Letters.org

The Number 1 Letter Writing Website in the world

  • Letters
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Condolence Letter

What is a Condolence Letter?

Do you know what is condolence? It is basically an expression of sympathy or sorrow that is mostly given during the occasion of the death of near and dear ones. The condolence letter is the way of communicating with someone to whom you want to express your condolences. Generally, such letters are written to the family members or friends of the deceased person. You can write this type of a letter in a personalized manner.

You can send such a letter when you have the deep and personal connection with the mourners. You can start such a letter by showing your condolences and further discuss the life and actions of the deceased. In such a letter you can convey the personality and life of the deceased person. Some people also like to include few memories of the dead person that they have shared previously. In the end of the letter, it is important for you to show your condolence as well as support to the mourners.

When to write such a condolence letter? It is advisable to write such a letter within 2 weeks of a death. Such letters are generally handwritten and not typed because hand written letter adds personalized touch.

Elements of Grief in a Condolence Letter

In a condolence letter, it is important for you to include the elements of grief. Any kind of death or loss can make you feel numb and you can also go in shock. The wide range of feelings goes together with grief like sadness, anger, fear, guilt etc. In such a scenario, a grieving person needs condolence and you can give that by writing a condolence letter. By understanding the components of grief through which the family members and friends of the deceased person are going through, can make it easy for you to write such a letter.

In the age of social media if you pick up your pen and write a personal letter then it can give good comfort to the mourners. Try to write heartfelt messages in your condolence letter. Here are the few elements of grief that the mourners may go through and by understanding which you can find it easy to write the condolence letter:

  • Feeling of shock or tremor
  • Denial of the loss of a person is also the stage of grief
  • A bit of anger and sadness
  • Anxiety attacks
  • Guilt feeling
  • Engages or preoccupies the mind
  • Going absent-minded
  • Deep reflective thought before accepting the loss
  • Let go and feel less pain
  • Moving on

The above-mentioned are few elements of grief which the mourners may go through and after considering these griefs in mind, you need to write a condolence letter.

Effects of a Condolence Letter on Grief

It is known fact that communicating with the grieving person is a difficult task. A grieving person goes through several emotions and dealing with those emotions is not an easy task. Your letter should be such that it should allow an individual to fight across different stages of emotions.

Even if you get the late news of death, don’t stop yourself from writing a condolence letter because it is difficult to overcome through the process of death. Writing such a letter is beneficial because the recipient can read and reread it when required to cope up with the loss. It is not possible for you to be with the survivor 24/7 and in such scenario your letter can provide a great support and comfort.

How to Write a Condolence Letter?

What do you want to say to the grieving person in a condolence letter? Depending on the answer to this question, the length of your letter can be determined. It can be a long letter or a short letter, but ensure that your letter provides a good comfort level to the survivors.

Some of the important things that you need to include in your condolence letter are like:

Show simple acknowledgment for the loss

In the opening sentence of your condolence letter, it is important for you to show the acknowledgment for the loss. Inform the recipient about how you learned about such a sad news. Express your sadness and show the disappointment.

To show your acknowledgment, you can include a sentence like “I am sorry to hear about the sudden demise” I am saddened by the loss of…

Show kindness and sympathy

The next part of your letter would be to show some kindness and sympathy. Show your care by using the words of sympathy. Show your sadness to the bereaved and share the sorrow. It is important, to be honest with such a letter. Let the bereaved know that, they are not alone in this tough time.

Express your Sympathy

In this next section of your condolence letter, let the person you are writing to know how much you care. How you share in their grief and sorrow. Above all, be honest. If you knew the person who passed away, express your sadness and offer support to the bereaved. Give them comfort, letting him or her know they are not alone during this time.

To show your sympathy, you can make use of sentence like “I am sorry for your loss”.

Write few qualities of the deceased

Do you know some special quality of the deceased person? If yes, then do mention it in your condolence letter. You can explain about the special characteristic that you valued in the individual. You can add humour but in an intelligent way that can fit the situation. You can mention any kind of leadership or sensitive quality of the personality in your letter. You can show the relationship that you had with a deceased person.

To express qualities of the deceased person, you can make use of sentence like “I’ll always remember the way he or she…

End the letter with the kind sentiments

The closing of your condolence letter should be good and you can include some kind sentimental sentences. Your words should reflect your true feelings. Here are the few sentences that you can use while closing such an article:

  • May the love of those around you, help you through the days ahead
  • May the comfort of God help you during this difficult time
  • Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel
  • You have my deepest sympathies on the death of your…
  • I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family
  • Our hearts go out to you in your time of sorrow

Tips to Write a Condolence Letter

Here are few tips that you can follow to write a condolence letter:

  • Draft your letter in such a way that it is short and concise
  • Use friendly and comforting approach
  • You have to console the recipient and not convince him or her
  • Don’t try to impose yourself on the reader
  • Offer all possible assistance
  • Share some good moments to make the reader feel good
  • Don’t add feelings or words which are not required

