A Sample Condolence Letter. Here’s a sample condolence letter to help you organize your thoughts. You do not need to follow the template exactly. You may only want to use parts of it.

Condolence letters should be acknowledged, assuring those who care that their appreciation of the deceased and sympathy for the bereaved was meaningful. Doing so can also offer comfort in ...

And I had written a letter to the family. And about 12 years later, the husband calls me and said that he had been diagnosed with cancer. One of the last things he wanted was to see me.

GENTLE READER: It feels a bit curt in a condolence letter. Better, Miss Manners, thinks, to write it out or express a similar sentiment in a more compassionate way.

Is it wrong to send a condolence letter 12 years later? Maybe he moved on and doesn’t want to be reminded of this pain. (It’s not certain if it was suicide or an accidental gun discharge ...