. He knew about it. He always knew.
Example 2: The loving roast (fun-loving mother)
Linda Joy Moretti, 66, of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away on January 28, 2026, after a brief illness, having spent 66 years being right about everything.
Linda was born on May 3, 1959, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she developed her lifelong skills of talking loudly, gesturing emphatically, and knowing everyone's business within a three-block radius.
She married Anthony Moretti in 1982. Tony survives her and is reportedly "lost without her" but also "finally in charge of the remote control," a development Linda would have found unacceptable.
Linda worked as an office manager at Desert Valley Dental for 22 years, where she was loved by patients and feared by insurance companies. She retired in 2021 and immediately filled her schedule with book club, water aerobics, babysitting her grandchildren, and calling her daughters to report on what all their high school classmates were doing now, sourced entirely from Facebook.
She is survived by her husband, Tony; her daughters, Angela (David) Hoffman and Maria (Chris) Becker; her grandchildren, Sophia, Luca, and Olivia; her brother, Frank Russo; and her impossibly large collection of Tupperware containers, none of which have matching lids.
A funeral mass will be held Wednesday, February 1, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 2312 E. Campbell Ave., Phoenix. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, you call your mother. She's worried about you, even if you just talked yesterday. Especially if you just talked yesterday.
Example 3: Short and punchy (the no-nonsense uncle)
Wayne Russell Kowalczyk, 71, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, died on February 12, 2026. He would like you to know that he went down swinging.
Wayne was born, raised, and stubbornly remained in Milwaukee his entire life. He worked at the Harley-Davidson plant for 31 years, drank Old Style because it was cheap and he was principled, and attended every single Packers home game from 1988 through 2024, a streak broken only by his hip replacement, which he scheduled for the bye week.
He is survived by his wife, Diane; his children, Scott and Amy; four grandchildren; and his 1987 Chevy Silverado, which he asked to be buried in but was denied on what he considered a technicality.
Wayne didn't want a funeral. He wanted everyone to have a beer in his honor, argue about the Packers' secondary, and be home by dark. So that's the plan. Drinks at Koz's Mini Bowl, Saturday, 3:00 p.m. First round's on Wayne. Last round's on you.
Humor Techniques That Work in Obituaries
If you want to write something funny but aren't sure how, here are approaches I've seen work beautifully:
The deadpan understatement
State something outrageous as though it's perfectly normal. "He retired after 30 years at the post office, a career he described as 'fine.'" The humor comes from the gap between what you'd expect someone to say about their life's work and what they actually said.
The running joke
Pick one recurring theme — the person's bad cooking, their obsession with a sports team, their refusal to ask for directions — and weave it through the obituary. Repetition builds comedy. Three mentions of the same quirk, each funnier than the last, creates a rhythm that readers enjoy.
The unexpected ending
Set up a traditional, formal-sounding obituary and then land on something completely unexpected at the end. "In lieu of flowers, please send complaints to the Chicago Bears front office" or "He asked that his remains be scattered at Disneyland. He did not ask to be cremated first."
Quoting the person directly
If they said something memorable — and most funny people do — quote them. Put it in their words. "As she often said, 'I'm not bossy, I just have better ideas than everyone else.'" Direct quotes let the person's voice come through in a way that paraphrasing never can.
The affectionate list
List the person's quirks, habits, and opinions as a series: "He believed in three things: the designated hitter rule, the superiority of gas grills over charcoal, and the idea that leftovers taste better straight from the container." Lists are inherently funny because each item adds to the portrait.
What to Avoid
Humor in an obituary is a gift when done right. But there are a few lines you probably don't want to cross:
- Don't make fun of the death itself. Humor about the person's life: great. Jokes about how they died: almost always too soon and too painful for close family.
- Don't air family grievances. "He is survived by his ungrateful children" might get a laugh on the internet, but it will cause real pain to real people. Even if it's true.
- Don't punch down. Humor at someone else's expense — especially someone who's alive and reading the obituary — isn't funny, it's cruel.
- Don't sacrifice clarity for comedy. The obituary still needs to communicate the basics: who died, when, and where the services are. Don't make people decode the logistics.
- Don't force it. If the humor doesn't come naturally, the person may not have been someone who'd want a funny obituary. And that's fine. Warmth and sincerity are just as powerful.
When Family Members Disagree
This comes up more often than you'd think. One sibling wants the obituary to be hilarious because "that's what Dad would have wanted." Another sibling thinks it should be dignified because "this is a serious occasion." Both are coming from love. Both are grieving.
Here's what I usually suggest: ask what the person would have wanted. Not what makes the family comfortable, but what the deceased would have chosen. If they were the kind of person who planned their own funeral playlist and requested "Another One Bites the Dust," they'd probably want the funny version.
If you truly can't agree, consider two versions: a traditional one for the newspaper and a more personal, humorous one for the online memorial. That way, everyone gets the farewell they need, and the person gets the one they deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to write a funny obituary?
Absolutely. If the person had a great sense of humor and would have wanted people laughing at their funeral, a funny obituary is one of the most loving tributes you can write. The key is making sure it reflects who they actually were — not who you wish they were.
How do I make an obituary funny without being disrespectful?
Let the person's own humor come through. Use their actual jokes, their real quirks, things they would have said themselves. Avoid humor at anyone else's expense. If the person would have laughed at what you wrote, you're on the right track.
Will a funeral home publish a funny obituary?
Most funeral homes will publish whatever the family wants, as long as it's not offensive. Newspapers may have stricter guidelines, but online platforms like OfficialObituary.com give you full creative freedom to write the obituary your loved one deserves.
Can I mix humor with serious content in an obituary?
Yes, and that's usually the best approach. Start with the facts, weave in humor through specific anecdotes and personality details, and close with genuine warmth. The contrast between funny moments and sincere love is what makes these obituaries so powerful.
What if some family members don't want a funny obituary?
Have an honest conversation about what the person would have wanted. Sometimes a compromise works — a traditional obituary for the newspaper and a more humorous version for the online memorial. Ultimately, the obituary should reflect the person who died, not the preferences of the living.
Need help writing an obituary that captures their personality?
Our free AI obituary writer helps you create a personalized obituary — funny, formal, or anything in between — in minutes. Tell us about your loved one and we'll create a draft you can customize.
Try the Free AI Obituary Writer →