Funeral Thank You Notes – What To Say

Funeral thank you notes are sent to people who sent flowers, food, or other gifts to the funeral of your loved one. Find out what to say in these notes to express your gratitude.

Heartfelt Funeral Thank You Note Examples

Our family is humbled and grateful for your support during [Name’s] funeral.
Your thoughtfulness during this difficult time is a gift I will always treasure.
Thanks for visiting after [Name’s] passing. Sometimes the simplest things mean the most.
Thanks for traveling to [Name’s] funeral. I’m touched beyond words.
My Mother was pleased you could attend the funeral and shared such beautiful memories of our Dad.
To remember our Mom in such a heartwarming way was so appreciated by the entire family. Thanks for your support.
Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.
Your kindness is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered. The [Family Name]

What To Say – Thank You Note for Sending Funeral Flowers

Sending flowers is one of the more common events that occur. You will probably have many cards to write to people who sent flowers.

Thank you for the beautiful flowers you sent and for your good wishes during this difficult time.
Thank you for the glorious flower arrangement you sent for Name’s funeral. It brightened up our home for many days after the event.
[Deceased Name] would have loved your flowers; they were her favorites. Thanks for being so thoughtful during these difficult times.
Our whole family thanks you for the special funeral flower arrangement that you sent.
Our whole family thanks you for the special funeral flower arrangement that you sent. It was one of our favorites, and helped to brighten our day.

What To Say – Thank You Note for Sending or Preparing a Meal

Sending a meal is the ultimate expression of comfort and goodwill. The sender may have arranged for a take-out or may have cooked the meal themselves. Take time to acknowledge that you appreciate the amount of effort and work that this took.

Thank you for the delicious home-cooked meal you sent during this difficult time. It gave us a wonderful feeling of goodwill and comfort.
Thank you for taking the time to arrange food for the family during this difficult time. It was so thoughtful and helpful of you and is much appreciated.
Bringing lunch/dinner to our home was extremely generous of you and is much appreciated. We are so grateful to have neighbors like you.
The banana bread was fabulous – You’re the best.
We appreciate you bringing over a crock pot of chili the day after losing my Dad.
Mary, Thanks for all the help this week. Not having to worry about preparing food was a true blessing.
Thank you for all the casseroles you provided my family during the week of [Name’s] funeral. You’re amazing.

What To Say – Thank You Note for Offering Help

Remember the people who offered help. It may have been caring for the children or the pets, doing shopping, or helping with household chores. Be specific when thanking them.

Thank you so much for helping to walk our dog [Name], during these difficult times. We wouldn’t have managed without you.
We cannot thank you enough for helping with the shopping while we were focused on Name’s funeral plans. It was such a relief not to worry about keeping the pantry stocked during this difficult time.
We want to Thank You for helping to lift the kids to and from school. Your help and support were overwhelming and we cannot thank you enough.
Our family would like to thank you for helping prepare the house all week. Love You.
We appreciate your kind words and thoughtfulness during this difficult time. Please keep our Mother in your thoughts and prayers.
Your support means the world to us. Thanks for helping us plan the funeral.

What To Say – Thank You Note for Funeral Donations or Money

Mentioning money can be a tricky issue that makes people uncomfortable. The best way to deal with this is not to mention specific amounts.

Thank you so much for your generous assistance.
This gift will come in handy in paying funeral expenses.
Thank you for the amazing donation.
I honestly can’t say thank you enough.
Thank you for the donation in [name] ‘s honor.
I am so grateful for your generosity.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness at this challenging time.
Your financial support meant so much to my family.
Thank you for your donation to the Name Charity on behalf of Name. He/she was very involved with their work, and your thoughtful donation will go a long way to continuing this work.
Thank you for your thoughtful gift of money. It will go a long way toward helping the family in these difficult times.

Note: Giving Money at a Funeral – Is It Appropriate?

What To Say – Thank You Note for Helping With Funeral Arrangements

During times of stress and bereavement, people will come forward selflessly to offer help. It is appropriate to thank them for their help.

As a family, we would like to thank you for all your help during Name’s funeral. We would not have coped without you and it was wonderful to have your support.
Thank you for your help, work, and organizing for Name’s funeral service. In our bereaved state, we would not have managed without you.
Your help in organizing the funeral was unsurpassed. Thank you very much for all you did, we cannot thank you enough.
Our family is grateful for your support throughout this difficult time.
Thank you so much for sending dinner to our home! It was a blessing to have one less meal to prepare during this busy and challenging time.

What To Say – Thank You Note for Attending the Funeral or Memorial Service

You may not be close to many of the people who attended the funeral or memorial. Keep the message short if this is the case.

