What to Write on a Memorial Card

What Goes on the Front of a Memorial Card

The front of a memorial card, also called a prayer card or remembrance card, does one job: it tells everyone who this card is for. Most fronts hold four things, top to bottom.

1. A short heading. "In Loving Memory" is the most common. "Celebrating the Life of", "Forever in Our Hearts" and "In Remembrance" work too.
2. The photo. One clear portrait, usually from the shoulders up. On a Catholic card the photo often goes on the back and a picture of Jesus, Mary or a saint takes the front.
3. The full name. Use the name people knew. Add a nickname in quotes if everyone used it: Robert "Bobby" Kaminski.
4. The dates. Birth and death, or just the years.

Here are front layouts that fit a standard card.

Classic front

In Loving Memory
Margaret Ann Doyle
March 4, 1938 – October 22, 2026

Years only

Forever in Our Hearts
James Robert Ellis
1951 – 2026

Celebration of life front

Celebrating the Life of
Linda "Lou" Martinez
Sunrise June 9, 1962
Sunset October 19, 2026

Front with a place

In Remembrance
Thomas Okafor
1944 – 2026
Teacher, father, gardener of Elm Street

A few things to decide before you write:

• Full dates or years. Full dates feel formal and help family history later. Years are cleaner on a small card.
• Middle names and maiden names. Include them if the family used them. A maiden name can go in parentheses: Margaret Ann (Byrne) Doyle.
• "Sunrise" and "Sunset." Gentle and common at celebrations of life. Plain dates suit a church funeral.

What to Write on the Back of a Memorial Card

The back carries the words people keep the card for. On a standard 2.5 × 4.25 inch prayer card, that is roughly 40 to 80 words, or six to twelve short lines, before the text gets too small to read.

Choose one main piece:

• A prayer, for a religious service. Catholic families often choose Eternal Rest or the Hail Mary.
• A Bible verse, short enough to read in one breath.
• A short poem or a stanza from one, for a family that wants words without scripture.
• A line of your own, about the person: what they loved, what they always said.

Then add, if there is room, one small line at the bottom: the service date and place, "The family thanks you for your love and support", or the funeral home's name. Leave the rest of the card empty. White space makes a card easier to read and easier to keep.

Short Verses for Memorial Cards

These are King James Version unless marked otherwise. Each one fits the back of a card with room to spare. More readings are in our prayers for funeral prayer cards.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed.

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

The whole of Psalm 23 also fits the back of a prayer card, about 120 words, if you set it in a small, clear typeface:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Prayers for Memorial Cards

These are the prayers families ask for most. Change "her" to "him" or "them" as you need.

Eternal Rest

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace.
Amen.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

A Catholic reading

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will touch them.

An Irish blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

A short prayer for any faith

Lord, thank you for the gift of her life.
Hold her gently, and hold us too,
until the day we are together again.

For a prayer written around the person, with their name and the things they loved, try our free funeral prayer writer.

Poems for the Back of a Memorial Card

A full poem rarely fits. One stanza usually does, and it reads better than a whole poem in tiny type. Every poem here is in the public domain. Find more in our funeral poems.

To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.

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.

Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Unable are the Loved to die
For Love is Immortality.

Stevenson's lines suit a sailor, a fisherman or anyone who loved the outdoors. Tennyson's suits a long life and a peaceful end. Holland's is often read aloud at the service too, so it ties the card to the day.

Short Memorial Card Sayings

When the back has a photo or a long prayer, a single line can sit under it. These also work on the front, under the dates.

Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.

Forever loved, forever missed.

Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure.

Loved beyond words, missed beyond measure.

A life well lived, a love that never ends.

Until we meet again.

May her memory be a blessing.

Thank you for every ordinary day.

She made every table longer and every room warmer.

He never met a stranger.

The last three are the kind of line only your family can write. One true sentence about the person, the way people actually talked about them, is often the part of the card guests remember. If you are writing the obituary too, our free obituary writer can give you a few lines to borrow.

Complete Memorial Card Layouts

Here is how the pieces come together, front and back, on one card.

Traditional Catholic prayer card

Front: a picture of the Sacred Heart or Our Lady.

In Loving Memory of
Margaret Ann Doyle
March 4, 1938 – October 22, 2026

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace. Amen.

Christian memorial card

Front: photo, "In Loving Memory", name and dates.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7

Funeral service: Saturday, November 1, 2026
Grace Baptist Church

Non-religious memorial card

Front: photo, "Forever in Our Hearts", name and years.

To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.
Thomas Campbell

He never met a stranger.
Thank you for being here for James.

Celebration of life card

Front: photo, "Celebrating the Life of", name, sunrise and sunset dates.

She made every table longer
and every room warmer.

Pour a coffee, call someone you love,
and tell them a story about Lou.

With love, the Martinez family

Card for a child or baby

Front: a small photo or a simple flower, the name and one date.

He shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom.
Isaiah 40:11

Held for a moment, loved forever.

Card for a veteran

Front: photo in uniform, name, years, branch and rank.

Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
Robert Louis Stevenson

United States Navy, 1962–1966
Thank you for your service.

Tips for Writing a Memorial Card

• Read it at arm's length. Older guests will. If a line wraps three times, shorten it.
• Pick one main piece. A verse and a poem and a message is too much for one small card.
• Check names and dates twice. Ask a second family member to read the card before it prints. Spelling of a maiden name or a nickname is the most common mistake.
• Match the service. A priest or minister may expect a prayer. A celebration of life can be lighter.
• Keep the order of service off the card. That belongs in a funeral program. The card is the part people keep in a wallet, a Bible or on the fridge.

Making the Card

FuneralFolio's memorial and prayer cards are the standard keepsake size, 2.5 × 4.25 inches, double-sided: the portrait, name and dates on the front, and your prayer, poem or verse on the back. Copy any wording from this page, paste it into the card, and it is laid out on the design you choose. The card comes as a print-ready PDF download you can print at home or at a print shop. If you are ordering a printed program, printed cards can be added to that order. Cards come in the same themes as the program and thank you cards, so everything matches.

Writing a sympathy card to a grieving family is a different job; see our funeral card messages for that. For more lines to choose from, see quotes for loved ones who passed away and in memoriam quotes.

Questions Families Ask

What do you put on a memorial card?

The front usually has a heading such as "In Loving Memory", a photo, the full name and the dates of birth and death. The back has one prayer, verse, poem or short message, and sometimes the service date or a thank-you line from the family.

What are prayer cards for a funeral?

Prayer cards are small keepsake cards, usually 2.5 × 4.25 inches, handed to guests at a funeral, wake or memorial service. They began as a Catholic custom, with a holy picture on the front and a prayer for the person on the back, and many families of other faiths now use them as memorial cards.

What are good prayer verses for funeral cards?

Short verses fit best: Psalm 23:1, Matthew 5:4, John 11:25, John 14:1–2 and Revelation 21:4 are the most chosen. The whole of Psalm 23 fits if you keep everything else on the back to a line or two.

Is it okay to throw away a funeral prayer card?

Most people keep them for a while, in a Bible, a wallet or a box of family papers. If you no longer want one, it is fine to let it go. Many Catholics prefer to burn or bury a blessed card rather than put it in the trash, out of respect.

Can I use these words on a card I print?

Yes. Every credited poem here is in the public domain in the United States, and the Bible verses are from the King James Version or the World English Bible, both public domain. Lines with no name under them are traditional or were written for FuneralFolio, and are free to use.