A eulogy for a brother
A complete example written by a younger sister, with a short version, why it works, and questions to help you write about your own brother.
Written as if by his younger sister, Gemma. About 2.5 minutes read aloud · 310 words. Everyone in it is fictional, written for this page.
Hello, everyone. I'm Gemma, Lee's little sister. For most of my life that was how people introduced me, Lee's little sister, and I never minded, because being Lee's little sister meant nobody at school ever gave me any trouble.
Lee was three years older than me and he took the job of big brother seriously. He taught me to ride a bike by letting go without telling me, taught me to swear by accident, and taught me to lie to Mum about both. Sorry, Mum.
He left school at sixteen for an apprenticeship as a mechanic, and by twenty-five he had his own garage in Luton. Half the cars in this car park have been under his hands at some point. He charged friends less than he should have and family nothing at all, which drove his accountant mad.
He loved his football team with a devotion none of us understood and all of us were dragged into. I have been to more away games at Lee's insistence than any person should. I have also seen him happier at a two-all draw in Stockport than most people are on their wedding day.
He was a brilliant uncle. My two boys worshipped him, mainly because he let them sit in the customers' cars and beep the horns. When Alfie broke his arm last summer, it was Lee who got to the hospital first, still in his overalls.
Lee wasn't perfect, and he would laugh at anyone who said he was. He was stubborn, he was always late, and he never once in his life answered a text on the same day. But if you rang him, he picked up. Every time.
Lee, I will keep going to the away games. I will tell the boys the true version of the bike story. Thank you for always picking up. Goodbye, big brother.
Write yours from your own memories
Answer a few gentle questions and we draft a eulogy from your answers only, to edit and then print in large type or as cue cards. Free.
Write a eulogy for your brotherWhy this example works
1. It starts with what being his sister meant
Lee's little sister is an identity, and opening on it tells the room exactly who is speaking and how close they were.
2. Childhood stories only a sibling has
The bike, the swearing and lying to Mum are memories parents and friends do not share. That is what a brother or sister brings.
3. His place in the community
Half the cars in the car park gives everyone there a way into the eulogy, whether they knew him well or not.
4. Not perfect, and all the better for it
Stubborn, late, never answering texts: true faults, told with love, make the last line about picking up mean more.
5. A close with promises
The away games and the bike story are things she can actually do, which makes the goodbye feel alive rather than final.
A short eulogy for a brother
If you only have a minute or two, or several people are speaking, a short eulogy can say just as much. About 0.5 minutes read aloud.
I'm Gemma, Lee's little sister, which was the best job title I ever had. Lee taught me to ride a bike by letting go without telling me.
He ran his own garage for fifteen years and charged family nothing, which drove his accountant mad. He loved his football team, my boys and his customers' cars, roughly in that order. He never answered a text, but he always picked up the phone.
Lee, thank you for picking up. Goodbye, big brother.
Questions to start your own
Do not copy an example. Borrow its shape, and fill it with your own answers to these. One true, specific memory is worth more than any polished line.
- What did he teach you, or get you into trouble for, as children?
- What did he do for a living, and who did he do it for?
- What was he devoted to that nobody else understood?
- What were his faults, the ones everybody will smile at?
- What will you keep doing, for him?
The eulogy builder asks questions like these one screen at a time, and our guide covers how to read a eulogy without breaking down.
Common questions
- How do I write a eulogy for a brother who died young or suddenly?
- Acknowledge the shock in a sentence, then talk about how he lived. Keep it short and speak about specific things: his work, his friends, what he loved. Ask the family beforehand if there is anything they would rather not be said.
- Can brothers and sisters share the eulogy?
- Yes. Two or three siblings can each take a part of his life, or one can speak while the others stand beside them. Agree the order and the total time with the funeral director.
