How to Write a Eulogy for Your Boss - Eulogy Examples & Tips

This is hard. Saying goodbye to a boss can feel awkward, heavy, and full of unspoken things. Maybe they were a mentor who shaped your career. Maybe they were the kind of leader who pushed you until you surprised yourself. Maybe they were complicated and human in all the messy ways that matter. A eulogy is not a public relations statement. It is a human act of witness. This guide helps you write a eulogy that is honest, respectful, and useful for people showing up to grieve.

Everything here is written for people who do not have time to waste and want to deliver something real. You will get a clear structure, tips for tone and length, templates and example eulogies for different boss styles, advice for delivery and logistics, and a FAQ to answer the practical questions HR might ask. We explain any acronym you might encounter, like HR which stands for Human Resources, or CEO which stands for Chief Executive Officer, so nothing catches you off guard.

Who should give a eulogy for a boss

There is no single rule. Common choices include a close direct report, a leadership peer, a family member, or a close friend from work. If you are asked to speak, pause for a second and confirm three things. One, who else will speak. Two, how much time you have. Three, whether the family has any requests about tone, content, or religious language. If HR or the family assigns speaking slots, respect the plan. If they ask for you to speak because they want a staff perspective, honor that trust. If you feel completely unready to speak, it is OK to decline. You can offer to write something for a family member or to read a short excerpt instead.

How long should your eulogy be

Keep it lean. Aim for five to seven minutes for most gatherings. If the funeral service is short or if many people will speak, aim for three to four minutes. If the setting is a large memorial with fewer speakers, you can go eight to ten minutes. The goal is clarity and impact rather than verbosity. People will remember a single vivid story more than a catalog of achievements.

How to choose the right tone

The safest approach is honest warmth. Honor the person. Keep any critique private and contextual. If the boss could be polarizing, focus on the ways they shaped work and the small human moments that made the office a place to show up for. Humor can be a bridge, but it should come from a place of deep affection and not at the expense of the person or any marginalized group.

When to use humor

Use gentle, inclusive stories that people who were in the room can nod at. For example, a recurring joke about the boss always wearing the same tie or a ritual coffee order can be a welcome release. Avoid humor that targets someone else or that requires inside knowledge the broader audience does not have.

When to be formal

If the family requests a religious or highly formal service, match the tone. Formal does not mean distant. Formal can still be warm and human. Ask what language the family prefers about faith practices, funeral traditions, or whether they want mention of the company in a specific way.

Structure your eulogy with this simple template

Use a three part shape that listeners can follow.

• Opening Say who you are and how you knew the boss. A sentence or two sets context for listeners who may not know you.
• Middle Share two or three specific stories or traits that show the person. Include a career highlight if relevant and one human anecdote that reveals character.
• Closing Offer a short takeaway or call to remember. End with a brief thank you to the family and a simple final sentence about legacy.

This shape keeps momentum and makes editing easy. If you write and then need to cut time, remove one anecdote or shorten the career summary. Keep the human moment. That is the part people will tell others about later.

What to include

• Introduction Your name, role, and relationship to the boss.
• Biographical points Birthplace, years at the company, important roles. Keep this brief.
• Leadership style How they led people. Use specific verbs like mentored, listened, insisted, encouraged.
• Anecdotes One or two stories that show who they were. Concrete detail beats general praise.
• Values and legacy What will people miss and what should be carried forward.
• Thanks and permissions A short thank you to family and a permission to grieve in their own way.

What to avoid saying in a workplace eulogy

• Do not air unresolved conflict or public critique. Grief is not a forum for score settling.
• Do not disclose confidential corporate information. Avoid financial specifics that might be sensitive.
• Do not explain office politics. Stick to shared experiences and public achievements.
• Do not use inside jokes that exclude most listeners.

Practical steps before you write

Take these steps to make your writing and delivery easier and more aligned with expectations.

1. Ask the organizer for time limits and order of speakers.
2. Ask the family whether they want religious remarks or prefer secular language.
3. Ask HR if there are any company guidelines for memorial remarks. HR stands for Human Resources. Their job includes employee wellbeing and practical logistics.
4. Collect one or two photos you can reference for details. Visual memory helps you write concrete lines.
5. Talk to one or two colleagues who were close to the boss. Ask for stories you did not know.

Writing the eulogy

Write like you are speaking to one person in the room. Use short paragraphs and simple sentences. Read the draft out loud. If a line trips your tongue, fix it. Use active verbs. Replace bland praise with an image.

Before: She was a great leader.

After: She closed every meeting with a two minute checklist and a laugh that made hard problems feel smaller.

