12 Practical Condolence Letter Samples & Formats

There may be some instances where your friend, family member, employer, colleague, business partner, or any other person related to you loses someone closer to them, they might need some support and sympathy. For that purpose, the best way to express your condolences and show your support is by writing a condolence letter.

To put it simply, a condolence letter is a letter that is written to a grieving person at the moment when they lose someone special or close to them like some relative. The words may never seem enough to console someone so writing a condolence letter to someone suffering from the pain of losing his/her beloved, is a great way to show that you really care for them. There are many other ways of communicating your condolences to the grieving person but writing a sample condolence letter depicts your personal support for the grieving person and his/her family.

While writing a condolence letter the most important thing to keep in mind is that you should be genuine, sensitive, and sincere towards the loss of the recipient. You should try to comfort the reader through your writing. In this article, we have provided you with 12 practical condolence letter samples & formats that you can download, use and customize according to your choice and situation. All of these sample letters are drafted for different situations so that you can get an idea of how to write a condolence letter for a particular situation.

Check Out the Given Below Sample Condolence Letters

Condolence Letter Format

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter Format

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

[Express and acknowledge the loss and mention the name of the deceased] [In the main body of the letter, express your deepest condolences and sympathies with the reader] [Mention some qualities of the deceased person] [Include your favorite memory with the deceased person, if there is any] [Offer your help to the survivors of the deceased person] [End the letter with some wish or a sympathetic expression]

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Address] [Sender Contact Details]

Sample Condolence Letter

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Sample Condolence Letter

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

I was very shocked to hear of the death of Mr./Mrs. [name of the deceased person]. Please accept my sincerest sympathy for this terrible loss. I will always remember Mr./Mrs. [name of the deceased person] for his/her amazing personality and wonderful sense of humor. I remember he/she always refer to himself as ‘the old codger’ or ‘the thin man’ and would jokingly play up the part.

Mr./Mrs. [name of the deceased person], I sincerely admire how competent you were in providing excellent care for Mr./Mrs. [name of the deceased person] as his/her health declined. I was impressed by your devotion and dedication towards him/her throughout his/her period of illness.

Please accept my fond respect for you and your family and please let me know if I could be of any help to you and your family. May his/her soul rest in peace. Amen!

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Address] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter for a Deceased Business Partner

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter for a Deceased Business Partner

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

I and my company, [name of the Sender’s Company] would like to express our deep condolences and sympathies to you on the demise of your long-time business partner, Mr./Mrs. [name of the Deceased Business Person]. I was quite shocked to hear the news of his/her sudden death.

We have been in business with your organization for many years and have always appreciated Mr./Mrs. [name of the Deceased Business Partner]’s expertise, experience, and skills. I think you would also agree with the fact that he/she was an integral part of the success of your business. Especially, we will never forget how he/she helped us and provided us a chance to do business at the time we just commenced our business.

May his/her soul rest in peace, Amen! He/ She will always be remembered in our prayers. If we could provide any help at this moment, feel free to contact us any time. Thanks!

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Short Condolence Letter Sample

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Short Condolence Letter Sample

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

On behalf of [Company Name], I would like to express my deepest condolences on the loss of your [mention the relation of the Deceased person with the Recipient]. Many of us here knew him/her personally, and his/her[mention some qualities and traits of the deceased person] was well-loved among all of our staff. He/ She will always be remembered and missed.

Again, we extend our deepest sympathies to you and your family during this period of mourning. May his/her soul rest in peace. Amen!

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter to the Parents of a Deceased Student

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter to Parents of a Deceased Student

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

It was very shocking for us to hear the death news of one of our beloved students, [name of the Student]. I and all the students and staff of [mention Institute’s name] would like to express our deepest condolences to you and your family.

[Name of the Student] was really a smart student and is a great loss to the institute. He/ She was quite charming and intelligent and was dear to the students as well as the teachers. We can realize that you must be going through a lot at this time. We pray that the good Lord gives you the strength and courage to overcome this difficult situation.

May his/her soul rest in peace, Amen!. He/ She will always be missed. Please accept our deepest sympathies and let us know if we could be of any help to you.

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter to the Deceased Coworker’s Family

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter to the Deceased Coworker’s Family

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

I was just informed by our manager about the sudden demise of our beloved coworker and your [mention the relation of the Deceased person with the Recipient], Mr./Mrs. [name of the Deceased Person]. It was really shocking for me and I cannot express how deeply sad I am.

[Name of the Deceased person] and I worked quite closely with each other in [mention Organization name]. I must say he/she was truly a gem of a person. He/ She was not just a good colleague or coworker but was also a very dear friend of mine. He/ She was extremely talented and a skillful person and was quite a friendly person. That’s the reason everybody will miss him/her.

I know that it is quite a tough time right now for you and your family. I pray to God to give you the strength to overcome this tough situation. If I could be of any help, please feel free to contact me any time. Thanks!

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter to Friend on his Father’s Death

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter to Friend on his Father’s Death

Dear [name of the Recipient],

Please accept my deepest condolences on the uncertain demise of your father, Mr. [name of the deceased person].

