What to Write in a Funeral Thank You Card

Many people are grateful for the kind words and support they receive during the most stressful days of their lives, and send a funeral thank you card expressing a few words of gratitude.

In the days or weeks that follow the funeral of your loved one, you might wish to reply to the sympathy cards and messages you received.

While it is a nice gesture to do so, you needn’t feel obliged or pressured to respond or acknowledge every person who sent flowers or a card – people will understand and don’t expect thanks for words and gifts sent to express their sympathy.

Grief counsellor Annie Broadbent says that bereaved families needn’t feel like they must respond to condolence cards or messages. Families may take their own time, up to several and weeks and months, to even read, process and acknowledge sympathy messages.

If you feel emotionally ready to send a funeral thank you card, but are struggling to find the right words, here’s how you can thank someone for their condolences. Included in this guide are some ideas and examples to inspire you to write your own personal message to those who remembered your family’s bereavement.

Who do you write thank you notes to, after a funeral?

Apart from extended family members and friends, there may have been other people who made a difficult time a little easier for you to bear and whom you’d like to thank. They might have been involved in practical ways such as leading the funeral service, organising aspects of it, or by providing emotional help and support.

They could include:

• Those who took part in the funeral - pallbearers or those who delivered a eulogy for instance. Your funeral director.
• Members of the clergy/celebrant/vicar.
• The musicians.
• Any hospital/care workers who helped to care for your loved one if they were battling sickness.
• Those who contributed financially towards the funeral, helped your family or made donations in memory of your loved one.
• Friends/individuals from charities/organisations who provided bereavement support.
  
  

  How do you thank someone for their condolences?

  
  You might want to begin by making a list of all the people you’d like to thank. If you find it hard to focus on the task, or need help to remember who you want to write to, you might want to get a close family member to give you hand with writing out funeral thank you card messages.
  A sympathy thank you card can be simple: a short, sincere note that acknowledges the recipient’s kinds thoughts or messages.
  
  

  Funeral thank you card ideas

  
  It can be hard to come up with the right wording for a funeral thank you card, particularly if you find it painful to get through or are not sure of what to say.
  Here a few ideas for funeral thank you card wording that can help you to come up with your own:
  
  

• We really appreciate your kindness and sympathy. Your words and thoughts mean so much to us.
• Thank you for your kind words of comfort. Your card was very much appreciated during a difficult time for our family.
• We really appreciate the sympathy cards and flowers that you thoughtfully put together. Thank you for thinking of us.
• We are so grateful for your kind and sincere words. Thanks for being a great source of support to us.
• Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers during a difficult time.
  
  

  Examples of sample thank you notes after the funeral

  
  Whether you wish to send a thank you note acknowledging a special friend who was a source of strength, a member of the clergy who helped to conduct the service, or a caregiver who helped your loved one out during their final days, here are some different examples that can be edited and modified to help you write your own thank you notes after a funeral.
  
  

• Thank you for the lovely words you spoke about my dad at his funeral. I know dad would have enjoyed it if he were here. Your friendship has always been a great support to him.
• The bouquet of flowers we received for mum’s funeral was beautiful. White lilies were her favourite, so we really appreciate the thoughtful gesture.
• Dear Paula, I do not know what I would have done without your love and support during Dan’s funeral. Thank you for being there in more ways than I can count.
• Thank you for honouring my sister’s memory by leading the funeral service last month. Your words and the verses you chose were truly comforting.
• We greatly appreciate the generous donation made in honour of gran to the X foundation. It was a cause she cared about deeply about. Thank you so much.
• The home-cooked meals you sent across were a life saver in the days following Polly’s funeral. Thank you so much.
• It was so kind and thoughtful of you to spend time with Kev and me before he died. Your presence was a great source of strength and comfort for the both of us.
• Thank you for sharing some truly wonderful memories of mum. It was a truly moving tribute and really reflected who she was.
• Dear Rebecca, I will always remember the kind and compassionate way you took care of gran during her last days. Thank you so much for your help and support.
• Our family could not have got through that difficult time without your support. Thank you for helping us organise a funeral that truly reflected who Chris was.