Open with presence

Start with your name and how you knew the boss. For example, My name is Jordan. I was the product manager who worked with Mark for seven years. That quick anchor makes listeners immediately understand your relationship and vantage point.

Choose two to three stories

One career story. One human moment. If you add a third, make it about the person outside work like music, family, or a hobby. Each story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end and should reveal character rather than list achievements.

Close with permission to grieve

Finish with a short sentence that gives the room permission to feel. For example, We will miss him in the daily puzzles he loved solving. We will remember the mornings he showed up early to make sure we were OK. Thank you for being here to remember him with us.

Examples you can adapt

Below are multiple example eulogies tailored to different boss styles. Use them as a template. Swap names, details, and small images until the lines feel true to your voice. Each example keeps the three part structure and stays within a safe time frame.

Example: The Mentor Boss

My name is Priya. I joined the team as a junior analyst five years ago and Alex became my manager that week. I remember walking into his office on day one feeling a mix of excitement and impostor syndrome. He looked up from his stack of notes and said, Everyone starts by asking too many questions. Keep asking. That voice was calm and unshakable. Over the years Alex taught me how to read data so it tells a story and how to speak up in rooms where I felt like I did not belong. Once, when a client presentation went sideways, he stayed with me until midnight helping rewrite the deck and then showed up the next morning with two coffees and a ridiculous playlist that made us laugh through the nerves. Alex was precise at work and generous with his time. He believed that the job of a leader is to make other people better. That lesson is a map I will carry forward. To the family, thank you for sharing him with us. We will miss his mentorship and his steady presence. Please accept our deep gratitude for the time he gave us.

Example: The Tough Boss Who Cared

I am Marcus, and I reported to Diane for eight years. Diane had a reputation for being exacting and direct. That reputation was earned. She would call a meeting and ask for fewer slides and stronger truth. She asked a lot because she believed we could give a lot more than we thought possible. The first time I missed a deadline, she did not scold me. She took me to coffee and asked how I structured my days. Then she taught me a system of small check ins that transformed my work. Outside of work she had a ridiculous love for experimental cooking and would bring in tiny jars of pickles she had made for the team. Those pickles became legendary. Diane demanded high standards because she wanted each of us to build confidence and craft. Her exactness was a form of care. Thank you to Diane's family for letting us be part of her life. We will remember her rigor and her taste in spicy pickles.

Example: The Startup Founder

Hi everyone, I am Lee and I was on the founding team with Sam. Sam started this company from a single idea scribbled on a napkin and an insistence that we could build something different. In the early months we slept at desks, argued about fonts at two in the morning, and celebrated with bad pizza when a prototype worked. Sam's energy was contagious. Even in hard moments he had a way of reminding us of why we started. He cared about code, sure, but he also cared about how people felt when they used our product. The office will feel quieter without his laugh after a demo. To Sam's family, thank you. We will honor his risk taking and his belief that we could make work more humane.

Example: The Remote Boss

My name is Ana. I worked with Rafael across time zones for three years. Rafael led with clarity and made meetings that spanned continents feel like a single room. He started each week with a short video check in where he would share a book or a quick personal update. His playlists got us through late nights and his thoughtful Slack messages reminded people that work is made by humans, not avatars. One Friday he sent a message at midnight that read, If you are stuck, sleep on it and we will solve it tomorrow. That small permission to rest has changed how many of us work. Thank you to Rafael's family for his presence in our lives. We will miss his steady check ins and his terrible dad jokes which somehow always landed in three countries at once.

Example: The Long Time Leader

I am Samira and I worked with Eleanor for fifteen years. Eleanor saw the company through major changes and did so with an eye for people. She could tell you the name of anyone who had started in the mailroom and rose through the ranks. She kept a birthday list that she updated by hand. Eleanor believed in institutional memory and in being kind to the next person who joined. When I think of Eleanor I think of her library of notes and a small stack of stamps on her desk she kept for sending handwritten thank you notes. She taught us that leadership is a long patience practiced daily. Thank you to Eleanor's family for sharing her steady care. We will honor her by keeping the practice of noticing alive in this place.

How to include company milestones and achievements

Including achievements is useful. Make achievements human. Connect them to the boss's actions and to how they affected people rather than listing metrics. For example, instead of saying Under his leadership revenue grew 40 percent, try this. Under his leadership the sales team found a rhythm and new accounts were handled with a personal touch. The numbers followed because clients trusted his team. That version links outcomes to human work and feels more accessible to people who do not care about metrics.

