Obituary Survivors Example
The "survived by" section is one of the most important parts of an obituary. These obituary survivors examples show you how to properly format and list surviving family members for different family structures and situations.
Standard Family Survivors Example
Example:
"John Michael Smith is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Smith; his children, Sarah (Mark) Johnson, Michael (Lisa) Smith, and Jennifer (David) Martinez; his eight grandchildren: Emma, Jack, Olivia, Lucas, Noah, Ava, Lily, and Ethan; his sister, Patricia (Robert) Wilson; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends."
Breakdown:
- Spouse: "his wife of 50 years, Mary Smith"
- Children: "Sarah (Mark) Johnson, Michael (Lisa) Smith, and Jennifer (David) Martinez" (with spouses in parentheses)
- Grandchildren: Listed by name (or count if too many)
- Siblings: "his sister, Patricia (Robert) Wilson" (with spouse)
- Extended family: "numerous nieces, nephews, and friends"
Large Family Survivors Example
Example:
"Margaret Ann Williams is survived by her husband of 60 years, Robert Williams; her children, Patricia (Mark) Johnson, Robert Jr. (Susan) Williams, Elizabeth (David) Martinez, and James (Sarah) Williams; her 12 grandchildren: Michael, Sarah, James, Emily, Daniel, Jessica, Matthew, Olivia, Noah, Ava, Lily, and Ethan; her 5 great-grandchildren; her sisters, Catherine (James) Thompson and Mary (John) Anderson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends."
Key Features:
- Lists all children with spouses
- Names all grandchildren (or uses count if too many)
- Includes great-grandchildren count
- Lists all siblings with spouses
- Groups extended family together
Blended Family Survivors Example
Example:
"Robert James Davis is survived by his wife, Linda Davis; his children from his first marriage, Michael (Sarah) Davis and Jennifer (Mark) Wilson; his stepchildren, David (Lisa) Martinez and Amanda (Tom) Anderson; his grandchildren, Emma, Jack, Olivia, Lucas, and Sophia; his brother, John (Patricia) Davis; and his stepmother, Margaret Davis."
Key Features:
- Lists current spouse first
- Specifies "children from first marriage" for clarity
- Lists stepchildren separately
- Includes stepmother if relationship was close
- All grandchildren listed together
Single/No Spouse Survivors Example
Example:
"Susan Elizabeth Johnson is survived by her children, Emily (Tom) Wilson and Matthew Johnson; her grandchildren, Lily and Noah; her parents, Robert and Patricia Smith; her siblings, Jennifer (Mark) Davis and Michael (Sarah) Smith; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends."
Key Features:
- Starts with children (no spouse)
- Lists parents if still living
- Includes siblings with spouses
- Focuses on immediate family relationships
Short Format Survivors Example
Example (for newspaper or brief obituaries):
"James Patrick O'Connor is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his children, Patrick, Meghan, and Sean; his 4 grandchildren; his brothers, Michael and John; and many friends."
Key Features:
- Uses first names only for children
- Uses count for grandchildren (e.g., "4 grandchildren")
- Simplifies extended family listings
- Keeps it concise for space-limited formats
Formatting Guidelines for Survivors
- Use "is survived by" or "are survived by" (depending on subject)
- Order matters: Spouse → Children → Grandchildren → Parents → Siblings → Extended family
- Use semicolons to separate major groups (spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.)
- Use commas to separate items within the same group
- Include spouses of children in parentheses: "Sarah (Mark) Johnson"
- Use "and" before the last item in a list
- Capitalize all proper names
- Be consistent with format throughout (full names vs. first names)