Funeral Etiquette

Funeral Etiquette for Thank You Notes

Funeral directors can supply you with generalized thank you cards or the family may choose to send a more personal thank you note. The note should be a concise, personal, and specific. Also, yielding to modern tradition, a simple thank you card with a signature is accepted, with or without a personal note.

Funeral etiquette suggests that you send thank you cards to:

Anyone who sent a gift or card to the family deserves a thank you note. This would include anyone who sent funeral flowers, brought food, sent a memorial services contribution, or in some other substantial way acknowledged the deceased. The notes should be sent within two weeks of the death.

A personal note is suggested for thanking the clergy person. If an offering or donation is sent, send it in a separate envelope. Never include it in the thank you note
Pallbearers should also be sent a personal message of thanks.
For individuals who sent funeral flowers, you may wish to send a personal note.
For groups or organizations that send flowers, send a note to the head of the group and remember to include all the members of the group in your note. If individual member names appear on the floral card, a separate note should be sent to each one but a personal message is not necessary.
Friends who have volunteered their time and effort helping in any way deserve a separate written thank you.
If the volunteers are close to the family, you may prefer to thank them in person