13 Funny Funeral Poems for a Eulogy or Card

One of the best things about doing your own end-of-life planning is that you are able to set the tone for your funeral. You can pick your own music, readings, and flowers to reflect your personality.

If you need some help navigating the entire complicated process of loss, including planning or attending a service, check out our post-loss checklist.

Jump ahead to these sections:

• Funny Funeral Poems for Mom or Dad
• Funny Funeral Poems for Grandpa or Grandma
• Funny Funeral Poems for an Aunt or Uncle
• Funny Funeral Poems for a Brother or Sister
• Funny Funeral Poems for a Friend

For example, maybe you want people to laugh at your funeral. Perhaps you want to be buried in a clown nose or a fish tie. Maybe instead of traditional music and flowers, you would rather have the Bee Gees playing while a disco ball hangs above the mourners.

While these may sound like extreme examples, maybe you would like to have some humor present in your final services to reflect your personality. 

You may also find yourself in the position of having to plan the funeral for someone you recently lost. If the person was known as being a jokester, it might be appropriate to provide some levity at the funeral.

Here are some light-hearted selections that you may consider requesting to be used as your or your loved one’s funeral poem. These poems can either be read as a part of the service or printed on the funeral materials.

COVID-19 tip: If you're officiating a virtual funeral using a service like GatheringUs, you can still share your poems with your online guests. Coordinate with your planning team, make sure you have the right mics and speakers, and send online guests digital funeral programs with the full poems.

Funny Funeral Poems for Mom or Dad

Some of these poems are funny funeral poems, while others are humorous poems about parents. Hopefully, they will help you as you pick verses for your own or your loved one’s services.

1. “Things My Mother Taught Me” by Unknown

This often-shared poem is a laundry list of things that the speaker learned from his mother.

Such as: “My Mother taught me LOGIC…’ If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me.’” Also, “My Mother taught me HUMOR…’ When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.’”

If this sounds like the type of advice your mother gave to you, consider reading the full text of this poem at her funeral. 

2. “My Mom” by Samantha Blackwood

Did your mom sometimes make you feel exasperated? Most of us could agree with this statement. This poem celebrates the type of mom who would say: “Hey, don’t talk back to me. But then, answer when I talk to you.”

If you need a poem to celebrate your family's sometimes intense driving force, consider using “My Mom.”

3. “Father” by Edgar Albert Guest

Was your father known for his political rants and personal opinions? Give the attendees at his funeral a little chuckle with the poem, “Father.”

This poem is about a dad who becomes easily upset at politicians. But when faced with a mundane task at home, he decides to hire someone to deal with it instead of making the repairs himself. 

4. “Thank God for the Difficult Child” by Shelly D. Coleman

This poem has a funny title, which is why it was added to the list. But beneath the humor, there is another message that you may want to share with those attending your mom’s or dad’s funeral. 

If you were a troubled child, and your parents always stood by you, this would be a beautiful piece to read at your mom’s or dad’s service. The title may make them laugh, but the subject may make others cry.

Funny Funeral Poems for Grandpa or Grandma

If you were lucky enough to have a grandpa or grandma who kept their sense of humor in their old age, you should celebrate this. Here are some funny poems that you may consider using for a grandparent’s funeral.

5. “Carved in Stone” by Beatrice Boyle

Could your grandma have been described as a “spitfire?” Maybe this epitaph poem would be a fun choice for her funeral. In it, a 103-year-old finally dies after all her enemies passed away. The last line states: “Let’s raise a glass And shed a tear. / She sure raised hell while she was here!”

Funny? Yes. Is it appropriate? That’s for you to decide. 

6. “Last Will and Testament” by Max Scratchmann

If you know that your grandparents wanted a celebration instead of a traditional funeral, consider having this poem read at the service. In it, the speaker says,

“I’ll watch you use my worldly goods for festival and mirth,
And that will make me smile a smile, and have a laugh quite hearty,
To hear you say, the bugger’s dead, let’s have ourselves a party.”

7. “My Grandma Can’t Bake Cookies” by Denise Rogers

Not every grandma is skilled in the kitchen. If your grandma was a notoriously bad cook, perhaps you can get a chuckle or two when you share this poem at her funeral.

Of course, it would be in better taste to share this poem if your dear departed grandmother used self-deprecating humor regarding her lack of culinary abilities. 

