Funny eulogy examples

Humor at a funeral is not disrespect. It is permission to grieve out loud. Done right, a funny line gets the whole room laughing and crying at once, which is the closest thing grief has to relief. Done wrong, it lands like a parlor trick. The line between the two is whether the joke is about the person, or at the person.

When humor belongs

• When the person was funny. If the audience is not surprised by the joke, it works.
• When the joke is on the speaker, or on the family, not on the deceased.
• When it lands in the first third of the eulogy, not at the end. Endings should be tender.
• When the family has been laughing together in the days before. If the house has been quiet, lean tender.

Example one, a father who loved a roast

My father wanted to be cremated. He told us, very clearly, that he wanted to be cremated. He also wanted to be buried at Arlington with full military honors. He wanted a small gathering of close family. He wanted a giant Irish wake. He wanted his ashes scattered at the Cliffs of Moher. He wanted them in a coffee can on my mother's mantel.

We are doing all of it. We loved him. We are also exhausted.

Example two, a grandmother who corrected everyone

Three quick corrections, on behalf of my grandmother, before I start.
One. The flowers up there are peonies, not roses. She would have said something.
Two. The reverend pronounced our last name wrong. She would have said something.
Three. I am four minutes late to this lectern. She would absolutely have said something.

Okay. Now I can tell you about her.

Example three, a brother who was always late

My brother Mike was late to everything. He was late to his own wedding. He was late to the hospital when his daughter was born. He was late to a job interview that he then got. He was, finally, on time today, which is the most surprising thing I will say in this eulogy. He would be furious about it. He hated being on time. He said it gave the host too much power.

The test

Read the funny lines out loud to one family member before the service. Their face will tell you. If they laugh and then their eyes get wet, the line is right. If they laugh too loud, or do not laugh at all, cut it. The room is the same person; they will react the same way.

Closing on a soft note

After the funny part, return to one specific, tender image. Land the speech quiet. Our list of eulogy closing lines has ten examples to borrow. For the opening, see eulogy opening lines. For the middle, see how to write a eulogy.

When you are ready, Stillwith helps you draft yours.