Thank you for attending [Name’s] funeral; it meant a lot to the family.
We were so happy to see you at the funeral. Many thanks for being part of this event.
We really appreciate that you came to Name’s funeral. We know that he/she would have felt blessed to know that you were there.
Thank you for your love and support through everything
Thank you for your kind expression of sympathy and thoughtfulness. It is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered.
Our family is grateful for your prayers and support. Sincerely, The Hendersons

Tips For Writing A Funeral Thank You Note

1 – Don’t Get Overwhelmed by the amount of work

If you find that there are simply too many people to thank, you can decide only to thank those who went the extra mile. Leave out people who simply attended the funeral and focus on those who sent flowers, offered money, helped to make arrangements, or did something special.

You can also consider asking a friend or family member for help to write the cards and arrange to send them out. Many people are more than willing to help after a bereavement in a family.

2 – There is no time limit

You can send out your sympathy cards at any time. Do not take pressure; people will understand.

3 – Are you going to write your own words or buy preprinted cards?

Many people struggle to find the correct words to say after a bereavement. Some people may still be too emotional to express their thoughts. If you are up to it, write down the words you want to use. Otherwise, purchasing cards is quite acceptable. You can find ones that express your feelings and you can even add a small personal note if you want.

4 – How Specific Do You Want To Be With Your Messages?

Once you have your lists of how people responded during your difficult time, you can decide on how to approach each one. You can choose very specific messages. For example, there are messages for those who sent flowers, those who attended the service, people who offered money, or people who simply sent a message. Decide on how you want to deal with each specific category. You can also decide on a more generalized Thank You approach for everyone.

5 – How will you be sending out your messages?

In today’s electronic world, sending messages on social media is acceptable. You may even want to use a website that gives you templates with lovely designs, and you simply fill in your message.

If you are not tech-savvy or simply not up to it emotionally, you can email your Thank You Cards or your Thank You message in a simple format.

For those who prefer a more traditional method, you can send your cards in the post or have them hand-delivered via a courier service. Whatever method you decide to use, you will need to create a comprehensive list of email addresses or postal addresses to help you streamline the process.

What do I say on a Sympathy Thank You Card?

The purpose of a Sympathy Thank You Note is to Say Thank You. So those words must appear in your message. You can start the message with ‘Dear’ and a name. If you know the person well, use their first name. If it is, for example, a business colleague of the deceased, you can be more formal and use a Mr or Mrs title.

Then follow with two or three sentences explaining what you are thanking the person for. It could be for sending flowers, making a donation, or offering help during difficult times.

For closer friends or family members, you may want to include a sentence alluding to better times; Perhaps you want to meet up, arrange a dinner, or an outing. Only make references to this if you feel that you can commit. Else, don’t say anything.

Mentioning the name of the deceased is acceptable on your card if you want to add that extra personal touch. You can say things like ‘Name would have loved your flowers’ or ‘Name would have been overjoyed with your message’.

Finish off your Sympathy Thank You Card with the name of the person offering thanks. It may be yourself, or the person you writing the notes for. You can also use a family name if you are writing on behalf of a whole family. You can use finishing words like Love, sincerely, best wishes, regards, or even the modern xoxo, depending on who the card is going to.

If you are sending a purchased card with a preprinted message, simply add the ‘Dear’ at the top and the sign-off at the bottom after the message. But, do remember that nothing stops you from adding your own personalized lines to a preprinted card if you desire.

Keep in mind that not everyone is religious. Preprinted cards often include words like ‘Thanks for your prayers’ or ‘We appreciate your prayers. Be careful not to send messages like this to people who are not of the Faith.

How to get organized to send sympathy thank you notes

When you start thinking about all the people who contacted you during your time of mourning, you may feel overwhelmed. The easiest way to start the process is to set aside some time, get a notepad and pen and write down a list of everyone you remember who offered help.

In today’s electronic world, social media messages are easily accessible and will help with the process of remembering who sent condolences. Try to recall people who phoned or came to visit. Make a list of those who were at the funeral or memorial. You want to thank them all and not miss anyone. If possible, write down what the person did. Was it a funeral donation? Perhaps they helped with school lifts or shopping. Others may have sent flowers. You need to thank them all.

Once you have your list, divide it into the different categories as you will want each one to receive a unique message.

Some words to include that indicate a better future

For people who are close to you, you may want to include a positive sentence showing that life will return to normal at some stage.

– We look forward to seeing you soon in happier times.

– When we are somewhat back to normal life, we would love to invite you round for lunch/dinner.

– In the coming weeks, we can meet to chat and celebrate Name’s life. We know that he/she would want us to do that.