Formal Condolence Letter

Death is the most unfortunate thing that can happen in a family. Often the family members of the deceased are left in a state of deep shock. Relatives and well wishers come from everywhere to share this grief with the family but in reality no words of comfort or deeds of kindness can make the family forget the loss of their dear ones.

People express their grief and sympathies towards the family over telephone, in person or by writing a condolence letter. Writing a condolence letter is no easy task. One has to take a great deal of care while putting down words on paper as one wrong word can damage the intent of writing such a letter. A formal letter is written when a person from your office unfortunately expires. You need to write a letter with the intent of expressing your grief and recounting the qualities of the deceased. Although in brief, but it should be mentioned how the deceased made his contribution to the office and how he/ she will be fondly remembered. This letter is written by a person of authority on behalf of the entire office staff.

This letter is written by the office to pay their last respect to the departed. It is considered a common courtesy and should not be ignored. Also in some cases, like in the defense forces, when a soldier dies on duty, his Commanding Officer writes this formal condolence letter to the family to inform them of the misfortune. This is why the words put into it are to be chosen very carefully and only a senior and a learned man should write it.

Following is a sample of such a letter.

From
Randall Wright, Company Commander
31st Panther Division,
U.S. Army
(202) 221-3645

16th October,'11

To
Amanda Hawkins,
850 S State St
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 741-2044

Subject- Condolence letter on your unfortunate loss

Dearest Mrs. Hawkins,

It saddens me a lot to inform you about the death of your son Corporal Peter Hawkins in the line of duty. He died yesterday in the south-western province of Iraq while bravely fighting the terrorists.

I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling right now. Losing a child is the most painful experience for parents. Peter was a brave soldier and an honest man. He always wanted to be in the army and serve his country. And when I say this, I say this on behalf of the entire 31st Panther Division that he served his country with bravery and led his company to victory like a true soldier. This is because he believed in the army and the cause for which he was fighting.

His soldiers will always remember him fondly and I, as his Commanding Officer, will always give the young soldiers the example of his courage and integrity. It would bring you a sense of pride to know that he died serving his country and being in the U.S. army was his dream which he fulfilled. While no man wants to die away from his home and family, a soldier always knows that every second at the front he is risking his life. Such is the life of a soldier.

That said, I know it won't be easy for you to overcome the loss of your son. You are perfectly entitled to the sorrow you are feeling at this moment and you should not suppress it. Please feel free to express yourself because remaining truthful to our feelings is the only way out right now. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything.

On behalf of all the soldiers at 31st Panther Division, we salute Corporal Peter Hawkin's bravery and pray for him to rest in peace.

Yours Sincerely,

(Signature)

Randall Wright, Company Commander
31st Panther Division

Note that the stress of the letter has been on the contributions made by the individual while being on duty. The writer is empathic towards the grieving person and in the end extends help and support to the lady. This is one kind of formal condolence letter. Also, you can refer to Neighbour Condolence Letter, Sample Church Condolence Letter and Bussiness Condolence Letter for more samples of condolence letter.