I must say that he was really a great man. A man of jolly character as well as a man of great moral principles. His conversations and listening to his experiences are something that I will miss a lot. I remember he used to call us both “the two little monkeys”. He really was full of joy and I can realize that it is really a tough situation right now for you and your family.

May his soul rest in peace and may the Lord gives you and your family members enough strength to overcome this situation of deep sorrow. Please let me know if I could be of any kind of help to you and your family.

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Address] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter to Client

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter to Client

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the untimely and unfortunate death of your [mention the relation with Recipient], Mr./ Mrs. [name of the deceased person]. All of our company’s employees are very sad to hear that bad news and all of us pray for the strength and peace of mind for you and your family members. We pray to God that He gives you the courage to bear this great loss and recover from it as soon as possible.

In any case, we could be of help to you, feel free to contact us any time. May the soul of the departed rest in peace.

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Address] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter to Boss

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter to Boss

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

I am writing this letter to express my deepest condolences on the demise of your [mention the relation of the deceased person with your boss], Mr./Mrs. [name of the deceased person].

I must say I had not met him/her in person but I have heard a lot about him/her from you. I know that he/she was very dear to you. I can realize that it is a hard situation for you and your family. You don’t have to worry about anything related to the office as I am completely managing the whole operation.

I pray to Lord that He provides you the courage to bear this great loss and recover from it as soon as possible so that you will be able to join us at work soon. In case you need any other kind of help or assistance, simply remember that I am just a call away. Thanks!

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter to a Donor’s Family

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter to a Donor’s Family

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

On behalf of all the members of our NGO, [name of the NGO], I would like to offer my deep condolences for the unfortunate loss of Mr./Mrs. [name of the Donor]. It was really a shock to hear the news of his/her sudden demise.

Mr./Mrs. [name of the Donor] was a very dear and kind friend of our NGO. As a result of his/her efforts and huge contributions, our NGO had been able to carry out many important projects. He/ She was quite generous and always took care of the ignored or poor class of the society. He/ She was truly a gem of a person.

In honor of your [mention relation of the Deceased Donor with the Recipient], we would like to memorialize him/her by dedicating a statue in his/her name at the main entrance of our building.

May his/her soul rest in peace, Amen! Please feel free to contact us if we could be of any help to you or your family at this difficult moment.

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Condolence Letter on the Death of an Employee

To,

[Name of Recipient] [Address of Recipient]

Date:

Subject: Condolence Letter on Death of an Employee

Dear Mr./Mrs. [name of the Recipient],

It was very shocking for us to hear the death news of one of our beloved employees, Mr./Mrs. [name of the Deceased Employee]. We, the members of the accounts department of [mention the Company name], along with all the other members of the company, would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of our employee, Mr./Mrs. [name of the Deceased employee].

Mr./Mrs. [name of the Deceased employee] was not only a good employee but also a very honest person and a loyal friend too. He/ She will always be missed for his sharp wit and funny conversations. He/ She truly was a loving personality. May his/her soul rest in peace.

Please accept our deepest sympathies and let us know if you need any help.

Yours Sincerely,

[Sender Name] [Sender Signature] [Sender Designation] [Sender Contact Details]

Example Condolence Letter Guide Template

8 Important Tips to Write a Meaningful Condolence Letter

The ready-made condolence letter samples provided in this article can help you a lot in writing a condolence letter to someone. Moreover, these sample letters will save you a lot of time and effort. However, if you still want to know how to write a condolence letter from scratch, then make sure to keep in mind the following 8 important tips while formatting your condolence letter. Following these useful tips, you will surely be able to write a meaningful condolence letter.

Starting

While starting the condolence letter, add some direct and genuine statements like “I am surprised to hear the demise of” or ” I am sorry to hear about the death of”.

Refer to the Deceased by Name

To add a personal touch, refer to the deceased by his/her name. However, if you don’t know his/her name, then refer to the relation of the deceased with the recipient of the condolence letter like your wife or your son, etc.

Sympathize with the Grieving Person

Add a sentence or two to express your deepest sympathies and condolences. Your writing should indicate your sincere sympathies with the near ones to the deceased person. Make sure to add comforting words and sentences for the grieving person.

Mention Something Special About the Deceased

If you know the deceased personally, then make sure to mention or point out something special about him/her. It could be anything like some habit or routine of the deceased person. Doing so will make your condolence letter more personal and heartfelt. However, if you don’t know the deceased personally, then you may skip that part.

Share a Memory

Again, if you know the deceased personally, you can also share some memorable moments spent with him/her. However, don’t try to get into details and just keep it short and brief.

Mention the Good Qualities of the Deceased

You can mention some good qualities of the deceased person, especially if the deceased was your coworker, employer, employee, etc. For example, “the deceased was very honest and dedicated to his/her work” or “He was a very charming and humble person and was always eager to help others”, etc.

Offer your Help

Just before ending your condolence letter, make sure to add a statement to offer your help to the grieving person and the family of the deceased. You might add a simple statement like “if I could be of any help, please make sure to contact me any time”.

End the Letter with a Sympathetic Expression

Close the letter with a simple sympathetic expression like ” You are in my thoughts and prayers” or “May his/her soul rest in peace” or “I am with you in prayers and presence”.