Dealing with grief is never easy. When people lose a loved one, they often feel scared and alone.
It is important to reach out to people in your life who have recently suffered the death of a close family member or friend because it ensures that no one suffers through their grief in isolation.
It is also important to reach out to people you don’t know when someone you cared for dies.
If a good friend passes away, for example, you should express your sadness by writing to their adult children, even if you don’t have a personal relationship with them.
If you find yourself wondering whether it is appropriate to write a sympathy letter to or about someone you don’t know, know that people always appreciate messages of support when they are grieving.
And if you need a bit of help thinking about what to write in your letter of condolence, this article is here to help you out.
These texts will surely be appreciated by those who have suffered a loss and make them feel thankful for your condolences.
19 things to write in a sympathy card for someone you don’t know well
- I was so sorry to hear that your mother passed away. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your whole family.
- My sincere condolences to you and yours.
- I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to you as you honor your mother’s memory.
- From one family who has suffered through grief to another, we are so sorry for your loss. We empathize with the confusion, sadness, and anger you must be feeling. We are here for you if you ever want to talk.
- May God protect you during this difficult time.
- I am so sorry that you are experiencing the pain of sudden loss. You are in my thoughts.
- I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your granddaughter. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but he calls everybody home. May she rest in peace.
- I was devastated to hear about your daughter’s passing. I was her sponsor and I have rarely met someone who was so unashamedly themselves. Her laughter was infectious, and she lit up every room she entered. She will be dearly missed by so many.
- I was deeply saddened to hear about your sister’s sudden passing. Please know that you are in my thoughts and that, though we do not know each other well, I am here for you should you need anything at all during this period of grief.
- I am thinking of you as you celebrate your father’s life.
- While I did not know her personally, it was clear that your daughter left her mark on all those she knew. She is spoken of with love and tenderness by so many members of the local theater community, where her work for LGBTQ+ inclusion will never be forgotten.
- Though we do not know each other well, I owe your father more than I can explain. He was an excellent and devoted friend, and no one could crack a joke quite like he could. I will honor his memory and be forever grateful to him.
- You may not know me, but I was your mother’s college roommate. When I heard about her passing, I felt the need to express what a wonderful, kind soul she was. I am grieving her loss with you.
- Your sister was an excellent teacher and her incredible contribution to the local community did not go unnoticed. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to you and your family during this tender time.
- Your family’s grief is shared by everyone at the Heritage Fund. Amanda was a hard-working, brilliant, and compassionate coworker, who went out of her way to make sure everyone was around her was okay. We extend our heartfelt condolences to you and yours.
- I cannot imagine what you are going through right now, and I just wanted to reach out on behalf of the entire teaching staff to say that the school community is behind you. Please reach out for support should you need it.
- I do not know you, but from the way your mother use to sing your praises, I almost feel that I do. She was so, so proud of the wonderful young man you have become. I will keep you and her memory in my thoughts and prayers, always.
- Your husband was a pillar of this community. While I do not know you, I know how much he loved you and how happy he was to get back to you at the end of every day. I share in your sorrow at the loss of a wonderful man.
- Your wife was a delightful woman, who improved the lives of so many people. Her generous and good-humored nature will not be forgotten by anyone who volunteered or visited our soup kitchen. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to you and yours.
One common reason you might be writing a sympathy card for someone you don’t know well, is that you had a close relationship with the person who passed away, which did not extend to their loved ones.
For example, if you have a childhood friend who moved away and got married abroad, you might feel strange sending a card of condolence to their adult child when they pass away.
Or, you might have a colleague who dies suddenly, and while you feel moved to express your sympathy to their family, you feel uncertain of how to write a personal letter to their husband if you’ve never met them.
Whatever the case, people who are grieving always cherish the knowledge that the person who has passed away was loved and appreciated by many.
Knowing one is not alone can help one overcome grief’s health-damaging effects.
If you want to write something but are finding it hard to put pen to paper, take inspiration from these 19 possible inscriptions for sympathy cards.
