As part of the service we provide to families we serve, we will write an obituary for placement in the local newspaper, as a matter of public record. Occasionally families wish to construct their own obituary but still would like us to give guidance as to the typical format. Below is just that. There are usually five parts to an obituary that is written within our region of the Midwest. Any obituary submitted to the Courier Journal (Louisville's local newspaper) will be formatted to fit this form by their staff, unless and there is an indication to run as-submitted. An example of the format we, and the paper follow is below. Example of Obituary: John was preceded in death by his loving wife of 54 years, Lillian A. Ratterman; son, Paul; and brother, Thomas. He is survived by two sons, James R. (Mary) and Peter M. (Patricia); daughter, Inez Rebecca Graddis (Oliver); 10 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; sister, Elizabeth Susan Botter (James); and numerous nieces, nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M., Friday, August 17, 2007, at St. Martha's Catholic Church with internment to follow at Cave Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 2-8:00 P.M., Thursday, at Ratterman Funeral Home. Memorial gifts may be made to Kosair Children's Hospital.
Sections include:
1. Name and Involvements
2. Who they were preceded in death by
3. Who they were survived by
4. Funeral and Visitation specifics
5. Memorial Gifts
Ratterman, John B, age 76, of Louisville, passed away Monday, August 13, 2005 at home. He was the retired owner of Ratterman Funeral Home where he worked for 51 years. He was also a member of Saint Martha's Catholic Church, the Scottish Rite, the Optimist Club, and Lakeside Swim Club.
