Funeral Poems for Grandma

Short Funeral Poems for Grandma

Short poems of four to eight lines fit well on the back of a memorial card, at the end of a funeral program, or as a quiet reading before the eulogy.

As You Taught

You held our hands when we were small
and held our hearts through rise and fall.
Now we will hold you, as you taught:
in every kindness, every thought.

What She Planted

She planted more than flowers here;
she planted love in every row.
And every spring, from year to year,
we'll see the things she helped to grow.

Her Hands

Her hands were seldom idle;
they baked and sewed and prayed.
They held us when the world was big,
and held us when we strayed.

Goodnight, Grandma

Goodnight, Grandma, sleep in peace;
your work is done, your worries cease.
The love you gave will never end,
our grandmother, our dearest friend.

One More Sunday

We wished for one more Sunday,
one more call, one more embrace;
but heaven needed someone
with your patience and your grace.

Funeral Poems for Grandma From Her Grandchildren

These longer poems are written to be read aloud by a grandchild. Each takes about a minute to read.

Porch Light (From a Granddaughter)

You taught me how to roll the dough
and press the edges tight,
to say my prayers, to mind my words,
to leave on the porch light.

You told me stories from your youth,
of how you met Granddad,
and how the hardest years you lived
still held the joy you had.

Now I'm the one who rolls the dough
and leaves the porch light on;
I hear your voice inside my own,
and know you're never gone.

Call Your Grandma (From a Grandson)

You never missed a ballgame,
you never missed a play;
you'd slip a dollar in my hand
and send me on my way.

You'd tell me, "Call your grandma,"
and laugh, but you were right;
I'd give the world to hear you say
"Hello, sweetheart" tonight.

You showed me strong can still be gentle,
that kind is never weak.
I'll try to be the man you saw
in me each time we'd speak.

The Head of the Table (From All of Her Grandchildren)

There's a chair at the head of the table
where nobody's sitting tonight,
but the table is full of the people you made,
and the room is still warm with your light.

We carry your laugh and your stubborn streak
and your knack for making do;
we carry the prayers you prayed for us,
so we'll always carry you.

So we'll set out your plates every Christmas,
and we'll tell the little ones your name,
and whenever this family gathers,
you'll be there with us all the same.

Religious Funeral Poems for Grandma

For a grandmother whose faith shaped her life, these poems speak of heaven, prayer, and the welcome home.

Good and Faithful

She kept her Bible by her chair,
its pages soft and worn,
and prayed for every one of us
by name, from night to morn.

She fed whoever came to call
and sat up with the ill;
she gave the Lord her Sunday best
and all her weekdays still.

And when at last she closed her eyes,
we know the words she heard:
"Well done, my good and faithful one,"
the Master's welcome word.

Heaven's Kitchen

I like to think that heaven
has a kitchen warm with bread,
a table set for everyone,
and a quilt on every bed;

that Grandma's at the window
where the morning light comes through,
with the kettle on and waiting,
like she always used to do.

Bible Verses for a Grandmother

Scripture can stand on its own or follow a poem in the program. These verses are from the King James Version.

Proverbs 31:28–29

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

Proverbs 31:25

Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

2 Timothy 1:5

When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

For more scripture and prayers, see our guide to prayers for a funeral program.

Poems About the Life She Made

The Quilt

She pieced together scraps of cloth
from aprons, shirts, and Sunday best,
and stitched them into something warm
to keep her little ones at rest.

She did the same with all of us,
the odd, the loud, the far apart,
and stitched us into family
with the needle of her heart.

Four Generations (For a Great-Grandmother)

She held her babies, then their babies,
then their babies on her knee;
four generations knew her lap,
her lullabies, her tea.

She lived to see the family grow
far wider than she'd planned,
and every branch of it began
with her steady, loving hand.

An Uplifting Poem for a Celebration of Life

Some grandmothers would not want anyone sad for long. This poem is written in her voice, as a note to the family.

A Note From Grandma

Don't spend too long in mourning, dears;
I've had a long and lovely run.
I've seen my children's children grow;
I'd say my work was nicely done.

So bring the casseroles and cake,
and tell the stories, every one;
and if you cry, then cry a bit,
and then go out into the sun.

I'm not so far as you might think;
I'm in the recipes you keep,
the hymns you hum, the hugs you give,
the prayers you whisper before sleep.

For more poems in this spirit, see our collection of celebration of life poems.

Classic Funeral Poems That Suit a Grandmother

These well-loved poems are in the public domain, so they can be printed and read freely.

Remember, by Christina Rossetti (1862)

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Rossetti's sonnet suits a grandmother who always put her family's happiness ahead of her own.

Crossing the Bar, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1889)

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

The Bustle in a House, by Emily Dickinson

The bustle in a house
The morning after death
Is solemnest of industries
Enacted upon earth,

The sweeping up the heart,
And putting love away
We shall not want to use again
Until eternity.

Dickinson's eight lines capture the quiet work of a family in a grandmother's home after she is gone.

Henry Scott Holland's "Death Is Nothing at All," which begins "Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room," is another classic many families read for a grandmother.

Choosing and Reading a Poem at Her Funeral

• Match the length to the place. Four to eight lines fit a memorial card; up to sixteen lines fit a program page; a reading at the service can run one to two minutes.
• Choose her voice, not just a beautiful one. A practical, funny grandmother may be better honored by "A Note From Grandma" than by a formal sonnet.
• Let a grandchild read it. Grandchildren often read the poem while an adult child gives the eulogy. If you are writing the eulogy too, our funeral speech writer can help.
• Practice it aloud three times. Print it in large type, mark where to pause, and have a backup reader ready. Stopping to breathe, or to cry, is all right.
• Introduce it in a sentence. "Grandma kept this poem on her refrigerator" tells everyone why it matters before the first line.

Adding the Poem to Her Program or Memorial Card

Every funeral program template on FuneralFolio has a section for a poem or prayer, and memorial cards have room for a short verse on the back. Copy any poem above, paste it into the template, add her photo and dates, and download a print-ready file. Funeral programs can also be ordered as printed copies for the service.