Memorial Plaque Wording: 80 Heartfelt Examples
Memorial plaque wording gives the person's full name, their years of birth and death or one meaningful date, and a single line of tribute, with the family or organization that placed it. Below are 80 original examples, written with care, for family members, colleagues, church and club members, memorial scholarships, benches and gardens, first responders and veterans, children and infants, pets, scripture and small urn plates. Where a plaque is dedicated, the traditional closing line is "Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX", with ## and 20XX filled in with the day and year; copy any example, or open it in the designer with one click and swap in your details.
In loving memory: wording for family
Family memorial plaques are displayed at a service, in a home or in a place the person loved. Lead with the name, then the relationship that meant the most, and let one line say who they were.
- In Loving Memory of
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Forever in Our Hearts - [Name]
Beloved Husband, Father and Grandfather
[Year] to [Year] - In Memory of
[Name]
Whose Table Always Had Room for One More
[Year] to [Year] - Beloved Mother
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Your Love Was Our First Home
and Remains Our Dearest Comfort - [Name]
Husband, Father, Friend
Those We Love Never Truly Leave Us
[Year] to [Year] - Ever Loved, Ever Remembered
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
The Garden Still Blooms,
and So Does Your Love
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Loving Memory of
[Name]
Grandmother, Storyteller and Keeper
of Every Family Recipe
The [Family Name] Family
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Loving Memory
[Name] and [Name]
Married [Month Day, Year]
Together in Life,
Together Forever in Our Hearts - Our Brother
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
The First to Help, the Last to Leave
We Carry Your Laughter with Us
Memorial wording for a colleague or employee
When a coworker dies, a plaque in the lobby, break room or their former workspace gives the team a place to remember. Include the years they served and the qualities colleagues still speak of.
- In Memory of Our Colleague and Friend
[Name]
[Job Title], [Year] to [Year]
[Company Name]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - [Name]
[Number] Years with [Company Name]
Whose Kindness Made Every Shift Lighter
By [His/Her] Friends and Coworkers
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - [Company Name]
Honors the Memory of
[Name]
Founder, [Year] to [Year]
Whose Vision Still Guides Our Work
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - The [Name] Conference Room
In Memory of a Colleague
Who Always Made Room for Every Voice
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - Gone from Our Office,
Never from Our Hearts
[Name]
[Department Name]
[Year] to [Year] - In Remembrance
[Name]
Who Taught Us That Every Worker
Deserves to Go Home Safe
[Plant Name]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Memory of
[Name]
Teacher, [School Name]
[Year] to [Year]
The Lessons Live On in Every Student
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - This Workbench Is Kept in Memory of
[Name]
Machinist, Mentor, Friend
[Number] Years at [Company Name]
Memorial wording for a church, club or organization member
Congregations, lodges, clubs and service organizations often keep a memorial plaque where members gather. Name the person's role in the group and the years of membership, and let the organization place it.
- In Loving Memory of
[Name]
Faithful Member of [Church Name]
Who Sang in the Choir for [Number] Years
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - Deacon [Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Who Greeted Every Soul at This Door
for [Number] Years
[Church Name]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - The [Club Name]
Remembers with Gratitude
[Name]
Member Since [Year]
Who Lived Our Motto Every Day
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Memoriam
Brother [Name]
[Lodge Name] No. [Number]
Past Master, [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Memory of
[Name]
Club Champion, Friend to Every Foursome
[Club Name], [Year] to [Year] - The [Organization Name]
Lovingly Remembers
[Name]
President, [Year] to [Year]
Whose Grace Guided Us All
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Memory of
[Name]
Who Gave This Stage [Number] Seasons
and Every Newcomer a Warm Welcome
The [Theater Name] Players - In Honored Memory of
Scoutmaster [Name]
Troop [Number], [Year] to [Year]
Campfires, Trails and Young Lives
Set on the Right Path
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX
Memorial scholarship and award wording
A memorial scholarship or award carries a name forward by giving in it. A perpetual plaque lets you add each year's recipient beneath the honoree's name, while a small individual award lets each recipient keep one; on individual awards the recipient is the name engraved largest.
