Tribute Draft Example — Bringing Memories Together

Our Tribute Draft service helps bring structure to your memories and stories, giving you more space for what matters most.

This illustrative example shows how a collection of memories and stories becomes a complete, structured tribute draft — ready for you to personalise and make your own.

Explore the information submitted, the tribute created from it, and the reflection prompts, personalisation guidance and speaking tips included with every draft.

📋 Example Information Submitted

You don't need perfectly organised memories or a finished piece of writing. Simple notes, stories and personal observations are enough to get started.

Expand the example below to see what someone might share with DBS.

Relationship: Mother
Who Will Be Reading the Tribute?
Eldest daughter (Sarah)
Audience / Occasion:
Funeral service at the local church. Approximately 80–100 family members and friends attending.
Preferred Tone:
Warm, positive, personal, with a little humour where appropriate. We would like the tribute to feel heartfelt rather than overly formal. Mum would not have wanted anything too serious all the way through.
Memories:
- Mum always had the kettle on whenever people visited.
- Radio was always on in the kitchen.
- She baked constantly and never seemed happy unless she was feeding people.
- Never let anyone leave the house hungry.
- Loved gardening and spent loads of time in the garden, especially with her roses.
- Dad always joked that the flowers behaved better than the children.
- Christmas was her favourite time of year.
- She started planning Christmas weeks in advance.
- Dad remembers her wrapping an empty Christmas present one year because she knew he was trying to guess what he’d received.
- She loved teasing people and had a great sense of humour.
- She had a laugh that everybody recognised.
- One memory I have is finding little notes in my lunchbox when I was at school. One said: “Smile today — it confuses the grumpy ones.”
- Family always came first.
- Loved having everyone together around the table.
- Loved Sunday roasts and birthday breakfasts.
- We used to have fish and chips on the beach even when it was raining.
- She always said: “If you wait for perfect weather, you’ll never have perfect memories.”
- Very kind but never wanted recognition for it.
- She would help neighbours without telling anyone.
- Used to drop meals or soup off for people when they were ill.
- Always listened when somebody needed advice.
- Hospital visits, family events, funerals — she was always there.
- Didn’t like being the centre of attention and would probably tell everyone not to make a fuss.
- The grandchildren adored her.
Anything Else We Should Know?
We’d like the tribute to focus on Mum’s warmth, kindness, humour, and the way she brought people together. We want people to leave remembering how welcome she made them feel and how much she cared about family and friends.

Share your memories in whatever format feels easiest — from notes and existing drafts to photographs, voice notes or completed Memory Workspaces.

🕊️ Remembering Maggie: The Heart of Our Family

Good afternoon everyone.

It’s both a privilege and a challenge to stand here and speak about my mum, Maggie. She had a way of filling silence — not with noise, but with warmth. If you ever visited her kitchen, you’d know what I mean. The radio would be humming in the background, the kettle steaming, and the smell of something freshly baked floating through the house.

She could never resist feeding people — toast, biscuits, or a “proper dinner” that appeared from nowhere. You always left with a full stomach and, somehow, a lighter heart.

Mum loved her garden. She talked to her plants like they were old friends — and perhaps they were. She’d whisper encouragement to the roses, scold the slugs, and say the hydrangeas were moody this year. Dad used to joke that the flowers behaved better than the kids.

Her laughter could travel through a crowd. It had this way of catching on, like a spark that made everyone join in before they knew what was funny. I remember her slipping a cheeky note into my school lunchbox once that said, “Smile today — it confuses the grumpy ones.” I still have that note tucked inside an old recipe book.

Christmas was her favourite season. She’d spend weeks planning the table, wrapping gifts, and pretending she hadn’t seen the tree lights tangled again. One year, she wrapped an empty box just to tease Dad for snooping. He opened it and said, “Perfect size for your sense of humour.”

She adored little traditions — Sunday roasts, birthday breakfasts, fish and chips on the beach even when it rained. She’d say, “If you wait for perfect weather, you’ll never have perfect memories.” That was Mum — never waiting for life to be tidy before enjoying it.

Mum wasn’t loud about her kindness — she just lived it. She’d drop off soup to a neighbour without saying who it was from, send cards to people others might have forgotten, and listen — really listen — when someone needed to talk.

She believed life was about showing up. Birthdays, funerals, hospital waiting rooms — if you needed her, she was there, sometimes before you even asked.

And if she were here now, she’d probably say, “Oh, stop blubbering, and make sure everyone gets a sandwich.”

Her love was steady, not showy — but it built the kind of foundation a family can lean on.

So, thank you, Mum — for your laughter, your kindness, and the warmth you left in every corner of our lives. We’ll keep your kettle warm, and your humour close.

Approx. 450 words (around 3–4 minutes when spoken aloud)