Transcript Condolence Letters - letterwriting

Hora Hedayati
A condolence letter
expresses feelings of
sympathy, care, empathy,
and concern when a person
close to the reader has
recently passed away. Since
there is nothing you can
really say to make things
right, say as little as
possible. A few words from
the heart and the fact that
you took the time to send a
personal note are the
appropriate communication
here.
 Format: Handwritten or
typed/word-processed. Personal
letterhead.
 Style/Tone/Voice: Informal.
Personal. Passive or active voice.
 Structure:
(1) Give the reader your sympathies,
(2) Recall a personal anecdote
involving the deceased,
(3) Tell the reader how your life —
and everyone else’s — was made
better for having known the person.
 Handy Phrases:
I was saddened to hear;
I’m so sorry;
I have many fond memories of
[name];
You have my condolences;
I’m thinking of you;
My thoughts are with you.
Dear Bert,
Dad told me about Ed’s passing. I am so
sorry. You have my condolences.
Ed was a great guy and one of the
smartest men I have ever known. I will
never forget when he tried out for the
TV game show “Who, What, Where,
and When” but wasn’t selected
because, while he knew every last fact
about WW II, he didn’t know the
names of Donald Duck’s nephews.
As a kid, I loved coming into Paterson
to my dad’s office and stopping by Ed’s
pawn shop to see all the watches,
coins, and trinkets, which fascinated Ed
and me too.
We will all miss him. He is at peace.
 Remember, you are
writing not for the dead
person, but for the loved
ones he or she left
behind.
 Share a personal story or
pleasant memory about
the deceased.
 Do not make any negative
comment about the
deceased.
 Do not minimize the
reader’s grief or sorrow,
or the tragedy of the
deceased’s passing.