- The [Honoree Name] Memorial Scholarship
Awarded to
[Name]
Class of 20XX
Presented on this ## day of June, 20XX - The [Name] Memorial Award
Given Each Year to the Senior
Whose Love of Learning
Would Have Made [Him/Her] Proud
[School Name] - In Memory of [Honoree Name]
The Spirit of [Team Name] Award
[Name]
For Heart, Courage and Sportsmanship
Presented on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - The [Honoree Name] Award
for Compassionate Nursing
Awarded to [Name], RN
In Memory of a Nurse
Who Held Every Hand
Presented on this ## day of May, 20XX - The [Name] Memorial Scholarship Fund
With Gratitude to All Who Gave
So That [His/Her] Love of Learning
Might Open Doors for Others
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - A Gift in Memory of
[Name]
from [Donor Name] and Family
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - Honoring the Life of
[Name]
By Supporting the Work of [Cause]
[Organization Name] - The Coach [Honoree Name] Memorial Award
Presented to [Name]
Who Plays the Game the Way Coach Taught:
Hard, Fair and with Grace
Season 20XX
Memorial bench, tree and garden wording
Bench and garden plaques are read by passersby, often strangers, so the best ones connect the person to the place in three or four lines. For many more bench, tree and garden options, see our dedication plaque wording library.
- In Loving Memory of [Name]
Who Loved This Park
[Year] to [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - Sit a While
and Enjoy the View
In Memory of [Name]
[Year] to [Year] - [Name]
Who Walked This Path
Every Morning for [Number] Years
Rest Here Awhile in [His/Her] Memory - This Tree Was Planted
in Loving Memory of
[Name]
May It Grow as Our Love for You Grows
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - The [Name] Memorial Garden
Planted by Those Who Loved [Him/Her]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - For [Name],
Who Never Met a Stranger
[Year] to [Year] - Pause Here, and Remember
[Name]
Who Found Peace by This Water
[Year] to [Year]
Memorial wording for first responders and veterans
Memorials for first responders and veterans are public and permanent, so dignity matters more than length. Use the rank, the agency or branch and the dates exactly as the department or family confirms them; our first responder and military wording libraries hold many more options.
- In Honored Memory
[Rank] [Name]
[Police Department Name]
Who Gave [His/Her] Life
in the Line of Duty
End of Watch [Month Day, Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - [Rank] [Name]
[Fire Department Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Last Alarm [Month Day, Year]
Greater Love Hath No Man Than This
John 15:13 (KJV) - In Loving Memory
[Name], EMT
[Ambulance Corps Name]
[Number] Years of Answering the Call
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Memory of
[Rank] [Name]
[Branch of Service]
[War or Era] Veteran
[Year] to [Year]
Who Served So That We Might Live Free - At the Going Down of the Sun
and in the Morning
We Will Remember Them
Laurence Binyon
[Rank] [Name]
[Branch of Service], [Year] to [Year] - [Organization Name] Post [Number]
Honors the Memory of
Comrade [Name]
Past Commander
Dedicated on this ## day of November, 20XX - In Grateful Memory of
[Rank] [Name]
and All from [Town Name]
Who Answered the Nation's Call
Dedicated on this ## day of November, 20XX - [Rank] [Name]
United States Navy
[Year] to [Year]
Home Is the Sailor, Home from Sea
Robert Louis Stevenson
Memorial wording for children and infants
A plaque for a child or an infant should be gentle, brief and unhurried. Many families prefer a single date, a first name alone or a line of scripture, and it is always right to ask the parents exactly what they wish to see.
- Our Beloved Son
[Name]
[Month Day, Year]
Held Briefly in Our Arms,
Held Forever in Our Hearts - [Name]
Born Sleeping [Month Day, Year]
Loved Long Before You Arrived
and Every Day Since - Suffer the Little Children
to Come unto Me
Mark 10:14 (KJV)
In Loving Memory of
[Name]
[Year] to [Year] - He Shall Gather the Lambs with His Arm
Isaiah 40:11 (KJV)
[Name]
Our Little Lamb
[Month Day, Year] - Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Psalm 139:14 (KJV)
[Name]
[Month Day, Year]
Forever Cherished - For the Joy of Every Child
and in Loving Memory of
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Memory of
[Name]
Class of [Year]
Forever Our Classmate and Friend
[School Name]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - [Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Your Smile Lit Every Room.
Your Kindness Lights Us Still.
Pet memorial plaque wording
Pet memorials are most often small plates for an urn, a shadow box or a garden stone. Keep them simple and tender: the name, the years and one line about the companion they were.
- In Loving Memory
[Name]
Faithful Friend and Family Member
[Year] to [Year] - [Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Every Walk, Every Welcome Home
Forever Our Loyal Companion - [Name]
Who Waited at the Window
Every Evening for [Number] Years
Always Loved - K9 [Name]
[Police Department Name]
Faithful Partner of [Handler Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - [Name]
Gentle Soul, Quiet Companion
The Sunny Windowsill Is Yours Forever - [Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Who Carried Us Faithfully
Across Every Field and Show Ring
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - In Whose Hand Is the Soul
of Every Living Thing
Job 12:10 (KJV)
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Scripture and public-domain verse for memorial plaques
Scripture and classic verse can carry what plain words cannot. Quote the King James Version or a public-domain poet exactly, keep the passage short, and cite it on its own line.
