When we lose a loved one, it is often difficult to find the right words. A suitable funeral saying can help us to express our feelings and give the deceased a dignified farewell. This guide will introduce you to various funeral sayings and help you make the right choice.
Secular Mourning Sayings
Secular mourning sayings address universal feelings and are particularly suitable if you are looking for a non-religious text:
"In remembrance lies the strength for tomorrow. Love remains, it does not go with death."
"What we have lost lives on in our hearts. Every thought of you lets you live on."
"Farewell is the beginning of memory. And memories are little stars that shine comfortingly into the darkness of our grief."
"Your life was a gift to us. Our memories are a gift to you."
The most precious legacy of a person is the trace that their love has left in our hearts.
If you are looking for me, look for me in your hearts. Once I have found a home there, I will live on in you.
Time does not heal all wounds, it only teaches us to live with the incomprehensible.
Modern And Contemporary Sayings
Modern mourning culture also allows for more personal and contemporary formulations:
"You have left your mark. In this world, in our lives, in our hearts. Traces that will remain."
"We will miss your laughter, your voice, your manner. But you live on in our stories, day after day."
"A circle of life has closed, but the love and connection remain."
"It's not the years in life that count, but the life in the years."
You are no longer where you were, but you are everywhere we are.
Memories are little stars that shine through the dark times of grief.
What remains is love, gratitude and a story that no one can tell like you.
Christian And Religious Mourning Sayings
Especially in southern Germany and rural regions, religious mourning sayings are traditionally anchored:
"Safe in God's hands, forever in our hearts."
"The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; the name of the Lord be praised." (Job 1:21)
"God is love; and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)
"Christ says: I am the resurrection and the life." (John 11:25)
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. (Psalm 23:4)
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
Wonderfully protected by good powers, we confidently await whatever may come. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)
Funeral Sayings Close To Nature
Nature offers many comforting metaphors for the cycle of life:
"As a leaf falls from a tree, so goes a life from the world. The branches hardly feel it, a new one greens on the tree."
"The butterfly is a symbol of transformation. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the rest of the world calls a butterfly."
"Like the morning dew in the sunlight, you left us so quietly."
"A breeze touched you gently and you left, like a leaf carried by the autumn wind."
Just as the wave does not disappear from the stream, you remain here in our midst.
The dew fades, but the meadow remains. Time passes, but the memory remains.
Like a star in the night, your soul shines above us and shows us the way.
Special Situations
For Those Who Died Young
"Your life was so short, your footprints are eternal."
"A ray of sunshine that went out far too soon."
Some stars shine only briefly, but all the brighter for it.
The most beautiful gift was the time with you, even if it was far too short.
For Parents
"Your caring hands will never be forgotten."
"What you gave us will carry us through all time."
Your care and love will always be an example to us.
In every moment of joy, we will remember how you would have shared that joy with us.
Popular Quotes For Obituaries
The words of well-known personalities can also provide comfort in obituaries and inspire reflection:
Death is the gateway to the light at the end of a path that has become arduous. (St. Francis of Assisi)
The most beautiful memorial a person can have is in the hearts of his fellow human beings. (Albert Schweitzer)
Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be driven away. (Jean Paul)
The only important things in life are the traces of love that we leave behind when we go away. (Albert Schweitzer)
Man lives twice: the first time in reality, the second time in memory. (Honoré de Balzac)
What you possess deep in your heart, you cannot lose through death. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Time does not transform us, it only unfolds us. (Max Frisch)
I am not dead, I only change rooms. I live in you and walk through your dreams. (Michelangelo)
Tips For Choosing The Right Saying
When choosing a funeral saying, you should consider the following aspects:
- Choose a saying that fits the personality of the deceased
- Take religious or ideological beliefs into account
- Pay attention to the length of the saying - it should fit harmoniously into the obituary
- Trust your feelings - the saying should touch you personally