Sympathy Messages for the Loss of a Husband
Lines for a card to a widow. The thing to avoid is any sentence that begins to explain the loss, shorten it, or find a use for it.
Short and steady
- 1
I am so sorry about Michael. Thinking of you every day.
- 2
I have no words for this. I am so sorry.
- 3
Sending you love, and no expectations at all.
- 4
I am sorry. I will keep calling and you never have to answer.
- 5
With deepest sympathy on the death of your husband.
If you knew him
- 6
He was the funniest person at every table he ever sat at. I am so sorry.
- 7
I am so sorry about John. He fixed my boiler in the middle of a Sunday lunch and would not take anything for it.
- 8
Forty-one years is not a number I know how to talk about. I am just very sorry.
- 9
You two were the couple the rest of us quietly measured ourselves against.
The months after
The most valuable card is often the one that arrives in week six, when everyone else has gone quiet.
- 10
I know the cards have stopped. I am still thinking about you.
- 11
Six weeks in and I imagine the house is very loud. Thinking of you.
- 12
I am putting a standing Tuesday in my diary. You can cancel it every week and I will keep putting it back.
Questions people actually ask
What do you say to a widow?
Say you are sorry, name him, and offer one specific thing on a specific day. Do not ask how she is, and do not ask a question that needs an answer.