Funeral program acknowledgment examples

What the acknowledgment is

The acknowledgment is the family's thanks to everyone at once: to the people who came, called, cooked, prayed, sent cards and sat with you. It is written in the family's name rather than one person's, and it speaks for all of you.

It does not replace personal thank-you notes. Flowers, meals, gifts, donations in the person's memory and particular acts of kindness are usually thanked with a short note of their own. Those can wait: there is no firm deadline, and many families write them in the weeks after the funeral.

Visits to the service, and sympathy cards without a personal message, do not need a note of their own. The acknowledgment in the program is a fitting thanks for those.

The word is also spelled acknowledgement, with an e after the g. Both spellings are correct, and you will see both on printed programs.

It is often easiest for one person to draft it and read it aloud to the others before it is printed. If it sounds like your family speaking, it is right.

Traditional wording

Traditional acknowledgments are formal and complete. They suit a church service, a family that prefers formal words, or a program in a traditional design.

• The family of the late Walter James Hale wishes to express its sincere thanks for every act of kindness shown during this time of sorrow.
• The family of Walter James Hale gratefully acknowledges your expressions of sympathy, your prayers and your presence here today.
• We thank you, our relatives, friends and neighbors, for your visits, calls, cards and gifts of food. Your kindness will always be remembered.
• We are deeply grateful for the comfort you have given us, and for every kindness shown to Walter during his life.

The first form, beginning "The family of the late", is the most formal of these. It can stand alone, or open a longer paragraph of thanks.

Simple wording

Simple acknowledgments are shorter and sound more like speech. They suit a celebration of life, or any family that would rather say it plainly.

• Thank you for being here, and for everything you have done for us these past weeks.
• Your calls, cards, meals and visits have meant more than we can say. Thank you.
• Thank you for loving Walter, and for sharing this day with us.
• We are grateful to every one of you. Walter would have been glad to see you all here.

Religious wording

Religious acknowledgments thank God as well as the people present, or close with a blessing. Customs differ between faiths and congregations, so if yours has words it usually uses, borrow them.

• We thank God for the gift of Walter's life, and we thank you for your prayers, your presence and your love.
• The family of Walter James Hale is grateful for your prayers and for every kindness. May God bless and keep each of you.
• Thank you for the prayers that have held us up in these days. We are comforted by your love and by the hope we share.

Thanking particular people

Some people carried the family through the last weeks, and many families want to say so. Name the group or the organization rather than the individuals in it: "the nurses of [hospice name]" rather than a list of first names. It keeps the note short, and it thanks the whole team, including the people the family never met.

• We are deeply grateful to the staff of [hospice name], who cared for Walter, and for us, with such patience.
• Our thanks to the doctors and nurses of [hospital name] for their skill and their gentleness in Walter's last days.
• Special thanks to the caregivers of [home care agency], who made it possible for Walter to stay at home.
• Thank you to our church family at St. Andrew's for the meals, the prayers and the company.
• To our neighbors, and to Walter's friends and coworkers from the boatyard: thank you for being there, every day.

If you are unsure whether to name someone, thank them in a personal note instead. A note can say far more than one line in a program.

Reading it aloud at the service

Many services include a time for acknowledgments, often after the obituary is read. In a homegoing service, a church member or a friend of the family usually does it, and it may include reading out a few of the cards, telegrams or resolutions the family received.

The person reading can use the printed acknowledgment as it is, or say it in their own words. A spoken version is a little longer and less formal:

• On behalf of Walter's family, I want to thank each of you for being here today. Margaret and the children have asked me to say that your calls, your visits and the food you brought have carried them through these last days.
• The family has received many cards and messages, and they have read every one. They cannot thank each of you by name today, but they want you to know that your kindness has been seen and will not be forgotten.
• The family is especially grateful to the staff of [hospice name], and to our church family, for the care they gave Walter and for the care they are giving his family now.

Keep it to a minute or two. Say who is speaking for the family, thank everyone, name any group that cared for the person, and then hand back to the officiant.

A card of thanks after the funeral

Some families also publish a thank-you in the local newspaper, or on the funeral home's online obituary page, a week or two after the funeral. Newspapers often call this a card of thanks. It reaches the people who sent flowers or food but were not at the service.

• The family of Walter James Hale thanks our relatives, friends and neighbors for the flowers, cards, food and prayers we received at the loss of our husband and father. Special thanks to the staff of [hospice name] and to Pastor [name] for a comforting service.
• We are grateful for every kindness shown to our family since Walter died. Your cards, calls and visits have meant a great deal to us. The Hale family.

A card of thanks can be a little longer than the one in the program, since it has a page to itself, but the same rules apply: thank groups rather than a long list of people, and sign it from the family.

Signing it

The acknowledgment can end with a signature line, or with none, since it is plainly from the family. Common choices:

• The Family
• With love, the Hale family
• Margaret, David, Anne and Peter

First names are the warmest choice when the immediate family is small. When it is large, "The Family" includes everyone without a list.

If you list names, a common order starts with the husband, wife or partner, then the children, often from oldest to youngest. Grandchildren can be included as a group, as in "and the grandchildren", so that no one has to be counted or ranked.

Where it goes

The acknowledgment usually goes on the back page, often first, with the pallbearers, the repast and any request in lieu of flowers beneath it. In a longer program with a second sheet, it can have a panel to itself.

In a homegoing program, it may sit beside a resolution from the church: a formal tribute to the person, adopted by the congregation or one of its groups and often read during the service. There is more on that order of service on the Baptist funeral program page.

If you make the program here, "A note of thanks" is its own question in the wizard. It starts with a suggested note that you can keep or change, and it prints on the back page.

The line that often follows the thanks is a request in lieu of flowers. It has a guide of its own: "In lieu of flowers" wording.