20 Beautiful Funeral Poems For Dad To Help Comfort You

1. Catch

This is a great poem to honor a man who loved the outdoors. It can be used to celebrate anyone whose favorite ways to bond with his kids usually involved sports or games.

You told me to keep my eye on the ball
Use both of my hands, never let it fall
Take a step when I was ready to make a big throw
Then stand back and watch just how far it would go

Sometimes over your head, or right into the woods
You would say it was because your catch was not good
I got better with time, with patience and love
Though my skills were never anything I could be proud of

I still remember, though, how to catch a pop fly
And someday I will teach my son, in the by and by
All of the same things my dear dad taught me
Like baseball, and love, and how to raise a good family

2. Roses

This is a short, simple verse that would work well for any daughter to honor the most important man in her life. It might be especially suitable as a graveside recitation.

Roses
On your coffin
A daughter’s last farewell
To the man who taught her so much
Of love

Of life
How to live well
What it meant to be good
As a person and a parent
A friend

3. Daddy’s Little Girl

This is a love letter from a daughter to her old man. It could be an excellent memorial recitation to honor their special relationship.

It used to be an insult,
“Daddy’s little girl”
But I never understood
Why I should not be your world

I knew I was your favorite person
Because you were always mine
Never tired, never grumpy
You would always find the time

To answer all my questions
Or play my little games
I know I still have those memories
But it will never be the same

Daddy’s little girl became
Daddy’s grown-up woman
But you were still my rock, my shoulder
The one person who always listened

And now I have to say goodbye
The hardest thing I have ever done
And Daddy’s little girl must face the world
Without Daddy, all alone

4. Pancakes

This sweet song is dedicated to the “fun” parent. It would be perfect for anyone who always knew how to have a good time.

You used to always make us pancakes
Every day we were off from school
Give us too much maple syrup
And let us watch trashy cartoons

If it was a snow day, we would go sledding
A holiday, we might go to the beach
Because those were always father’s days
When there seemed to be no lessons to teach

But we were learning, important things
About how to be a man
About how to love your family
And lend a helping hand

You taught us all how to have fun
How to cut loose and relax
Lessons that were just as important
As all those dry dull history facts

Those are the days I remember now
Those syrup-soaked pancake breakfasts
Those long-ago life lessons in love
That could not have been more perfect

5. Father

This simple acrostic poem is a celebration of someone who was a family man through and through. It would be especially appropriate as a funeral recitation from a loving child.

Family man, first and foremost
A troublemaker, a teacher, a friend
The one person I could always take my troubles to
Heartbreaks hurt less when you were by my side
Even in my darkest hours, you were always there for me
Rest in peace and know I will miss you every day

6. Haiku for a Father

This simple sequence of haiku is meant to honor a father. It could be used as a short recitation at a funeral or a celebration of life ceremony.

You were my best friend
Not just a loving father
But a confidante

A partner in time
For my silly pranks and jokes
Childhood mischief

There in bad times too
Heartbreaks, breakups, and failed tests
Shoulder to cry on

Will be dearly missed
By friends, loving family
By me most of all

7. Dad

This is a great poem to celebrate a stepdad or an adoptive parent. It is an expression of love for someone who chose to be a parent.

Such a simple word, is dad
One syllable, three letters
I do not think that makes it bad
In fact, I think it makes it better

An easy word for kids to say
To remember and repeat
To wish love to at the end of the day
Before a kiss and a drift off to sleep

I did not always call you Dad
Did not always know you well
You just showed up one day wearing plaid
And slowly in love we fell

You made me lunch, you tucked me in
Gave me all your love until I learned
That like mentor, and grandfather and friend
Dad was a title you earned

8. Tears

Here is poetry to honor a very steady, stoic man. It might be especially moving as part of a eulogy.

I do not think I ever saw
The man shed a tear in his life
Not during sad movies, at the end of hard days
Not even in front of his wife

Because of that, I always thought
That real men never cry
That part of being brave and strong
Was to stay quiet and keep your eyes dry

But I know you would not be disappointed
To see me crying today
At the loss of a hero, a mentor, a friend
A dad I loved much more than I can say

9. The Sunday Game

This is the perfect poem for anyone who bonded with their old man over sports. It is also appropriate for those who never talked about love but showed it in a million small ways.

On Sundays we would watch the game
Usually, football or hockey
You taught me all the rules of play
Each lesson a way to say you loved me

Later I would call you back
On weekends to discuss our teams
We talked about touchdowns, but I never said
That you were the father of my dreams

10. How to Change a Lightbulb

This is the perfect song for the handyman or fix-it dad. It would make for a great recitation to honor his commitment to teaching and protecting his children.

