What to Write in a Condolence Book: 45+ Examples

A condolence book gets one or two lines from you, written standing up, with a queue behind. The family reads every entry afterwards, often years later. Here are 45+ examples.

Sending a card as well? See what to write in a sympathy card.

Short and appropriate for anyone

1. With deepest sympathy to the family.
2. Thinking of you all at this sad time.
3. A privilege to have known him.
4. With love and sympathy from the Hart family.
5. So sorry for your loss. He will be missed.
6. With sincere condolences.
7. Remembering her with great fondness.
8. Thinking of you all. With sympathy.
9. A wonderful man, sadly missed.
10. With deepest sympathy from all of us.
11. Sorry we could not do more. Thinking of you.
12. Remembered with respect and affection.

When you knew them well

1. Forty years of friendship. I will miss him enormously.
2. She was kind to me when it mattered most. I will not forget it.
3. One of the genuinely good ones. Thank you for everything, Tom.
4. He made every room better. Sorely missed.
5. I have never met anyone more generous with their time.
6. Thank you for the years of friendship. With love to all the family.
7. He taught me most of what I know. Grateful, and very sad.
8. She was the best of us. Remembered always.
9. A friend for thirty years. I will miss him every week.
10. Thank you for everything. It was a privilege.

When you did not know them well

1. With sympathy to the family. He spoke of you all often.
2. We only met a few times, but he made an impression.
3. With sincere condolences from a neighbour.
4. I did not know him well, but everything I saw I liked.
5. With deepest sympathy from all at Ashford Ltd.
6. Thinking of the family. With respect.
7. Sorry for your loss. He was well thought of here.
8. With sympathy from the Tuesday walking group.

Mentioning a specific memory

1. I will always remember him singing at the Christmas party. Badly, and with total commitment.
2. She gave me my first job. I owe her a great deal.
3. He drove me to hospital at two in the morning and never mentioned it again.
4. Forty years of Sunday football. It will not be the same.
5. She made the best Victoria sponge in the county and knew it.
6. He never once let anyone else buy a round.
7. I will remember her laugh most of all.
8. He fixed my car, my fence and my mood, repeatedly.

For a colleague or work condolence book

1. A valued colleague and a genuinely good person. Sadly missed.
2. Twelve years of working alongside him. It was a pleasure.
3. With sympathy from everyone in the department.
4. A pleasure to work with, always. Remembered fondly.
5. He made this a better place to work. With sympathy to his family.
6. Always kind, always helpful. Sadly missed by all of us.

Short lines

1. With deepest sympathy.
2. Sadly missed.
3. Thinking of the family.
4. Remembered always.
5. With love and sympathy.
6. A privilege to have known him.
7. So sorry for your loss.
8. Never forgotten.

How to write it

1. Keep it to one or two lines. There is a queue, and the family will read hundreds of entries.
2. Sign it clearly with your full name. Families frequently cannot identify people from a first name alone.
3. Say how you knew them. “From the walking group” or “a neighbour at number 12” gives the family context they value.
4. One specific memory beats any tribute. Families say these are the entries they reread.
5. Write legibly. This will be read many times over many years.

Send a card too

A condolence book entry is not a substitute for a card to the family. See also funeral flower card messages and condolence messages:

FAQ

What do you write in a condolence book?

One or two lines, your full name, and how you knew them. A specific memory is the most valued thing you can add.

How long should the entry be?

Short. There is usually a queue, and the family will read every entry — brevity is a kindness to both.

Should you sign your full name?

Yes, and add context such as “from the golf club”. Families often cannot place a first name.

Is it the same as a sympathy card?

No. The book is a short public entry; a card to the family is private and can be much warmer.

What if you barely knew them?

Say so warmly and briefly. “We only met a few times, but he made an impression” is perfectly appropriate.

What is a good short entry?

“With deepest sympathy to the family. A privilege to have known him.”