Eulogy for an Aunt
Last Updated on February 6, 2025 by Kay
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The day after my aunt suddenly passed away, my family found ourselves planning her funeral and I had one day to write her eulogy. I was sleep-deprived, still reeling from her death, and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for my five-year-old daughter, but this was something I needed to do — for her.
I love writing and do it for a living, but this was the hardest, most painful thing I have ever had to pen. This was my last message to her and meant to help celebrate her life.
The words didn’t come easily and I didn’t finish it until the morning of the funeral. I found that sleeping on it really helped.
I’m sharing this eulogy for my aunt so that others might have an example of what to write if in a similar position. I tried to highlight what my aunt meant to me, cherished memories with her, her professional life, and the kind of person she was.
I hope I did her justice.
Note that I’ve removed her name for privacy reasons.
Eulogy for Aunt from Niece
Today we celebrate the life of [aunt’s full name], an unbelievably amazing woman who was a light in everyone’s lives.
[Aunt’s first name] means honey or sweet, and she indeed drew everyone to her with her kindness. She was always worried about others, calling after she had an ominous dream to warn us to be careful, and she was thoughtful and loving.
[Aunt] was a daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, and friend. To me, she was Aunty, and she was my best friend.
Ever since I was a child, Aunty made me feel special and loved. She always had the best treats waiting for me and knew exactly what I would want for Christmas. The best Christmas gift I ever got was a dollhouse from her. She was a fantastic seamstress, too, just like her father. When we were young, she used her free time to sew outfits for us nieces and nephews. There are so many photos of us, especially, around the holidays, wearing one of her creations.
She had a fantastic sense of design and style, and I always looked forward to seeing what new decoration she bought for the house or what new outfit she would be wearing. When I was building my house, I asked Aunty for a lot of advice because she knew what looked good.
But it wasn’t just design or fashion advice I sought from her. She played a huge role in many decisions I made in my life. Whenever I needed support or to hear another perspective, I turned to her. She was open-minded, wise, and truthful, sometimes telling me things I didn’t want to hear but grew to realize were right.
Whenever I had good news, she was one of the first people I contacted, and she was always so happy for me. And if it was bad news, she knew just how to comfort me.
Aunty always put others above herself and was one of the most forgiving people I have ever known. She was selfless and supportive, working hard and achieving recognition for being a dedicated employee and once an assistant manager. She did all of this while living with and taking care of her mother for many years, and then never failing to visit her before or after work when she was in a nursing home, and even on her days off.
Her loved ones meant everything to her and she literally crossed oceans for them. Many years ago, she took the Greyhound bus with me to [city] and stayed the night so I could interview for a job to teach in Japan. She then went all the way to Japan to visit me and a few years later, went to Japan again for my wedding.
She was one of the strongest people I knew. She went through so much but she always stayed positive, not wanting to burden others and refusing pity. She was independent and worked hard, retiring only a year and a half ago.
She didn’t want anyone to feel sad for her, even until the end. I heard she didn’t want me to know how bad her condition was because she didn’t want me to cry on the plane.
I looked up to her, and I always will. I will try to aspire to be as strong and positive like she was but I’m not going to lie, it will be hard without her in my life.
No words can express how much I will miss her. Talking to her for hours, hearing her laugh, the funny sounds she would make to my daughter, her cooking, her smile… I will miss getting her morning greetings, which she never failed to send me every day.
The world has lost a beautiful soul but I feel so grateful that I was fortunate enough to have her as my aunt.
I want to end with a conversation I had with Aunty in March last year. I was feeling really down because I felt like I had failed professionally in life, but Aunty comforted me via video chat. Afterward, I sent her a message thanking her and she sent me this:
“Thank you, my dear. I was worrying every day about lots of things that I could not achieve but one day I realized that it was not worth it. So I started to give myself a thorough checkup and slowly it helped me to overcome my worries in a positive way. So justify and pay attention to yourself. Do not listen to negative people. And if others try to pull you down, just say, “F*** you!” and keep on moving forward. You will feel good!
Maybe try to change your diet. Eats lots of fruits. Go and eat out once in a while. Visit good restaurants, too.
And do not forget that I will be always here to help you no matter what. All I want is for you to be happy with your little family. If you’re happy, they will be happy too. Love you!”
Aunty, thank you so much for being a part of our lives. We will all miss you deeply and look forward to when we can be reunited with you again someday.