1. I was so sorry to hear that your mother passed away. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your whole family.
This is the kind of sympathy message it would be appropriate to send an acquaintance. For example, you could send it to your hairdresser or postman, or to a fellow parent at your child’s school.
You don’t have to have known the person who passed away personally to say “sorry for your loss” to an acquaintance.
2. My sincere condolences to you and yours.
This makes a good inscription for a sympathy card for a colleague whom you have a good working relationship with.
Send your card along with flowers to their loved one’s funeral, even if you aren’t attending it.
3. I would like to extend my deepest sympathy to you as you honor your mother’s memory.
This is another message that makes and appropriate sympathy card inscription in a wide variety of situations.
It is formal in tone, which means it is appropriate to send someone whom you interact with in a professional setting but don’t have a close personal relationship to.
Extending your deepest sympathy demonstrates sincere empathy without going over the top and assuming an inappropriate level of closeness.
4. From one family who has suffered through grief to another, we are so sorry for your loss. We empathize with the confusion, sadness, and anger you must be feeling. We are here for you if you ever want to talk.
If you have suffered the loss of a family member—especially that of a child—it is always a nice gesture to reach out to the families in your community who are experiencing the same thing, whether you know them well or not.
Telling them you can empathize with their experience will help them feel less alone. Since you have had a similar experience, your offer to be there for them if they want to talk will be especially welcome.
5. May God protect you during this difficult time.
This is the perfect sympathy message to send to a family in your church, synagogue, or mosque community who has suffered a recent loss.
Whatever your denomination or faith, being part of a religious community means looking after your fellow members and providing them with support when they are enduring hardship.
You don’t have to know a family to send them a message of sympathy. Your demonstration of goodwill and compassion will be appreciated.
6. I am so sorry that you are experiencing the pain of sudden loss. You are in my thoughts.
This message is perfectly suited to send a casual acquaintance.
For example, if you live in the same building, house, or apartment as someone who has recently lost a loved one, you could slip this into their mailbox to show them that the people around them care for them and wish them well.
7. I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your granddaughter. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but he calls everybody home. May she rest in peace.
The loss of a grandchild is a particularly hard thing to bear.
Beyond the personal love and affection a grandparent feels for their children’s children, they are also their living legacy.
To lose a grandchild means to lose a part of the future of one’s family.
If you have friends whose grandchild has died, or if you are in a nursing home and a fellow resident loses one of their children’s children, this message will show them that they are not alone in experiencing their grief.
You certainly don’t have to have known the child personally to send their grandparents a message of condolence.
8. I was devastated to hear about your daughter’s passing. I was her sponsor and I have rarely met someone who was so unashamedly themselves. Her laughter was infectious, and she lit up every room she entered. She will be dearly missed by so many.
Families with members who deal with addiction issues and substance abuse often feel deep shame when those problems lead to their death.
If a teenage or adult child overdoses or dies of alcohol poisoning, many parents will feel that they have somehow failed.
Reaching out to send a message of compassion and support can help them grieve their child in an honest way and prevent them from feeling that their death is a dirty secret.
9. I was deeply saddened to hear about your sister’s sudden passing. Please know that you are in my thoughts and that, though we do not know each other well, I am here for you should you need anything at all during this period of grief.
If it would make you feel more comfortable to openly acknowledge that you were not close with the person you are writing a sympathy message to, do so.
This will put any concerns that the person you’re addressing will think you’re overstepping your boundaries out of your mind and allow you to focus on expressing your genuine message of compassion.
10. I am thinking of you as you celebrate your father’s life.
If someone is hosting a celebration of life ceremony and you want to reach out to tell them they are in your thoughts, this simple message makes the perfect inscription for a card.
When people opt not to call the ceremony they are having to remember a loved one a funeral or are not actually burying a body, it is considerate to use the terminology they have chosen when referring to it.
11. While I did not know her personally, it was clear that your daughter left her mark on all those she knew. She is spoken of with love and tenderness by so many members of the local theater community, where her work for LGBTQ+ inclusion will never be forgotten.
