A tribute to a mother-in-law or father-in-law shows how the person welcomed someone new into the family. If you are a son-in-law or daughter-in-law and have been asked to write one, this guide gives you a simple structure, sample tributes to copy and adapt, and short ones for when space is tight.
First, ask what the family wants
- One tribute or several? In a large family, the sons-in-law and daughters-in-law often write one joint tribute. In a small family, each may write their own.
- How long? For a printed tribute, 100 to 200 words is usual.
- When is the deadline? Tributes are needed before the programme goes to print.
- Will it be read aloud? If so, ask who will read it and for how long.
Your husband or wife and their brothers and sisters will usually write the children's tribute. Yours should be shorter than theirs, and should not repeat it.
How to write a tribute to your mother-in-law or father-in-law
- Begin with the name you called them. Mummy, Mama, Daddy, Papa, or their title. Use what you really said.
- Recall how they received you. The first visit, the introduction, the wedding, or the first thing they said to you.
- Name one or two qualities, each with a small example from your own experience.
- Thank them for your husband or wife. They raised the person you married.
- Say goodbye in a line or two.
Opening lines you can use
- Mummy, I came into your family as a stranger, and you never once let me feel like one.
- Daddy, I still remember the day I came to ask for your daughter's hand.
- Mama, people warned me about mothers-in-law. They had not met you.
- Papa, you had many children, and I was proud to be counted among them.
Closing lines you can use
- Rest well, Mummy. I will look after your son as you did.
- Sleep on, Daddy. Your daughter is in safe hands.
- Thank you for making me your own, Mama. Rest in peace.
- Good night, Papa. We will keep the family together.
Sample tributes to a late mother-in-law
Replace the words in brackets with your own details.
Tribute to my mother-in-law from her daughter-in-law
Mummy,
From the first day your son brought me home, you called me your daughter, and you meant it. You never made me feel like a stranger in your house.
You taught me (a dish, a custom, a habit) the way your own mother taught you. When our children were born, you came and stayed, and you would not let me lift a finger. You corrected me with love and defended me in my absence.
Thank you for raising the good man I married. I will keep your recipes, your prayers and your kindness alive in our home.
Rest well, Mummy.
Your daughter-in-law,
(name)
Tribute to my mother-in-law from her son-in-law
Mama,
When I came to ask for your daughter's hand, you looked at me for a long time, and then you smiled. From that day you treated me as a son.
You always asked whether I had eaten. You prayed for my work and my journeys. You gave me the best wife a man could ask for, and I can see you in everything good about her.
Thank you for your love and your trust. Sleep well, Mama.
Your son-in-law,
(name)
Tribute to a mother-in-law who became a mother to me
Mama,
I lost my own mother (when I was young, before my wedding), and I did not expect to be given another. Then I married your (son, daughter), and you took me as your own child.
You phoned me, and not only your (son, daughter). You asked about my work and my family at home. When we quarrelled, you listened to both of us and took the side of the marriage.
People tell stories about difficult mothers-in-law. I have none to tell. I have only thanks.
Rest well, Mama.
(name)
A Christian tribute to a mother-in-law
Mummy,
In the Bible, Ruth said to her mother-in-law, "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." I can say the same to you. Your people became my people, and your faith made mine stronger.
You prayed for our home every day. You took me with you to the (women's fellowship, choir, prayer meeting) until the women there knew me as your daughter.
You have gone to the God you served. We thank Him for your life, and we look forward to the day we shall meet again.
Rest in the Lord, Mummy.
Your (daughter-in-law, son-in-law),
(name)
Sample tributes to a late father-in-law
Tribute to my father-in-law from his daughter-in-law
Daddy,
You welcomed me into the family with open arms and a firm handshake. You called me "our wife", and you always took my side.
I will remember your stories, your love of (something he loved), and the way you gathered all of us around you at Christmas. You showed your sons how a man should treat his family, and I am the one who has gained from it.
Thank you for accepting me as your own daughter. Rest in peace, Daddy.
(name)
Tribute to my father-in-law from his son-in-law
Papa,
You gave me your daughter, and with her you gave me a second father. You were never too busy to advise me, and you never interfered. You taught me by how you lived: with honesty, hard work and quiet faith.
I promised you on our wedding day that I would look after her. I renew that promise today. Thank you for everything, Papa. Rest well.
Your son-in-law,
(name)
A joint tribute from all the in-laws
To our dear (Mummy, Daddy),
You did not only raise your own children. You made room in your heart for each of us who married into the family. You knew our names, our work and our worries. You treated us as sons and daughters, never as outsiders.
Thank you for your welcome, your counsel and your prayers. We will honour your memory by keeping this family united, as you always wished.
