When a loved one passes, you'll connect with family to celebrate their memory with personalized funeral services. However, after the ceremony has ended, you'll want to have an epitaph on the headstone or marker that continues to honor them. As a permanent remembrance that marks their final resting place, the words you choose for this purpose have symbolic meaning. Here are a few recommendations to ensure the headstone is thoughtful and captures your loved one's spirit.

How to Write a Perfect Epitaph

1. Take Your Time

When dealing with funeral arrangements, family travel, and feelings of grief, it can be challenging to find the time to sit down and write a thoughtful epitaph. Do your best to stay patient and try not to rush the process. It's important to remember that headstones can take four to six weeks to make, so you do have a bit of time to think it through.

2. Focus on Simplicity

As engraving practices continue to evolve, you have the opportunity to truly personalize your loved one's headstone and incorporate imagery and words. That being said, do what you can to refine your ideas. By sticking to a simple message that includes their name, birth year, passing year, and a significant quote, you'll have a meaningful marker that isn't cluttered.

3. Avoid Humor & Trends

You'll want your loved one's headstone to look dignified and beautiful throughout the decades. As such, stick to classic fonts and steer clear of trendy messages, humor, and jokes that might go out of style in a few years. Standard messaging, such as "in remembrance," "gone too soon," or "in cherished memory of," can get your message across in a timeless and heartfelt manner.

4. Ask Loved Ones to Proofread

Before finalizing your epitaph, ask your family and loved ones to proofread and confirm you have spelling, details, and quotes listed correctly. This can help you catch typos and small errors before sending your epitaph to the headstone maker.

If you’re looking for a dedicated and compassionate team to help with funeral planning, contact Porto Funeral Homes. This family-run business has served residents across New Haven County, CT, for over seven decades. To connect with a funeral director, call today at (203) 467-3000 for East Haven or (203) 934-5000 for West Haven. To learn more about their funeral services and ability to help at every step of the way, visit their website.