Writing Condolence: 

Condolences (from Latin con (with) + dolere (sorrow) are an expression of sympathy to
someone who is experiencing pain arising from death, deep mental anguish, or misfortune.
 The use of the word "condolences", in plural, is more common than "condolence". The
reason for this habit is unclear, but it resembles our habit to send someone our 'regards',
'best wishes, greetings' (all plural), etc.
 When individuals condole, or offer their condolences to a particular situation or person,
they are offering active, conscious support of that person or activity. This is often expressed
by saying, "Sorry." Often, the English language expression "My condolences" will be in a
context, such as death of a friend's loved one, in which the one offering condolences is
communicating a feeling of pity towards the unfortunate party. Expressions of condolence
may also be used as sarcasm if one considers the complaining person to be exaggerating
their suffering, especially when they appear to consider as tragic something that is
relatively insignificant.
 Condolence is not always expressed in sorrow or grievance, as it can also be used to
acknowledge a fellow feeling or even a common opinion.
• Acknowledge= accept or admit the existence or truth of., grant ,allow, appreciate
Message of Condolence:
Messages of condolence are very serious in tune and content since they are
prepared over someone's demise. They are expressed to console the bereaved
family.
The messages of condolence are of two types: Formal and Informal.
 Formal Condolence Message: Formal condolence messages are precise and very
formal. They are published in the newspaper, magazine or broadcast on TV and other
electronic media. Formal messages of condolence are also called the notice of
condolence.
 Informal Condolence Message: Informal messages of condolence are very personal
letters directly sent to the bereaved family. They are written in the form of the
personal letters. So, they are entirely personal and informal in tune and content. And
they are sent to the forlorn family over the demise of their member.
Forlorn= pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely.
synonyms: unhappy, sad, miserable, sorrowful, dejected, despondent, disconsolate,
wretched
• Writing Tips
•  These rules serve as basic guidelines to ensure that you don't unintentionally
say the wrong thing in a sympathy message.
• Keep them short yet thoughtful. 
• Try to mention a fond or funny memory of the deceased if we knew them. 
• Respect religious beliefs. Some people may believe in reincarnation rather than
heaven, or could be atheists. Whatever their belief, they still deserve sympathy. 
• Sign with a full name (first and surname) - This is good practice as there might
be other relatives or friends with the same first name as you. 
• Never offer financial help. 
• Never mention money the deceased may have owed you. This can be dealt with
after the grieving period has passed. 
• Do offer to help in other ways,
 
• Message of Condolence:
• Message of Condolence has three parts:
1.    Tile
2.    Body
3.    Ending
Title:
Write title as:
• a.    Heartfelt Condolence
• b.    Condolence
• c.    Obituary
Draw a box under the title and write ‘photo’ in it. Write down date of birth and death.
• Body:
• The body has also three parts:
a.    First, we express our sympathy and grief to the demised.
b.    Second, we have to highlight the name of the dead and his / her introduction and contribution.
c.    Finally, we need to extend our heartfelt condolence to the grief-stricken family and relatives and pray for the
departed soul.
Ending:
We make ending by writing our name or our organization’s name and address at the bottom of the message. 
• Formal Condolence notice (Model-1)
HEARTFELT CONDOLENCE
Date of Birth 2045/07/16 PHOTO Date of Death 2077/02/14

Late Raj Shrestha

We express our profound sympathy and grief at the sad, sudden and untimely demise of our best colleague
Raj Shrestha
A very friendly, honest and industrious late Mr. Shrestha was just 16, who died in a plane crash while flying
to Pokhara from Kathmandu last Sunday. During our stay for two years & we found him diligent, humorous
and very popular among duo the teachers and students.
We extend our heartfelt condolence to his bereaved family and kith and kin at this hour of immense
tragedy. We pray the almighty to bestow strength to bear such an irreparable loss. We do wish for the
eternal peace to the departed soul in tranquility in heaven.
He will always remain in our hearts and memories.
  KANTIPUR CITY COLLEGE
  Baneshwor Kathmandu
•(Specimen-1)
HEARTFELT CONDOLENCE!
PHOTO
We are deeply saddened to learn about the sudden, premature and untimely demise of
Mr. Bir Bahadur Shahi
an English teacher at Bhasker Memorial School, Pokhara. Late Shahi suffered a massive brain
hemorrhage. He was helpful as well as popular among the students and his colleagues.
We extend our heartfelt condolence to his bereaved family and friends grieving the irreparable
loss.

