obituaries with care, compassion, and verve

Professional obituary writer Jamie Passaro gathers your loved one’s essential stories and distills them into a portrait that’s as unique as they were.

... She was the best car crooner around and had a special fondness for Billy Joel. ...

... He loved to eat Good and Plentys while playing dominos. ...

... She changed her hair color with the seasons. In the end she went with a shade called red hot cinnamon. ...

... He had the patience for complicated origami and could fold up a tent after camping like nobody’s business. ...

... She could rip off the price tags from a new item of clothing so stealthily, they’d be in the garbage before you could grab a pair of scissors. ...

My obituary writing services

My favorite question to ask when working on an obituary is this: “What did everyone love about them?” Telling your departed loved one’s stories can be a soothing activity and is one of the best ways to honor their life.

But when you’re grieving it can be difficult to be reflective while also finding the time to do the research necessary for a complete obituary. That’s where an obituary writing service like Dear Person can help.

details & pricingorder an obit

Want to write your own obituary? I can help.

Writing your own obituary is a fulfilling exercise that will be a big help to your loved ones when you die. I also have a structured program, with one-on-one coaching, to help guide you through this important project.

learn more & sign up

Where should you publish an obituary?

I’m asked this question a lot. Newspapers, of course, have traditionally been the obvious answer. But as they have lost readership and reach, many people have started looking for other options. Elegy is an online platform I recommend for publishing not only obituaries, but also photo galleries, playlists and more.

learn more about Elegy

My e-books on the obit writing process

For those who want to do all the work of writing an obit themselves, I have written two short ebooks: one describes how to write an obituary for a loved one, and the other will help you write your own obituary.

My ebooks

Who are you writing the obituary for?