Funny Funeral Poems for an Aunt or Uncle

Are you in charge of planning the funeral for a beloved aunt or uncle? Here are some ideas of funny funeral poems for the service.

8. “A Long Cup of Tea” by Michael Ashby

We love this poem by Michael Ashby. It begins:

“Death is too negative for me
So I’ll be popping off for a long cup of tea
Do splash out on two bags in the pot
And for my god’s sake keep the water hot.”

This would be the perfect poem to read at the services of a no-nonsense aunt who was known to be prim and proper. 

9. “In a Wine Bottle” by Hija De La Luna

We know this isn’t a full-fledged poem, but we think this would be a funny quote to use in a sympathy card to the family of your uncle if he enjoyed having a drink or two.

The verse reads:

“They hate his drinking -
But they put his ashes in …
A wine bottle urn.”

Tip: You can create a customized urn that will honor your loved one's personality with Foreverence.

Funny Funeral Poems for a Brother or Sister

Has anyone ever made you laugh as hard as your sibling did when you were younger? While sibling relationships can be full of bouts of anger, they can also be some of the closest relationships you will ever experience. 

Here are some verses you may consider using for the funeral of a brother or sister.

10. “I Squished an Ant” by Bri Edwards

This is a poem that sounds like a real-life story could have inspired it. If you recently lost a sibling, why not write a poem similar to this that would allow you to share a funny childhood memory?

This particular poem is about the trauma a sister faces when she accidentally squishes an ant. What funny thing did your brother or sister do as a kid?

11. “My Peeps” by Samara

Sometimes amateur poets have just the right words to describe a situation. This poem is about a weird family. The speaker calls her brother “revolting” and says that her sister “should be in a zoo.” 

If you are looking for a poem that speaks to the realities of family relationships, perhaps this is the right one for you.

Funny Funeral Poems for a Friend

When you look through examples of eulogies, you may find that your favorites include some humor. Here are some poems that you may consider using to lighten up the text of the tribute you are writing. 

12. “Death is Not the End” by Max Scratchmann

A word of warning about this poem: this poem may not be for young ones or those who dislike brash curse words. It is a coarse poem and uses rude words to describe someone’s sexuality.

Max Scratchmann’s work is about all the disappointments and discomforts someone experiences in life. The speaker hopes to escape from this in death only to find that “Heaven’s not the place it was, it’s been ruined by pollution.”

This poem would only be appropriate for a very particular audience. Use it with caution.

13. “Viking Funeral” by David Welch

In “Viking Funeral” the speaker imagines the grandeur of a Viking funeral and decides this is how he would like to be laid to rest.

If funeral pyres on Viking ships sound like your kind of preference for an ending ceremony, perhaps you could share these words with those attending your service held in a typical funeral home. Maybe those in attendance will get the irony of the poem.

Using Humor as a Way to Say Goodbye

As mentioned above, the poems listed in this article may not be appropriate to use in every situation. While we have provided you with many articles with typical poems and funeral quotes, the verses listed in this article are far from ordinary.

Consider using these poems to plan your own services or to celebrate the life of a famous jokester who you loved. After all, laughter is the best medicine. It can help many heal from a sad loss, and provide an enduring positive memory of a loved one.

Sources

1. Balsiger, David, and Chris Strong. “Things My Mother Taught Me.” Inspirational Wit and Wisdom from the Internet. Bridge Logos Foundation, 2006. 
2. Blackwood. Samantha. “My Mom.” www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/moms-are-funny-creatures
3. Boyle, Beatrice. “Carved in Stone.” 2004. www.poetrysoup.com/poem/carved_in_stone_387832. 
4. Coleman, Shelly D. “Thank God for the Difficult Child.” www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/thank-god-for-the-difficult-child
5. De la Luna, Hija. “In a Wine Bottle.” 2014. www.poetrysoup.com/poem/in_a_wine_bottle_584754
6. Edwards, Bri. “I Squished an Ant.” 19 February 2015. www.poemhunter.com/poems/siblings/
7. Guest. Edgar Albert. “Father.” www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47684/father-56d2285059829
8. Rodgers, Denise. “My Grandma Can’t Bake Cookies.” www.classroompoems.com/funny-family-poems.html
9. Samara. “My Peeps.” www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/my-family-is-weird-maybe-even-strange
10. Scratchmann, Max. “Last Will and Testament” and “Death is Not the End.” nonsense-poems.com/max/funny/death-poems/62dp-004-will.htm