Sympathy Letters

Be sure to express genuine sorrow and concern.
Choose from dozens of model letter templates.

How to write a sympathy letter:

1. Respectifully describe your admiration
   Describe how much the deceased was respected and admired by you and others.

2. Mention what good things you liked about the person
   Write about a few of the deceased person's strengths, achievements, and successes.

3. Discuss a positive memory
   If appropriate, include a short personal story or anecdote involving your relationship with the deceased.

4. Keep the letter balanced
   Strike a careful balance between the formal tone of a sympathy letter and its deeply personal nature.

5. Keep your sympathy letter short—under one page in length
   Remember that a mourner is emotionally drained.

6. Offer to help in some way
   If you can do so sincerely, include contact information such as your cell phone number and your email address.

7. Even better, just help in some way without being asked
   Clean their house. Mow their lawn. Bring over cooked meals. Now is your chance to show true love and charity to the mourner and his or her family.

8. Comfort the mourner with words of hope and faith
   If you have strong religious convictions, mention your belief that the deceased will find peace and happiness in a better world.

9. Imagine yourself in their situation
   Put yourself in the mourner's place and imagine the kind of sympathy letter you would like to receive.

Need help writing your sympathy letter? Say it right with professional-quality letters. Write with confidence using: Expert help every step of the way Appropriate phrases and sentences Challenging letters made easy You'll get sample sympathy letters for each of these topics: Offer sympathy for the death of a child Offer sympathy for the death of a friend or relative Offer sympathy for the death of a person who has been ill Offer sympathy for the loss or death of a pet Offer sympathy for loss or damage caused by a theft, vandalism, or natural disaster Offer sympathy for the death of a business associate Offer sympathy for the death of a business associate's family member Offer sympathy for the loss of a job Offer sympathy for a marriage separation or divorce Offer sympathy in a case of serious or terminal illness You'll also get sample letters for each of these related topics: Business Sympathy Letters Announce bad news to employees Announce the death of an employee or an employee's relative Encourage an employee after a disappointment or a company setback Express regret on the defeat of legislation or the loss of an election Inform employees of another's illness Write a get-well message regarding an employee's or business associate's family member who is suffering from illness or injury Write a get-well message to an employee or business associate suffering from illness or injury Personal Sympathy Letters Announce the death of a family member, or write the obituary Announce the death of a family member to other family members, close friends, and acquaintances Send a gift with a sympathy letter Thank someone for expressions of sympathy Write a get-well message to a child suffering from illness or injury Write a get-well message to a friend or relative suffering from an illness or injury Writing a letter can be as easy as 1, 2, 3! Find a sympathy letter that fits your needs and copy it directly into Microsoft Word or your favorite word processor. Or let our software guide you step-by-step through the writing process, suggesting sample phrases and sentences for each writing step. In minutes, you can write an effective sympathy letter. Print your sympathy letter and send it!