Sympathy Thank You Card Etiquette

Sending out a thank you acknowledgment can be a daunting task, especially when you are grieving. However, it is appropriate to express your thanks to those who lent their support. Thank you cards should be sent to:

• People who sent Flowers and or Sympathy Cards
• People who made donations to your specified charity
• People who donated personal services (transportation, babysitting, etc.) or food
• Your Pallbearers

Funeral Directors and stationers have preprinted thank you cards available for purchase. This is particularly useful if you have many cards to send out. However, you should try and include a line or two, written in your own handwriting to personalize the card. Your personalized portion can be as simple as:

"The flower arrangement you sent was lovely, thank you."; or

"We really appreciate your help watching the kids, thank you."

You may wish to insert a public thank you notice in the local paper. This public notice can be used as a way of thanking the hospital and staff or caregiver(s) if any were involved in the care of your loved one before passing, your clergy representative, the funeral home and staff, any catering or transportation services that were used in addition to the family, friends and associates who may have sent cards, flowers and made donations to specified charities.

As with any form of acknowledgment, it is best when sent out as soon as possible after the event, although certain considerations are given to families that are grieving.