Sample Condolence Email

Last Updated On December 20, 2016 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

Internet has brought a major change in the communication sector. Now, you can easily connect to people in fraction of seconds. These days many people prefer sending condolence emails, as it is the fastest mode to communicate your message to the aggrieved person. Though sending a hand written letter is much more comforting to read, […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Sympathy Condolence Letter

Last Updated On September 12, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

While it is extremely hard to heal emotional wounds, some words of sympathy can ensure your emotional support to the person. It becomes extremely important to write an appropriate condolence letter on an emotionally disturbing event to the concerned person. It could include the death of any known person in his family or events that […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

General Condolence Letter

Last Updated On September 6, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

Condolence letter is often written to provide comfort to someone who has undergone a tragic experience/death.  This can include a gamut of tragic experiences ranging from loss of property, a severe accident to the loss of a loved one. It’s a very grave issue and must be treated with utmost care. Most of the times […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Official Condolence Letter

Last Updated On June 27, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

A condolence letter is written as a source to provide comfort who is grieving the loss of a close loved one. Writing a letter to the person is a kind gesture to honor the employee’s value in the company. It can also be written to an employee who has recently lost a loved one.  An […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Emotional Condolence Letter

Last Updated On August 30, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

It is very difficult to deal with the death of a loved one. Death brings with it days of despair for the bereaved family. It is very painful to lose someone who is close to your heart. At such times, few words of comfort can give hope and support to the bereaved family. While it’s extremely […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Formal Condolence Letter

Last Updated On September 25, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

Death of someone close is very wearisome. A formal condolence letter is usually written by an organization to the family of the deceased. Such letters are strictly written in a formal manner on behalf of a company or an organization. A condolence letter is one of the most effective ways to communicate your sympathies to […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Condolence Letter to Colleague

Last Updated On August 16, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

In an office environment, we work as a team with many people around us. A colleague is a person who works with us in the office and helps us in solving any problem in office work. They become our office family and a part of our life as we spend most of the day with […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Condolence Letter to Employee

Last Updated On August 27, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

Condolence letters are written on the very unfortunate incident of death of any relative or known person. During such events, people need support and help from others to accept such a loss. At such times, even strangers are helpful and give you a helping hand. It is said that sorrow shared is sorrow halved, and […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Condolence Letter on Death of Father

Last Updated On June 27, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

Father is the person who can do anything for the happiness of his child. He gives proper education to his child and makes his future good. He is always with his child to help him in any situation. We cannot imagine our life without our fathers. They are our pillar of strength and our all-time guide. […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

Condolence Letter on Death of Friend

Last Updated On August 11, 2018 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

Death is too permanent and extreme to handle. When we lose a near and dear one, we cannot comprehend our loss, and we feel as if life is meaningless. Though we cannot regain the lost, at such times the support and care of the people around is of utmost importance. It is very tough to find […]

Filed Under: Condolence Letter

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

Categories

  • Acceptance Letter
  • Acknowledgement Letter
  • Advice Letter
  • Agendas
  • Agreement Letter
  • Announcement Letter
  • Apology Letter
  • Appeal Letter
  • Application Letter
  • Appointment Letter
  • Appreciation Letter
  • Approval Letter
  • Authorization Letter
  • Business Letter
  • Cancellation Letter
  • Charity Letter
  • Christmas Letter
  • Claim Letter
  • Complaint Letter
  • Compliment Letter
  • Condolence Letter
  • Confirmation Letter
  • Congratulations Letter
  • Cover Letter
  • Credit Letter
  • Donation Letter
  • Encouragement Letter
  • Explanation Letter
  • Farewell Letter
  • Festival Letters
  • Follow Up Letter
  • Formal Letter
  • Friendship Letter
  • Fundraising Letter
  • Get Well Letter
  • Goodbye Letter
  • Holiday Letter
  • Inform Letter
  • Inquiry Letter
  • Internship Letter
  • Interview Letter
  • Introduction Letter
  • Invitation Letter
  • Job Letter
  • Leave Letter
  • Legal Letter
  • Love Letter
  • Marketing Letter
  • Messages
  • Miscellaneous Letter
  • Notices
  • Order Letter
  • Payment Letter
  • Permission Letter
  • Policy Letter
  • Promotion Letter
  • Proposal Letter
  • Recognition Letter
  • Recommendation Letter
  • Reference Letter
  • Refusal Letter
  • Release Letter
  • Repair Letter
  • Reprimand Letter
  • Request Letter
  • Resignation Letter
  • Response Letter
  • Retirement Letter
  • Romantic Letter
  • Sales Letter
  • Scholarship Letter
  • Service Letter
  • Sorry Letter
  • Suggestion Letter
  • Sympathy Letter
  • Tax Letter
  • Termination Letter
  • Thank You Letter
  • Transfer Letter
  • Warning Letter