How to handle religious or spiritual language

First, ask the family what they prefer. If they request faith language, include it and keep it genuine. If the family requests secular language, respect that. If you are not comfortable with religious phrasing, do not use it. Phrase endings like May he rest in peace are common, but you can use nonreligious alternatives such as May we remember her kindness and keep it in our work. The priority is to match the family and the tone of the gathering.

Pronouncing names and titles

Practice the boss's name and any family names out loud ahead of time. If you are unsure, ask HR or the family for correct pronunciation. Getting a name wrong can sting for mourners. If the boss had a preferred pronoun, use it. Pronouns refer to how a person identifies in language. If you are unsure, default to the pronoun used by the family or by official communications.

Delivery tips

How you deliver matters. A well written eulogy can be weakened by a shaky delivery. Practice out loud. Time yourself. Use a printed sheet with large text and line breaks that allow you to breathe. If you cry, that is OK. Pause, take a breath, and continue. The room will understand. If you cannot continue, a friend or coworker can step in to read the last lines. Use a water glass nearby. Stand or sit in the position the organizer prefers. Face the family when you can and make brief eye contact across the room.

Managing nerves

• Practice speaking slowly. Grief compresses time and people speak fast when nervous.
• Mark breath points in your copy so you know where to pause.
• Use a soft opening sentence to buy yourself calm, such as Thank you for being here. I will try to keep this brief.

When you need to read

It is perfectly fine to read your eulogy. If possible, put a printed copy on sturdy paper and use a large font. Highlight the opening and closing lines so you can find them if you need to set the page down. Reading gives structure and reduces the chance of getting lost if you become emotional.

AV and logistics to confirm

Confirm whether there will be a microphone. If so test it. Ask where to stand and whether slides or photos will be displayed. If you plan to play music or a short video, verify formats with the funeral home or venue. Funeral directors know how to run services. If the company is involved in planning, HR can coordinate with the family and the funeral home to ensure a smooth service.

Writing when the death was sudden or controversial

In cases of sudden death or complicated circumstances, keep the eulogy centered on the person and not the details of how they died. You can acknowledge that the loss is difficult without describing specifics. If the family requests a specific statement about events, use their words or ask them to provide a line you can read. Your role is to honor and to support the family and colleagues in grief.

How to incorporate coworkers who cannot attend

Consider reading short notes collected from remote coworkers or printing a memory book to present to the family. If people are remote, gather a few two sentence memories and weave them as a single paragraph in the middle of your eulogy. That creates a sense of collective remembering without lengthening the service too much.

After the speech

After you speak, make yourself available for a short while near the family if that is welcome. If you do not have the emotional bandwidth to engage, let a designated colleague do that. You can also offer to help with a memory book or a company tribute. Small actions like organizing a donation or a memorial fund can be meaningful. If the company plans a memorial gift, coordinate with HR and the family.

Templates you can fill in quickly

Use these short templates for last minute requests. Fill in the bracketed text and practice once before you speak.

Template A: The short staff tribute

My name is [Your Name]. I was a [Your Role] who worked with [Boss Name] for [Time Period]. [Boss Name] taught me [Specific Skill or Value]. I will always remember [Brief Anecdote]. Thank you to [Family Name or Family Members] for sharing [Boss Name] with us. We will miss [His Her Their] steady [quality].

Template B: The HR friendly version

Hello, I am [Your Name] from [Department]. [Boss Name] joined our team in [Year]. During [His Her Their] time here, [he she they] led projects that improved how we work and how we support each other. A small memory I will carry is [Anecdote]. Please accept our deepest condolences. We will honor [Boss Name] by continuing the values [he she they] brought to this company.

Template C: The personal and longer version

My name is [Your Name] and I worked with [Boss Name] for [Time]. On my first day [he she they] did something that revealed who [he she they] was. [Anecdote with sensory detail]. Over time I learned [lesson]. That lesson makes me better at my work and kinder in how I show up. To [Boss Name]'s family, thank you for sharing [him her them] with us. We will remember [his her their] laugh, [specific habit], and the way [he she they] made our work matter.

Common questions and quick answers

Can HR prevent me from speaking

HR can advise on appropriate content and logistics. HR should not prevent you from speaking if the family and service organizers want you to. If there are legal concerns or company policies about certain statements, HR will guide you on acceptable boundaries. When in doubt consult HR early.

What if many people want to speak

Work with the organizer to set a time limit and a schedule. Suggest a single person read a compiled set of brief memories so more voices are represented without extending the service. A memory book or online tribute can capture the rest.

Should I mention the company in the eulogy

Yes mention the company as context but keep it focused on the person rather than corporate results. People are there for the human memory not for a business presentation.

FAQ Schema