May the departed soul be at eternal peace with our Heavenly Father!
Class X students
Bhasker Memorial School
(Specimen-2)
Condolence
Photo
We express our deep sympathy and grief at the sudden and untimely demise of
Raj Thapa
who was an officer of our department of water supply. He was honest, friendly, hardworking and humorous.
We extend our heartfelt condolence to his bereaved family members and relatives. He has left us an
unforgettable impression of his good nature. He had got ample good qualities which will always lead us towards
good path. He has been the source of inspiration for all of us.

We pray that his departed soul will rest in peace in heaven. He will always  remain in our hearts and memories
in spite of his physical disappearance.

May God provide strength to all the family members, relatives, friends, co-workers and well-wishers to
overcome their grief sorrow!
Department of Water Supply
Teku, Kathmandu
•The Salutation
•The Salutation sets the tone for a condolence letter. The most popular forms it takes are listed below. After you select your
greeting, you can choose condolence phrases from subsequent sections to build a complete letter. Letters of sympathy and
condolences are personal, and so you should first mention the name of the person you are addressing. Some of the ways
you can do that are:
•Dear _______,
•Dear Mr. _______,
•Dear Mrs. _______,
•Dear Mr. and Mrs. _______,
•Dear Aunt _______,
•Dear Uncle _______,
•Dear Aunt _______ and Uncle _______,
•Dear Cousin _______,
•My Dear Friend _______,
•Dear Rabbi _______,
•Dear Father _______,
•Dear Pastor _______,
•Dear Reverend _______,
•Dear Reverend and Mrs. _______,
•My Dear Friends _______ and _______,
•Dearest _______,
•Dearest _______ and _______,
•Dear _______ and Family
Selected Opening Phrases For Our Sample Letters of Sympathy and Condolences:
It is important to convey compassion at the start of your letter. Some traditional ways to do so are: We can begin…..
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of _____________. He/she was a fantastic individual who will be greatly missed
everyone who knew him/her.
•We just heard the sad news of ______’s passing, and want you to know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.
•I am very sad to hear of ______’s sudden death.
•It was painful to learn of _____'s death. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to you and your family at this
time.
•I was devastated to hear the news of _______’s death. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.
•Please accept my sincere and heartfelt condolences at this most difficult of times and please pass these feelings
onto your family.
•I was absolutely saddened to hear of your uncle _______’s passing. He was a great guy and I’ll always remember
the many times he made us all laugh.
•I just heard of your husband’s sudden death. I am so very sorry, and am praying for you and your children at this
time.
•We are all shocked to hear of the sudden death of your nephew. Please accept our deepest and heartfelt
condolences. 
•I would like to express my sincerest condolences on the passing of your loving partner ________.
•Thank you for calling to tell me the sad news about ________. I really liked him/her and my thoughts and prayers
are with you and the children.
Some single sentence condolence message samples might be: We can begin …..
• We are saddened to hear of your sudden loss.
•  Our hearts are with you in this time of sorrow.
•  Please accept our heartfelt condolences on the loss of your loved one.
•  Words can't express how saddened we are to hear of your loss.
•  Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you during this tragic time.
Closing:
• With my undying sympathy ,
• With our deepest sympathy,
• You are in our thoughts and prayers,
• May you find comfort in those around you.
•  May God help you to sustain at this most difficult time,
• May God Bless you during this time.
•  With much love and sympathy ,
• From your friends -------and ………
• Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
•  With our deepest condolences,
• Condolence Message Samples Appropriate for Social Media In today's world
many people use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to send
condolences. You might say something like:
• You are in my thoughts and prayers. 
• Thinking of you during this difficult time. 
• Extending heartfelt condolences at this difficult time. 
• So sorry to hear the news of ……’s passing. 
• My heart goes out to you and your family on the passing of ………….
• Please accept our heartfelt condolences for your loss. 
• My prayers are with you and family. 
• Heartfelt thoughts go out to you in this time of sorrow.
 My thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time.
 May God give you comfort in your time of grief.
 