Just because there are a few degrees of separation between you and someone who has passed away doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reach out to their family if you feel impacted by their death.
Acknowledging that you didn’t know the deceased personally clarifies your relationship to the situation. Once you have done this, explain why you care about their passing.
12. Though we do not know each other well, I owe your father more than I can explain. He was an excellent and devoted friend, and no one could crack a joke quite like he could. I will honor his memory and be forever grateful to him.
A father’s passing is a very difficult thing.
No matter how old someone is when their father dies, it can leave them feeling stranded and alone.
Hearing from other people about the important role one’s father played in their lives can help with processing the loss.
If you want further guidance about sending condolences after someone’s father has passed away, check out these 27 texts to write in sympathy cards for the loss of a father.
13. You may not know me, but I was your mother’s college roommate. When I heard about her passing, I felt the need to express what a wonderful, kind soul she was. I am grieving her loss with you.
When you don’t know the family member you’re writing to to express your condolences about a death, start by introducing yourself and explaining your relationship to the deceased.
This will help them contextualize the rest of your message.
For more ideas about how to express sympathy for someone in this difficult situation, have a look at these 31 texts to write in sympathy cards for the loss of a mother.
14. Your sister was an excellent teacher and her incredible contribution to the local community did not go unnoticed. I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to you and your family during this tender time.
When someone who has a significant role in their local community, such as a teacher, police officer, local politician or similar passes away, there is often an outpouring of grief from all those who benefited from their work.
Family members of people who occupied these positions certainly won’t know everyone who writes a condolence letter, so you won’t be alone in sending a message to someone you don’t know personally.
15. Your family’s grief is shared by everyone at the Heritage Fund. Amanda was a hard-working, brilliant, and compassionate coworker, who went out of her way to make sure everyone was around her was okay. We extend our heartfelt condolences to you and yours.
It is common practice for a person’s work colleagues to send messages of condolence to their family when they pass away.
If you are an office manager and a coworker of yours dies, you can pay your respects to their family by sending this nice message on behalf of the whole office.
Complimenting the specific qualities that made someone a pleasure to work with conveys compassion and care and shows the deceased’s family that you are not merely sending them some corporate template or form letter.
16. I cannot imagine what you are going through right now, and I just wanted to reach out on behalf of the entire teaching staff to say that the school community is behind you. Please reach out for support should you need it.
If you are writing to a parent of a school child who has died or the spouse of a teacher who has passed away on behalf of the institution, this message is a good way to go.
When you are sending a sympathy message that is from a group of people, clarify on whose behalf you are writing.
17. I do not know you, but from the way your mother use to sing your praises, I almost feel that I do. She was so, so proud of the wonderful young man you have become. I will keep you and her memory in my thoughts and prayers, always.
If a friend of yours passes away and you are sending a message of condolence to their adult child, you can mention know how proud their parent was of them.
Knowing that their late parent spoke to their friends about their love for them will surely mean a lot.
You don’t have to personally know your friend’s child to write to them. Even if you have never met, they will surely have heard stories about you, and hearing from you will make them feel connected to their parent again.
18. Your husband was a pillar of this community. While I do not know you, I know how much he loved you and how happy he was to get back to you at the end of every day. I share in your sorrow at the loss of a wonderful man.
We often only know one member of a couple. Whether that is because we work with them, play sports with them, or have met them through a friend, life just seems to unfold that way.
If a married man you know dies and you do not know their spouse, you could send them this message to express your sympathy for their loss.
19. Your wife was a delightful woman, who improved the lives of so many people. Her generous and good-humored nature will not be forgotten by anyone who volunteered or visited our soup kitchen. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to you and yours.
If a woman you work with at a volunteer organization passes away, you could send this message to her husband, even though you don’t know him.
One of the beautiful things about reaching out to someone you don’t personally know when someone you care for dies is that it builds connection and ensures that fewer people are isolated in their grief.
Writing to someone you don’t know to express sympathy for their loss also shows how much your mutual friend or contact mattered to you.