Arranging funeral services is one of the cremation services offered in Clinton Township, MI. An integral part of many funeral services is the delivery of eulogies by family members or close friends of the person who died.

If you’ve been asked to deliver a eulogy for a close friend who has died, it means that the family considers you to be a reliable and credible witness to the life and character of their loved one. It is a high honor to be asked to give a eulogy, and even though you may be a little anxious about speaking in public or saying the right things, if you will focus on a theme and a style that your eulogy should fit within, it will make developing it much easier.

Before anything else, it’s important to remember that a eulogy comes from the heart. You cared deeply for someone who has died and you’ve shared many important moments throughout your relationship with each other. That should come through in whatever theme and style you choose for your eulogy.

There are three avenues down which you can choose to take your eulogy. You can focus on a biographical theme, a specialized theme, or a personal theme.

A biographical eulogy theme goes through the deceased’s life in chronological order and highlights well-known and little-known aspects of each phase of the deceased’s life. Be sure to include major events, such as the deceased’s birth, graduation from college, military service, marriage, children, grandchildren (if applicable), career accomplishments, service accomplishments, and other events that have positively impacted the lives of others.

A specialized eulogy theme focuses on one particular thing that was important to the deceased (a passion) or that everyone at the service can relate to (great sense of humor). If the deceased was committed to a cause that they devoted time and energy to for their entire lives, that would be the focus of a specialized theme. Or if the deceased was known for having a great sense of humor or an optimistic disposition, those would be specialized themes that you can build your eulogy around.

A personal eulogy theme focuses not only on the memories you have of the deceased, but also the memories that other have of them. This kind of theme seeks to define the legacy the deceased left and how their lives affected the lives they crossed paths with throughout their lives. Family members are often featured in personal-themed eulogies because they are first and foremost where the deceased had the most effect. But the wider circle around the deceased is also included because they had an effect on everybody they met and it was for the better.

Once you’ve decided on a theme for your eulogy, you need to decide what style you are going use to deliver it. There are three general stylistic approaches that you can take.

The first style is simply to deliver the eulogy in a simple and straightforward manner. If you don’t do a lot of public speaking, this may be the most comfortable style for you to use to deliver your eulogy.

If you’re comfortable with public speaking and you’re good at weaving a story, the storytelling style might be the best style for you to use to deliver your eulogy.

Finally, if you have a way of being gently and lovingly humorous, you might select the humorous style for delivering your eulogy.

For more information about eulogies and cremation services in Clinton Township, MI, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lee-Ellena Funeral Home is here to assist you. You can visit our funeral home at 46530 Romeo Plank Rd., Macomb, MI 48044, or you can call us today at (586) 412-8999.