Letter of Sympathy:
• Specimen-1)
Damak -9, Jhapa,
October 14
Dear Sarita,
I was shocked to learn about the premature passing away of
your husband. He was a wonderful person and was always
ready to help others. His death has caused an immeasurable loss
not only to your family but to all of us. I express my sincerest
sympathy to you in your profound bereavement. May God grant
you enough courage to withstand this shock!
Hamid
(Specimen-2)
Nayabazar, Kathmandu
December 13, 2018
Dear Sudha,
I was very sorry to hear about your accident. When I heard the news, I was stunned. I couldn’t
believe my ears at once. It was one of the saddest news of my life. I know how your parents must
have felt. What a bad luck!
Sudha, you know the reality of life. It is full of ups and downs. We have to bear both happiness and
troubles. Many people have lost their lives in some kinds of accidents daily. Some of the accidents
are caused by themselves. But most of them are not in their grips. Someone drives carelessly and
others have to suffer.
Your case was the same. It was not your fault as you were one of the passengers. So, there is nothing
to repent or worry about. What is gone is gone. At least, we should thank god for your new life. Your
injuries will soon be recovered. Follow the doctor’s advice honestly. We will be together at school.
I want to extend my heartiest sympathy to you at this sad moment. I pray for your quick recover
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Ever yours,
Janak  
• Some useful expressions/ exponents related to condolence writing.
• Please accept my deepest condolences for your family's loss.
• May you be comforted by the outpouring of love surrounding you.
• Words cannot even begin to express our sorrow.
• May your heart and soul find peace and comfort.
• Please remember that you are not alone... We are always here for you.
• I am thinking about you and sending love.
• Wishing well of you and your family in this time of loss.
• I’m always there in your hour of need. May his/her soul rest in peace.
• Your loss has left all of us deeply saddened.
• Our hearts are saddened by your loss and our thoughts and prayers are with you.
• May peace and comfort find you during this difficult time.
• My families hearts are with you and your family.
• We are very saddened to hear of your recent loss.
• Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.
• My heart goes out to you and your family at this difficult time.
• A condolence message is very personal and touching, so you should always mention the
name of the person you are addressing and be respectful by sympathy quotes or showing
your sympathy in words.
No words can describe how sorry I am for your loss.
• We would like to express our sincere condolences to you and your family.
• We want to express our sympathy and let you know that our thoughts are with you.
• Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow.
• Sharing in your sorrow. With love and friendship.
• My heart goes out to you during this difficult time.
• You and your family are in our prayers. Sorry to hear of your loss.
• I want you to know that I am here for you during this difficult time.
• May your memories give you peace and comfort.
• Thinking of you, at this time of loss.
• Someone so special can never be forgotten.
• I am here for you. Please let me know if I can help in any way.
• When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure.
• Words fall short of expressing my sorrow for your loss.
• You and your family are surrounded by love during this difficult time.
d
To,
Dave Andrews
No 867, S. Park Street,
New York, SA 12767
My dear Dave,
I am awfully sorry to hear about your friend Mike. I know how close you both were as brothers more
than friends.  Please accept my deep condolences on this sorrowful loss.
Whenever I met Mike, I came across him as a very active and spirited person who took part in most
of our community activities. I am sure he will be remembered fondly by those who got to know him.
I am feeling very bad that I can’t be there with you at this difficult time, but remember that I am just
a phone call away. Don’t hesitate to call me at anytime and allow me to be of some help to you.
Let Lord bless you and his family with the strength to sail through this tough situation. Please know
that you are there in our payers and thoughts. I hope to meet you by the end of this month. Until
then please take care and accept my sincere sympathies.
With Love
Jack Clingstone
 
