After a funeral, many families send thank you cards to the people who helped them. The notes do not need to be long. One or two sincere sentences about what the person did is plenty.
Below is who to thank, when to send the cards, how to write them, and funeral thank you messages for sympathy cards, flowers, food, donations, pallbearers, clergy, coworkers and anyone who helped.
Article contents
- Who to Thank
- When to Send Funeral Thank You Cards
- How to Write a Funeral Thank You Card
- Short Funeral Thank You Messages
- Thank You for Your Sympathy Messages
- Thank You for Attending the Funeral
- Thank You for the Flowers
- Thank You for Food and Meals
- Thank You for a Donation or Memorial Gift
- Thank You to Pallbearers
- Thank You to the Pastor, Priest or Officiant
- Thank You to Coworkers or an Employer
- Thank You for Help and Support
- Religious Funeral Thank You Messages
- How to Sign a Funeral Thank You Card
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who to Thank
- People who sent flowers, food or a donation.
- Pallbearers, readers and anyone who spoke at the service.
- The pastor, priest or officiant, and musicians.
- Friends and neighbors who helped with meals, rides or childcare.
- Coworkers or an employer who sent something or covered for you.
- People who sent a sympathy card, if you would like to. Many families do.
When to Send Funeral Thank You Cards
Many families send them within a few weeks of the service, but there is no strict deadline. A thank you that arrives two months later is still welcome. It is also fine to share the job with other family members.
How to Write a Funeral Thank You Card
- Thank them for something specific. The flowers, the meal or being there.
- Add one personal line if you can. How it helped, or a memory they shared.
- Sign from you or from the family.
Example: "Dear Linda, thank you for the beautiful roses and for coming to the service. It meant so much to hear your stories about Mom. With love, Rachel and family"
Short Funeral Thank You Messages
- Your help this past month meant more than we can say.
- Your sympathy meant so much to our family.
- It meant so much that you reached out.
- We are grateful for your love and support.
- Thank you for being there for us.
- Your kindness will always be remembered.
- We could not have gotten through it without friends like you.
- We appreciate you more than words can say.
Thank You for Your Sympathy Messages
For someone who sent a card or a kind note.
- Thank you for your card. Your words about Mom made us smile.
- Thank you for your kind note. It meant a lot to read your memories of Dad.
- Your card arrived on a hard day, and it helped. Thank you.
- Thank you for thinking of our family. Your sympathy card is one we will keep.
Thank You for Attending the Funeral
- Seeing your face at the service gave us strength. Thank you for coming.
- Thank you for traveling so far to be with us. Mom would have been so happy to see you.
- We were grateful to see so many friends at the funeral, and you were one of the first to arrive. Thank you.
- Thank you for being there to say goodbye to Dad with us.
Thank You for the Flowers
- Thank you for the beautiful flowers. They brightened the service and our home afterward.
- The flowers you sent were lovely. Mom loved lilies, and it felt like a gift to her too.
- Thank you for the peace lily. We will keep it growing in his memory.
- Thank you for the lovely arrangement and your note.
Thank You for Food and Meals
- Thank you for the lasagna. It fed us for three days when none of us had the energy to cook.
- Your meals made a hard week a little easier. Thank you so much.
- Thank you for organizing the meal train. We felt so cared for.
- Thank you for the breakfast basket. It was exactly what we needed.
Thank You for a Donation or Memorial Gift
- Thank you for your generous donation in Dad's memory. He would have been so grateful.
- Thank you for your gift to the scholarship fund in Susan's name.
- Your donation to the hospice meant a great deal to our family. Thank you.
- Thank you for the gift to the food pantry in Mom's memory. She volunteered there for years.
Thank You to Pallbearers
- Thank you for serving as a pallbearer. Dad would have been honored.
- It meant so much to have you carry Grandpa. Thank you for your friendship to him.
- Thank you for standing with our family and helping us say goodbye.
Thank You to the Pastor, Priest or Officiant
- Thank you for leading such a beautiful service for Mom.
- Thank you for your kind words about Dad. You captured him so well.
- Your prayers and presence brought us comfort. Thank you for everything.
- Thank you for visiting us in the hospital and for the service that followed.
Thank You to Coworkers or an Employer
- Thank you all for the flowers and the card. It meant a lot to have such support from work.
- Thank you for covering for me while I was out. I'm grateful to work with such kind people.
- Thank you for your patience and understanding during a very hard time.
Thank You for Help and Support
- Thank you for watching the kids so we could make arrangements.
- Thank you for all the calls and texts these past weeks. You kept me going.
- Thank you for setting up the reception. We didn't have to worry about a thing.
- Thank you for the long nights at the hospital with us. We will always remember it.
Religious Funeral Thank You Messages
- Thank you for praying for our family. Your prayers carried us.
- We thank God for friends like you who showed up when we needed it most.
- Thank you for standing with us in faith during this time.
How to Sign a Funeral Thank You Card
"With gratitude," "With love," "With appreciation," and "Gratefully" all work. You can sign your own name or "The Johnson family." If the card is from several siblings, list the first names.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you write in a funeral thank you card?
Thank them for what they did, such as the flowers, a meal or coming to the service, and add one personal line if you can. "Thank you for the beautiful flowers and for being there for us" is enough.
Do you have to send thank you cards for sympathy cards?
It is not required. Many families send them to people who sent flowers, food or a donation, and some also thank everyone who sent a card.
How long after a funeral should you send thank you cards?
Many families send them within a few weeks, but there is no firm deadline. A late thank you is always better than none.
Can someone else write the thank you cards for me?
Yes. It is common for a sibling, adult child or close friend to help write and address them.
For more, see funeral and sympathy thank you cards, thank you card messages and how to sign a card. Our Watercolor Flowers and Christian Cross Thank You sets come with envelopes, so you can write a whole stack at once.
