How To Write A Eulogy Using Their Text Messages
Start with their words. Search your messages for the phrases they always used, the nicknames, the way they signed off, and pick two or three to read aloud. Then write the story around those, in your own voice, for three to five minutes.
How do I use text messages in a eulogy?
Read two or three of their messages aloud, word for word, and say when they were sent and why. One funny, one ordinary and one that shows who they were for you is a pattern that works. Their phrasing does what a description of them cannot.
How do I find the right messages?
Search the conversation for words they always used: a nickname, a sign-off, a running joke, "proud of you". Screenshot what you find as you go. Scrolling from the top takes too long in the days before a service; searching does not.
How long should a eulogy be?
Three to five minutes, which is about 400 to 700 words spoken slowly. If others are speaking, ask the family how long each person has.
How do I structure it?
Open with who they were to you, in one sentence. Tell two or three short stories, each with one of their messages in it. End with what you will keep of them. Write it to be read aloud: short sentences, and their name often.
Is it all right to read private messages aloud?
Read only what they would not mind the room hearing, and ask before quoting a message they sent to someone else. If you are unsure about one, leave it out.
What if I cannot get through reading it?
Print it in large type and give a copy to someone who can take over. Pausing is fine. People expect it, and nobody minds.
Can I keep the whole conversation afterwards?
Yes. Save it first, before any phone is reset, and when you are ready it can be printed as a book: every message in order, with each name beside what was written. Saving their messages has the steps.
Related Guides
- How To Save Text Messages From Someone Who Has DiedWhere the messages are kept, and how to save them from each app.
- Personal Funeral And Celebration Of Life IdeasTheir words, their music, their food, and a way for guests to add a story.
- Memorial Book IdeasA guest book, a booklet, memories from friends, or their own messages.
- A book of their messages, to keepThe book, in memory of someone.
If You Would Like Their Messages Kept
When you are ready, their messages can be set as a book, and you read every page before it prints. Or start with the free receipt.