• Special Thoughts
• There is a great emptiness left by _____________’s passing, but I am certain that the strength of the love that you
and your family share for each other and for _____________ will get you through this difficult time. May that love
honor their memory and may you cherish the time you had together.
• I especially remember _____________’s gentle spirit and loving nature. They will always be remembered as an
especially giving person of great character.
• I often recall when we first moved into the neighborhood. _____________ came right over and helped us carry our
things into our new house. After he/she brought us over a home cooked meal. That was a wonderful act of kindness
which we’ll never forget, and which demonstrates the type of person that _____________ was.
• May the outpouring of love you have received since _____________’s parting serve as a reminder to you and your
family of how much she/he was loved by all who knew him/her.
• I'm sorry I never got to meet _________. Everyone says she/he was a loving and caring person. Though you may
have been kept apart physically by the miles between you, the emotional bond and love between you was as strong
as if you were living in the same city.
• _______ was a valuable and highly respected member of our team here at (name of company or business). The
effects of his/her loss are being felt already by those of us who had the honor and pleasure of working with him/her.
• I’m so sorry I could not be there in person to convey my condolences. Though I may be far away, know that my spirit
and prayers are with you. I will give you a call next week to talk.
• As you requested, I’ve made a donation to the Cancer Society in ________’s name.
• I will miss ________ so much. He/she was a dear friend whose company I cherished.
• In our sample letters of sympathy and condolences we offer help to the bereaved such as:
• I have included a box of those cookies you enjoy so much; I baked them fresh for you.
• I’ll be doing my weekly grocery shopping on Wednesday so I’ll pick up a few things for you and
the kids and make a couple of casseroles that you can just throw in the oven or microwave to
warm up.
• If you’d like, I’ll take your kids to soccer practice on Tuesday then after they can come with us for
burgers. It might do them some good to spend a bit of time with someone their own age.
• I’ll accompany you later to the funeral home in case you’d like some help making the
arrangements.
• I’ve recently learned how to build websites and would like to make one dedicated to­­_______.
I'm off every Friday so maybe we can get together and talk about what we can put on the site;
maybe go through some old photos to put online.
• I hope we can get together for a chat soon. I’ll give you a call next week and maybe we could go
for a coffee or something.
• I’d love to sing at the funeral if that’s okay with you. Would you be able to put me in touch with
whoever is making the arrangements?
• I will be honored to be a pallbearer. ________ was always there for me; to carry him/her to
his/her final resting place is the least I can do.
• Sometimes We Use Quotes by Famous individuals in Our Sample Letters of Sympathy and
Condolences
• "Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because dawn has come.”
- Rabindranath Tagore
• “While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind
the veil.” - John Taylor
• "Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the
flower withers, but the seed remains." - Kahlil Gibran
• Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing
save the limit of our sight.- Rossiter Worthington Raymond
• "As you comprehend this profound loss, let yourself cry knowing each tear is a note of
love rising to the heavens." - Author Unknown
• "He spoke well who said that graves are the footprints of angels." - Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
• “Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower,
we will grieve not; rather find strength in what remains behind. - William Wordsworth
• Some of our sample letters of sympathy and condolences use biblical verses and religious
sayings to deliver words of condolence. Some are:
• Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. - Mathew 5:4
• The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. – Psalm 9:9
• Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
• You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. - Psalm 18:28
• Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. - Peter 5:7 
• Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or
wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
For those who follow godly paths will rest in peace when they die. Isaiah 57:1-2
• The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. – Psalm
34:18
• Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.- Galatians 6:2 
• Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. – 1 Peter 5:7 
• Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. - Psalm 119:50
Some short condolence phrases you can use for texts, emails, tweets, and
Facebook are:
• There are no words to express my sorrow for your loss.
• You are in my thoughts and prayers.
• Don’t forget how much we love and care about you.
• Please know that I am thinking of you and the rest of your family at this time
• My heart is heavy as I think of your Mom/Dad and the blessing she/he was to me.
• May the love of your family comfort you in the days ahead.
• Praying that the Lord will give you strength during this difficult time.
• Please accept my deepest sympathies for your loss; my prayers are with you and
your children during this difficult time.
• My sincere condolences. May you find comfort and the strength to cope
• Our condolences to you at this sad time.
• The closing of your letter is as important as any other part. Some special words of
sympathy to close with are:
• With deepest sympathy,
• My/Our sincerest condolences,
• May God bless and comfort you and your family,
• Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family,
• Thinking of you during this time and always,
• _____’s memory will be forever in our hearts,
• With all my love and condolences,
• With love and sympathy,
Sample condolence letter to a family member.
Dear Aunt Cathy,
I am so sorry to hear that Uncle Brad has passed away. He fought hard against his
cancer diagnosis. No matter how sick he felt, I never heard him complain or act
defeated. That was so in-character for him. He was always committed to tackling
whatever was in his path. I never met anyone with more perseverance. 
I’m going to miss so many things about him, from his amazing holiday meals to his
terrible jokes. I know that doesn’t hold a candle to how much you miss him. 
I’m coming over next week with Mom, and I can’t wait to see you and give you a
big hug. I just wanted to send this note first to let you know I’m thinking of you.
Love,
Abigail