Rest in perfect peace.
Your sons-in-law and daughters-in-law,
(names)
18 short tributes to a mother-in-law or father-in-law
Use one of these when the programme gives each person only a few lines, or for a wreath card, a WhatsApp status or a post online.
Short tributes to a mother-in-law
- Mummy, you never called me your son's wife. You called me your daughter. Thank you. Rest in peace.
- You gave me your son and your recipes. I will take good care of both. Sleep well, Mama.
- I came to your house as a visitor and left it as family. Thank you for your welcome, Mummy.
- Mama, you asked if I had eaten before you asked anything else. I will miss that question. Rest well.
- You were a grandmother my children adored and a mother-in-law I admired. Good night, Mummy.
- You raised a good (man, woman), and I am the one who gained. Thank you, Mama. Rest in peace.
Short tributes to a father-in-law
- Daddy, you gave me your daughter and your trust. I will not fail either. Rest in peace.
- You looked me over once, shook my hand, and treated me as a son from that day. Thank you, Papa.
- You advised without interfering. That is a rare gift. Sleep well, Daddy.
- Daddy, in your house I was never an outsider. Thank you for making me your daughter. Rest well.
- I learned how to be a husband by watching how you treated Mama. Thank you, Daddy.
- You were a father to me when my own was far away. Good night, Papa.
From all the in-laws
- To our dear (Mummy, Daddy), thank you for making room for every one of us. Rest in peace.
- We came from different homes, and you made us one family. We will keep it so. Sleep well.
- You loved us as your own, and we mourn you as your own. Rest well.
Short and simple
- Thank you for accepting me, Mummy. Rest in peace.
- A wise father-in-law and a good man. Rest well, Daddy.
- Thank you for the (husband, wife) you raised for me. Sleep well.
When you had not known them long, or were not close
Write what is true, and keep it short. A few respectful lines are right. Do not claim a closeness that the family knows was not there.
If you joined the family only a few years ago
(Mummy, Daddy), I joined this family only (number) years ago, and I wish I had been given more time with you. In that short time you made me welcome. I see your kindness in (husband's or wife's name) every day. Thank you for raising (him, her). Rest in peace.
If things were not easy between you
(Title and name), we did not always understand each other, but I respected you, and I am grateful for the (son, daughter) you raised. Thank you for the family you built. May you rest in peace.
Bible verses to end a tribute to an in-law
Many families close a tribute with a verse. The wording here is from the King James Version.
- Ruth 1, verse 16. "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."
- Proverbs 31, verse 28. "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."
- Proverbs 10, verse 7. "The memory of the just is blessed."
- Psalm 112, verse 6. "The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance."
For more, see Bible verses for funerals.
Writing it well
- Write from your own experience. Leave the story of their whole life to the biography.
- Be warm, and be truthful. If you were not close, a short and respectful tribute is right.
- Mention your husband or wife. Thanking the person for the one you married is the heart of an in-law's tribute.
- Leave out old disagreements. A funeral programme is kept for years.
- Check the names of everyone listed under a joint tribute. Nobody should be missing.
If you are writing for your husband or wife as well
Sometimes a spouse is too upset to write. You may help them with the children's tribute, but keep the two apart. Theirs speaks as a child. Yours speaks as one who was welcomed in. For the children's tribute, see tribute to my late mother and tribute to my late father.
For the grandchildren, see tribute from grandchildren. For anyone else, see how to write a tribute.
Questions people ask
How do I write a tribute to my mother-in-law?
Begin with the name you called her and recall how she received you into the family. Name one or two of her qualities with a small example from your own experience, thank her for your husband or wife, and say goodbye in a line or two.
What do I say in a tribute to my father-in-law?
Say how he welcomed you, what you learned from watching him, and what he meant to your husband or wife and your children. Thank him for the person you married. A son-in-law often ends with a promise to look after his daughter.
How long should a tribute from a son-in-law or daughter-in-law be?
For a printed funeral programme, 100 to 200 words is usual. It should be shorter than the children's tribute. In a joint tribute from all the in-laws, each person may add only a line.
Do in-laws write their own tribute or one together?
Either. In a large family, the sons-in-law and daughters-in-law often write one joint tribute and list all their names beneath it. In a small family, each may write their own. Ask the family which they prefer.
What do I write if I was not close to my mother-in-law or father-in-law?
Write a short, respectful tribute. Thank them for the husband or wife they raised and for the family they built, and wish them peace. Two or three true sentences are enough.
Collect the family's tributes with Homegoing
Homegoing gives the family one link to share on WhatsApp. Each in-law can open it on a phone and add a tribute, and the family chooses the order they are printed in. Start a programme