Has anyone ever written & given a Eulogy? Help please

[secretsquirrel1]

My beloved sister-in-law has died after a long battle with breast cancer.

One of her last wishes to my brother was that I would 'do a reading' at her funeral.

I thought that it would be a religious one but it isn't; I have to compose a Eulogy. And I don't really know where to start.

I knew her very well - they had been married for nearly 30 years. So I have an awful lot of information but would like some advice please on how to compose one without waffling on!

Many Thanks.....

Just been remembering my eulogy for my db as i've been thinking of him a lot today. I mentioned how he was with my son and what they ment to each other. He's his godfather aswell as uncle and was proud to be asked.. first person he called dad. Like n uncle to XXXX (friends son) who i hope can tell ds how he was as an uncle when he is older. As many people didn't know that and i wanted to speak up for the whole family

There'll always be something you wish you hadn't put off, or made more effort over.

The week before she died, my mum suddenly told me she'd love to have some red shoes. Our local shoe shops are not good, but I'd got a pair the year before. Instead of just giving her mine, I said I'd wait until we went to our local city. She never got her red shoes. That makes me want to cry. She'd trained as a ballet dancer long long ago; she was thinking of The Red Shoes ballet I'm sure.

Vivaldi and Mozart, lovely.

Hi everyone,

Well I've finished the 1st draft with all your suggestions - with the increased font and double spacing and the 'She Is Gone' poem by Anonymous, it runs to 9 pages.....but I've read it out aloud very slowly and it's about 8 minutes.

I need to send it to my brother - he may chop it down, I don't know yet.

We're all wearing purple because it was her favourite colour!

Great, well done.

The eulogies at my bro's were generally about 5 mins, except for the 2 most important people's, which were getting on for 10 mins each. It felt about right, neither too long nor too short. Is any one else speaking?

Yes, her best friend is and I think there is one other. It's an 'alternative' funeral in that the Celebrant is running the proceedings which are all purely non religeous before the cremation....

My brother was blown away - he hasn't changed a thing!

Have been thinking about your today OP.

How did it go?

Hi everyone, this is the first opportunity I've had to let you know how it went....thank you for thinking of me on the day, BBM.

It all went really really 'well' if you can say that about such a time! We all dressed in her favourite colour which was purple.

I did shed tears when my brother & my 2 nephews carried the coffin in and set it down - that bit was heartbreaking.

Thanks to you all for your advice, tips etc. I managed to deliver the Eulogy without breaking down to the 300 hundred plus people who came to the Crematorium. There was only room for about 150 inside, the rest was relayed by a PA system.

I started by waving my laminated speech and cracking a joke about it being blub proof. I made sure I didn't look 'at' anyone because it is so true - I would've crumpled. But everyone laughed when I hoped that they would, and cried at the end.

I didn't get to say the poem 'She's Gone' by anonymous, because the Celebrant got in there first....but I made a joke about that too.

Then I got up with my mum to help her to say hers - but she managed it, just about.

We sang Morning has Broken - such a beautiful hymn. The sun came out just then too.

We ended the service with 'Always Look on the Bright Side Of Life', as the curtains closed.

My DD was an absolute star, running about and patting people on the arm if they were sad.

It has made me think about what I would like - maybe I should start a thread to de-mystify the death thing! I'm very lucky in that I don't have any hangups about it!

Anyway, thank you all once again. Believe me, I couldn't have done it without your help!