1. Gather information.  Talk with family members, close friends and co-workers to get important information on the deceased. Some important information to include in the eulogy is the person's family and other close relationships, their education/career, hobbies or special interests, places the person lived or traveled to, and any special accomplishments they had.
2. Organize your thoughts.  Jot down your ideas by whatever means are most comfortable and familiar to you.  Create an outline of your speech, and fill in the information that you gathered about the person.
3. Write it down.  This is not a toast at a wedding where you can make off-the-cuff remarks, and you should not adlib a eulogy. Writing it all down allows you to include and remember every detail you wanted in your eulogy.  When you bring a copy of your eulogy to the podium make sure it is easy to read, print it out in a large font, or if it is hand-written leave a few spaces between the lines.  Keep in mind your time constraints, it’s best to keep things on the short side, especially if there are other speakers.
4. Review and Revise.  Your first draft will not be the last.  When you think you are done, sleep on it and look it over in the morning when it is fresh again, that will be the time to make any necessary revisions.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice.  Read over your eulogy several times in order to become familiar with it.  Practice in front of a mirror, read it over to some friends or family and have them give you feedback.  Become familiar with your speech so you can recite it without making it look like you’re reading from a script.  The more you practice the more comfortable you will be. 
6. Make them laugh, but be respectful.  A funeral is not a roast, however, there is room for humor in your eulogy.  Fondly remember a story about the person that everyone can relate to.  Keep it appropriate, there will be children and the elderly there that may not share the same sense of humor.  Laughter is truly the best medicine, and some well-placed humor will help people cope, and will bring back fond memories of the deceased.
7. Don’t be afraid to show emotion.  Funerals are an extremely emotional event, nobody expects you not to shed a few tears.  However, if you feel that you will be too strongly overcome by your emotions, have a backup plan in place where someone you trust can deliver the eulogy for you.  Give them a copy well in advance if you feel this could be an issue.
8. Have a glass of water as well as tissues handy.

Instructions: Replace all items in ITALICS below with the appropriate information.

[GIVEN NAME] [MIDDLE NAME (AND NICKNAME)] [SURNAME NAME], a longtime resident/resident of [CITY], [PROVINCE], passed away on [DATE OF DEATH] in [LOCATION OF DEATH] at the age of [AGE] years.

[NAME] was born in [LOCATION OF BIRTH] to [PARENT’S NAMES] on [DATE OF BIRTH]. He/she went to high school at [SCHOOL NAME] and graduated in [YEAR]. He/she went on to earn a degree/certificate in [DEGREE TYPE] from [SCHOOL NAME]. He/she worked as a [JOB TYPE] for [COMPANY] for [NUMBER OF YEARS]. He/she enjoyed [ACTIVITIES/HOBBIES]. He/she received [AWARDS/HONORS] and was involved in [CHARITIES/ORGANIZATIONS].

[NAME] is survived by his/her [RELATION], [NAME] of [CITY].  (List all survivors: spouse children, siblings, parents, grandchildren, nieces and nephews).

He/she was predeceased by his/her [RELATION], [NAME]. (List predeceased in order of: spouse, parents, children and siblings.)

A Visitation will be held at [LOCATION] on [DATE] at [TIME].

A Funeral service will be held at [LOCATION] on [DATE] at [TIME] with Reverend [NAME] of [CHURCH] officiating. Interment will follow at [CEMETERY NAME], [CEMETERY LOCATION]. 

Memorial donations may be made to [ORGANIZATION NAME], [MAILING ADDRESS].  

Remember most newspapers charge by the word, this template is good for getting all of the information necessary in as few words as possible.  However, this template is not written in stone.  You can make any adjustments you feel necessary.