- I Am the Resurrection, and the Life
John 11:25 (KJV)
[Name]
[Year] to [Year] - Blessed Are They That Mourn:
For They Shall Be Comforted
Matthew 5:4 (KJV)
In Loving Memory of [Name] - The Lord Is My Shepherd;
I Shall Not Want
Psalm 23:1 (KJV)
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - I Have Fought a Good Fight,
I Have Finished My Course,
I Have Kept the Faith
2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)
[Name]
[Year] to [Year] - In My Father's House Are Many Mansions
John 14:2 (KJV)
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - God Shall Wipe Away All Tears
from Their Eyes
Revelation 21:4 (KJV)
In Memory of [Name]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - Weeping May Endure for a Night,
But Joy Cometh in the Morning
Psalm 30:5 (KJV)
[Name] - To Live in Hearts We Leave Behind
Is Not to Die
Thomas Campbell
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX - I Hope to See My Pilot Face to Face
When I Have Crost the Bar
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
[Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Short memorial wording for small plates and urns
Urn plates, keepsake boxes, photo frames and small plaques hold three or four short lines. The name and dates come first, a brief phrase is optional, and the date line is left off.
- [Name]
[Year] to [Year]
Forever in Our Hearts - In Loving Memory
[Name]
[Year] to [Year] - [Name]
Loved Beyond Measure
[Month Day, Year] - [Name]
At Peace
[Year] to [Year] - Our Mother
[Name]
Always with Us
[Year] to [Year] - [Name]
Your Kindness Lives On
[Year] to [Year] - [Name]
Until We Meet Again
[Year] to [Year] - [Rank] [Name]
[Branch of Service]
[Year] to [Year]
Tips for memorial plaque wording
A memorial plaque usually includes the person's full name, their years of birth and death or a single meaningful date, and a short line of tribute; a relationship ("Beloved Mother and Grandmother"), a role ("Coach, Mentor, Friend") and who placed the plaque are optional. Confirm every detail with the family before you order: the spelling of each name, any nickname or maiden name, a middle initial and the exact dates. Use "in memory of" for someone who has died and "in honor of" for someone living.
Less is more. Two to five lines, generously spaced, read with more dignity than a crowded paragraph; a 5x7 or 6x8 plaque holds four to six short lines, an 8x10 or 9x12 holds six to ten, and an 11x14 or larger fits a longer tribute or a photo. When a plaque is placed in a building, garden or sanctuary, close with "Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX", filling in the day and year; small urn plates and keepsakes usually leave it off.
For indoor memorials, a walnut, cherry or piano-finish plaque with an engraved plate lasts for decades. Anything outdoors, such as a bench, tree or garden marker, should be solid metal or a cast piece made for the weather, so request a custom quote and tell us where it will be mounted. For indoor pieces, use the designer or send us your wording and a designer will lay it out free and email a proof; nothing is charged until you approve it. For help, call 845-758-2737 (Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm ET) or email cs@plaquify.com.
Frequently asked questions
What do you write on a memorial plaque?
Include the person's full name, their years of birth and death or a meaningful date, and one short line of tribute. You may add a relationship, a role, or who placed the plaque.
What is a good short memorial message?
"Forever in Our Hearts," "Ever Loved, Ever Remembered" and "Your Kindness Lives On" all read gracefully beneath a name and dates.
What should a memorial bench plaque say?
Name the person, give their years, and connect them to the place, for example "In Loving Memory of [Name], Who Loved This Park." Keep it to three or four lines.
What is the difference between "in memory of" and "in honor of"?
Use "in memory of" for someone who has died and "in honor of" for someone who is living.
How should the dates be written on a memorial plaque?
Write the birth and death years as "[Year] to [Year]", or give full dates when the family prefers. If the plaque is placed with a ceremony, add a closing line such as "Dedicated on this ## day of [Month], 20XX".
What material should an outdoor memorial plaque be?
Choose solid metal or a cast plaque made for the weather. Wood and plated plaques belong indoors; request a custom quote for outdoor memorials.
Can a designer help me with the layout?
Yes. Send us your wording through Let Our Team Build It and a designer lays it out free, then emails you a proof. You may request changes until it is right.
Pieces that suit this wording
7" x 9" Hand Rubbed Cherry Finish Plaque with Sapphire Marble Gold Border LaserFX Plate $96.00
7" x 8" Coventry Series American Walnut Plaque with Gold Border Sapphire LaserFX Plate $90.00
8" x 10" Hand Rubbed Cherry Finish Plaque with Ruby Marble Gold Border LaserFX Plate $117.00
8" x 10 1/2" American Walnut Plaque with Gold Border Black LaserFX Plate $105.00
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