Make sure the power is turned off
Double check that the power is turned off
Just in case
Unscrew it, carefully, in case any part of it breaks
If it does, go put your shoes on
Sweep it up, put the pieces in a paper bag
Be careful not to cut yourself, love
It seems so simple, a lightbulb
But it is so easy to get hurt
I would hate to see you get hurt
So, if you need a stepladder to reach the bulb
Call me
I will come and spot you
Make sure I catch you if you fall
I will always be here to catch you if you need

11. I Meant to Call You

This poem expresses the way that loss can follow you throughout your daily routine. It is a beautiful funeral poem for a father who was loved by everyone around him.

I was going to call you yesterday
After I got off of work
I wanted to ask you a question
About the best way to make barbecue pork

I was going to call you the day before that
To talk about my upcoming vacation
But each time I remembered with a sharp sudden shock
That you were in a very different location

I wonder if I will ever stop wanting
To pick up my phone and hear your voice
To ask for advice, or just stop to chat
A moment of love amidst the noise

12. Grandpa

This poem about loss speaks of the absence of a father to someone starting their own family. It expresses the specific loss felt by someone who wants their parent with them on their own parental journey.

I know I will miss you every day
I will always wish you were by my side
To watch my children, take their first steps
To hug me with immeasurable pride

And I know you will not be there
To watch my family flourish and grow
But I will tell the little ones all about grandpa
Who is looking down and loves them more than they know

13. Kitchen Patrol

This is a short lighthearted verse for any parent who has lost their own parent. It looks at the little acts of love that define parenthood.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
You always cooked our meals
You said you added extra love for us
A secret ingredient we could not taste or feel

Now I cook the same meals for my kids
Cut the crusts off sandwiches and stir mac and cheese
I realize I know exactly what you meant
And wonder why as kids we did not believe

14. Tying a Tie

This sweet poem celebrates a sharp dresser and someone who delighted in teaching his kids.

I think I must have been ten
The first time you showed me
How to tie a Windsor knot
And make sure it felt comfy

At least comfy enough
To wear to a wedding
Or a concert or whatever
Event we were attending

Eventually it stuck
And I never forgot
Watching your hands
Tie that delicate knot

But I do it today
Without you by my side
I brush tears from the knot
I hope would fill you with pride

I may never be all
Of the man that you were
But I will hold my head high
Above a stylish tie
With a proper knot, you can be sure

15. Hero Worship

This rhyme is for anyone who idolized their father as a child. It celebrates a man who was larger than life in every possible way.

Not all heroes way bright red capes
Or underwear on the outside of their pants
Some wake up early to make their kids crepes
Or play games with the hose while watering the plants

Some heroes grow old, and their shine starts to fade
Because kids must grow older too
But even with each of your hairs that went grey
I never stopped looking up to you

16. Split Custody

This poem honors a dad who had to spend less time with his kids after a divorce. It is a love letter to parents who do the best they can with the time they have.

Weekends were for Dad
Weeks of love squeezed in two days
Hugs that lasted long

Never time to say
How much I appreciate
What you did for us

Because in two days
We had enough fun and love
To last a lifetime

17. Little Loves

This short, sweet verse celebrates the little ways in which parents show affection to their kids. It is perfect for anyone who had a particularly warm relationship with their old man.

You always called me sweetheart
Or maybe silly goose
And when we played those old board games
You always seemed to lose

Always there were little things
I did not notice at the time
The little loves that fathers give you
That make me glad that you were mine

18. Daddy

This sweet acrostic poem expresses a daughter’s love for her best friend and confidante. It is the perfect poem for anyone who owns being a “Daddy’s little girl.”

Daughter’s best friend, the first love of her life
Always a source of strength and comfort for me
Deeply loving, full of wisdom and advice
Death cannot keep your memories from my heart
You will always be remembered and loved

19. Springtime Is in Bloom Again

This song uses the imagery of spring to convey the eternal sense of absence that follows the loss of a family member.

I saw the daffodils in bloom
When I went walking yesterday
I turned to point them out to you
But there was nothing for me to say

I heard the first robin a few weeks ago
And took a video to show you at dinner
But no one was there for me to show
I tried not to let the feeling linger

But I can never escape from your absence
Any more than I can my own death
You not being here does not make any sense
I will miss you until my own dying breath

20. Driving

This beautiful rhyme honors a man who was always there for all the important moments in his children’s life.

To the one who taught me how to drive
In his own beat-up old car
And drove the same to pick me
When I got stranded outside of a bar

You drove it to drop me off at school
First kindergarten, then college
You never said a word when I took it
In high school, I thought without your knowledge

Now someone else will drive you away
To a place where I cannot yet follow
And I will drive home in my own beat-up car
Full of memories and laughter and sorrow