Poems for Grandma’s Funeral Program: Words to Honor a Grandmother

A grandmother’s love is its own kind of love — patient, generous, and always a little bit sweeter. She was the one with the cookie jar, the extra hug, and the prayers that followed every grandchild by name. When it’s time to honor her in her funeral program, the words should feel as warm as her kitchen.

These original poems were written for a grandmother’s funeral program or memorial service, many in the voice of her grandchildren — including a simple poem a young grandchild can read. Whether you called her Grandma, Nana, Grammy, or Mimi, feel free to swap in the name she loved to be called.

All poems © Noted & Charmed by C. Lindorfer. Free for personal memorial use with credit. Not for commercial use, republication, or resale.

In This Collection

• Readings for the Service
• From Her Grandchildren
• For the Inside Pages
• Short Verses for a Back Cover, Prayer Card, or Headstone
• How to Add a Poem to Her Program

Readings for the Service

Grandma’s House

Every family has a place it runs to.
Ours was Grandma’s house.
It smelled like coffee and something baking,
and there was always room at the table,
no matter how many of us came.

She knew all our favorite foods
and every one of our secrets —
the ones we told her
and the ones she simply guessed.

Grandma’s house was where we learned
that love can be loud and crowded
and still feel safe.

The door is closed now.
But we know the way.
And one day we’ll open our own doors
the way she opened hers.

A reading for the service. Warm and easy to read aloud — a lovely choice for an adult grandchild speaking at the funeral.

Her Cookie Jar

Her cookie jar was never bare,
her porch light never dim;
her lap had room for all of us,
and somehow we’d fit in.

She’d slip us money — “Don’t tell Mom” —
and wink across the room;
she taught us cards and let us win,
and hummed some old-time tune.

We’re taller now, and she has gone
where all good grandmas go,
but every sweet thing in our lives
began with her, we know.

A rhymed ballad full of the small, sweet things every grandchild remembers. Gently smile-inducing at the service.

She Prayed for Us

She prayed for us by name each night,
each grandchild, one by one;
she asked the Lord to keep us safe
until our days were done.

Now she has gone to meet the One
she trusted all along,
and still her prayers surround us here,
as steady and as strong.

Written in the rhythm of a traditional hymn verse. For the praying grandmother whose faith covered the whole family.

From Her Grandchildren

I Will Remember

I will remember your soft hugs,
your cookies and your tea,
the stories that you read at night,
the way you smiled at me.

I’ll miss you, Grandma, every day,
but here is what I’ll do:
I’ll be as kind as you were kind,
so I’ll be part of you.

A simple rhyming poem a young grandchild can read aloud or have printed in the program.

For grieving grandchildren: our free printable memory book gives children a gentle way to draw, write, and remember.

What She Gave Me

She never had much money,
but she gave me more than anyone.
She gave me patience,
one card game at a time.
She gave me her recipes,
though she never measured anything.
She gave me her stubborn streak
and her soft heart,
and I didn’t know until now
that I’d need both.

Thank you, Grandma.
I’m still unwrapping it all.

From a grown grandchild. Free verse about the quiet gifts a grandmother leaves behind.

Summers at Grandma’s

Summers at Grandma’s meant screen doors slamming, lemonade that was mostly sugar, and staying up later than we were allowed. She let us be loud. She let us be ourselves. When we were grown, her house was still the place we came home to, and she still set out the good dishes like we were company. We were never company. We were hers.

A prose poem from all her grandchildren. Nostalgic and tender — lovely beside a family photo.

For the Inside Pages

Grandma Always

Grandma always had a tissue up her sleeve.
She always had candy in her purse.
She always asked if we’d eaten,
and never believed us when we said yes.
She always remembered our birthdays
and always sent a card with a little something in it.
She always said “I love you” at the end of every phone call.
Always.
We’ll always love her back.

A list poem. Easy to personalize with the little things only your grandma did.

Generations

She held her children, then held theirs,
and taught us all to say our prayers.
She passed down recipes and ways,
the stories of her younger days.
And now her love lives on in each —
the lessons she took time to teach,
in every child we hold and raise:
our Grandma’s love, for all our days.

Rhyming couplets about a grandmother’s love carried down through the generations. Lovely for a great-grandmother, too.

G.R.A.N.D.M.A.

Gentle hands and a warm kitchen,
Ready with a hug, a snack, or a story,
Always proud of every one of us,
Never too busy to listen,
Devoted to her family, heart and soul,
Made every visit feel like coming home,
Always and forever, our Grandma.

An acrostic poem. A favorite for the program cover or beside her photo.

Short Verses for a Back Cover, Prayer Card, or Headstone

For Grandma

Her door was always open,
her table always set;
the love she gave her grandchildren
we never will forget.

A four-line verse sized for the back cover or a memorial prayer card.

Short Lines to Remember Her By

Grandmother, great-grandmother, and the heart of our family.

She loved us first, and she loved us best.

Her hugs were home, and we will carry them always.

One-line tributes for a headstone, a bookmark, the bottom of the program, or a sympathy card.

How to Add a Poem to Her Program

All templates at Noted & Charmed are edited in Canva — free, browser-based, and no design experience needed:

1. Open your template link in Canva and click any existing text box, or add a new one from the Text panel.
2. Paste your chosen poem, and swap “Grandma” for the name she was called — Nana, Grammy, Mimi, or anything else.
3. Longer poems fit best on the inside spread; short verses work well on the back cover or a prayer card.
4. Add a small credit line beneath the poem: © Noted & Charmed.
5. Download as a PDF and print at home or at any copy shop.

Looking for scripture as well? Our Funeral Scriptures for Women and Men includes 2 Timothy 1:5, a beloved verse for a grandmother who passed down her faith.

You May Also Find Helpful

• Poems for a Mother’s Funeral Program
• Poems for a Wife’s Funeral Program
• Funeral Scriptures for Women and Men
• All Canva Funeral Program Templates

Sending comfort to you and your family as you honor the grandmother who loved you first and best. — Noted & Charmed