Many people have their first experience with death when a grandparent dies. These deaths are particularly poignant, not only because they are often the first, but because losing a grandma or grandpa is incredibly sad.
Our grandparents are our biggest fans. They are the heart and soul of the family. They know the value of traditions, and they know all the family stories.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- Where to Share a "Rest in Peace, Grandma" Message
- Sad “Rest In Peace” Grandma Quotes
- Inspiring “Rest In Peace” Grandma Quotes
- “Rest In Peace” Grandma Quotes for a Final Goodbye
- ‘Rest in Peace, Grandma’ Quotes to Share on a Death Anniversary
- Where Can You Share a ‘Rest in Peace, Grandma’ Quote?
- ‘Rest in Peace, Grandma’ Quotes to Share on a Death Anniversary
- 'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Quotes to Share When You're Missing Her
- 'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Quotes to Share on a Social Media Post or Caption
- 'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Quotes to Put on Her Grave
- 'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Poems to Share
If you recently lost a grandma, you may be wondering how to announce it to your friends. Of course, some use social media to share such news with extended members of the family as well as friends. Others may send a text to share the information. As you may be feeling numb with grief, let us help you find the appropriate words to let others know your devastating news. Here are some alternatives to “rest in peace, grandma.”
Tip: If you've lost a grandmother, you can create a touching memorial page to honor her and help loved ones do the same. Cake's memorial pages are easy to use and completely free.
Where to Share a "Rest in Peace, Grandma" Message
You have several options for where you can share a meaningful "rest in peace, Grandma" message with family, friends, and loved ones.
Social media
One of the most popular ways to share a "rest in peace" message of any kind is on social media. If you would like all of your friends and family to be able to see your message and leave comments of their own, this is a good way to go.
A sympathy card
If you would like to specifically support your grandmother's closest loved ones, you can send them a sympathy card with a "rest in peace, Grandma" message. This can be a thoughtful way to support the people in your life who are likely struggling the most.
Cake's online memorial page
Another popular place to share "rest in peace, Grandma" messages is online memorial pages. You can create a beautiful, full-length online memorial page using Cake's memorial page tool. This tool is a great option if you would like friends and family members to be able to leave their own tributes and even add photos.
Sad “Rest In Peace” Grandma Quotes
Thankfully, there are poets, songwriters, and great thinkers who have a penchant for using the exact right words to express a thought or feeling. Here are some rest in peace quotes to help you tell others how sad you are that your beloved grandmother died.
1. “Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.” —George Eliot
Even decades after the death of your grandma, you may smell or taste something and immediately be transported back to your grandmother’s kitchen. Perhaps the smell of peonies makes you think of your Mimi, or maybe it’s the taste of stale vanilla wafers. Those flashes of memory will be a comfort to you as you navigate life without your beloved matriarch.
2. “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection.” —The Book of Common Prayer
Although many think that this often-quoted phrase is from the Bible, it is actually from the Book of Common Prayer.
3. “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal. Love leaves a memory no one can steal.” —Unknown
You may never “get over” the death of your grandma, although your grief may change with time.
4. “Sadly enough, the most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained.” —Jonathan Harnisch
Perhaps the death of your grandma was unexpected and you’re sad that you never got the chance to say goodbye.
5. “For no soul can ever be replaced, and death claims a beauty and a magnificence that will always be missed.” —Jocelyn Soriano
Joycelyn Soriano writes about grief and death. Her books may be a useful resource for those who need help navigating through their grief.
Inspiring “Rest In Peace” Grandma Quotes
Yes, it is normal to feel sad when someone dies, but you may also feel a series of complex emotions that are difficult to describe. Here are some “inspiring” rest in peace quotes to help you articulate the myriad feelings you may be experiencing.
6. “So we fall asleep in Jesus. We have played long enough at the games of life, and at last, we feel the approach of death. We are tired out, and we lay our heads back on the bosom of Christ, and quietly fall asleep.” —Henry Ward Beecher
If you and your grandma are Christians, you may not feel the sting of death as sharply as those who do not believe in the afterlife. In fact, if your grandmother was ill for a while, you may feel comforted that she has quietly fallen asleep on the bosom of Christ.
7. “Never the spirit was born, the spirit shall cease to be never. Never was time it was not, end and beginning are dreams.” —Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture that discusses (among other topics) the meaning and purpose of life, death, the afterlife. Perhaps this quote will allow you to explain how you feel as you grapple with the knowledge of your grandma’s death.
8. “Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way, so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you’re there. It doesn’t matter what you do, he said, so as long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away.” —Ray Bradbury
Perhaps your grandma lived a quiet life. Maybe she never traveled the world, had a high-paying job, or had dozens of friends. But she was important to you, and that’s all that matters.
9. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” —Thomas Campbell
Share stories about your grandma with your children and grandchildren. Let the memory of your grandma live on with the subsequent generations, so she is more than a faded image in a black and white photograph.
10. “Death is not the end. Death can never be the end. Death is the road. Life is the traveler. The soul is the guide.” —Sri Chinmoy
Sri Chinmoy was a meditation teacher from India who moved to New York City.
“Rest In Peace” Grandma Quotes for a Final Goodbye
You may say a series of final goodbyes to your grandma. In fact, your “goodbyes” may never end. Here are some ways to express the finality of death.
11. “It is well with my soul.” —Horatio Spafford
This is a title from a favorite hymn written in the 1870s. Perhaps you are at peace at the death of your grandma because you know that she no longer suffers and is in a better place. This is a “rest in peace” alternative.
12. “A peaceful death is the greatest gift that life can give us.” —Saim A. Cheeda
Was your grandma able to die peacefully with her beloved family surrounding her? We hope that this blessing gives you peace.
13. “this loss feels like an ache between my ribs / it’s sad and scary / but soft and steady” —Emmy Marucci
If you feel sad about the death of your grandma, share your feelings with others. If you don’t feel like putting on a brave face, don’t do it.
14. “The sorrow we feel when we lose a loved one is the price we pay to have had them in our lives.” —Rob Liano
There are many quotes about death similar to this one. If given a choice, we would all choose to have our loved ones in our lives, even though it means that we will one day suffer deep grief.
15. “Deep down inside we always seek for our departed loved ones.” —Munia Khan
Of course, we want our loved ones to “rest in peace,” but at the same time, we may long for them for the rest of our lives.
16. “The greatest love story is not Romeo and Juliet who died together, but Grandma and Grandpa who grew old together.” —Unknown
This often-shared meme might be especially appropriate if your grandparents had a long and happy marriage. This is an excellent quote about grandparents, even if we don’t know who first said it.
17. “My grandmother taught me everything except how to live without her.” —Unknown
What did you learn from your grandma? Maybe you learned practical skills, or perhaps she taught you by example.
18. “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” —J.K. Rowling
Did your grandma have an adventurous spirit? Can you envision embracing the afterlife just as she grasped everything from life? Rowling’s wisest character from the Harry Potter series, Albus Dumbledore, shared this wisdom.
‘Rest in Peace, Grandma’ Quotes to Share on a Death Anniversary
Birthdays and death anniversaries can be difficult for people to manage. So if the anniversary of your grandma’s death is approaching, you might consider posting a quote on your social media account about how her death has affected you. Here are some quotes about death that might strike a chord with how you are feeling.
19. “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak. Whispers the o’er fraught heart and bids it break.” – William Shakespeare
Of course, grief is different for everyone. Some need to “give sorrow words,” as Shakespeare describes in Macbeth. Others prefer to mourn in private.
20. “Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.” – Rita Schiano
The next time you cry over the loss of your loved one, think about this description of tears.
21. “Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.” – Emily Dickinson
We love this quote by poet Emily Dickinson. Keep your grandma’s memory alive by sharing stories about her with the younger generation in your family.
22. “She was no longer wrestling with the grief, but could sit down with it as a lasting companion and make it a sharer in her thoughts.” – George Eliot
Perhaps over time, your grief has changed. Your grief may not be as poignant as it was at first. Instead, you have learned to live with it as your constant companion.
23. “I am slowly, painfully discovering that my refuge is not found in my mother, or my grandmother, or even the birds of Bear River. My refuge exists in my capacity to love.” – Terry T. Williams
Williams is the author of When Women Were Birds.
24. “There are things that we don’t want to happen but have to accept, things we don’t want to know but have to learn, and people we can’t live without but have to let go.” – Unknown
We wish we knew who to credit with this quote because it paints a very realistic view of life and death.
25. “A cut finger is numb before it bleeds; it bleeds before it hurts, it hurts until it begins to heal; it forms a scab and itches until finally, the scab is gone and a small scar is left where once there was a wound. Grief is the deepest wound you ever had. Like a cut finger, it goes through stages, and leaves a scar.” – Unknown
Here is another description of grief and loss from an unknown author.
'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Quotes to Share When You're Missing Her
It might be hard to find the right words to describe the pain of loss. Thankfully, poets live among us who spend their energy finding the right words for such occasions. Here are some quotes to share or reflect over your grandma.
26. "In a world of such beauty as birds in flight, surely I can come to feel at home again, even after my loss." – Martha Whitmore Hickman
Martha Whitmore Hickman was the author of self-help books.
27. "Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night." Edna St. Vincent Millay
We appreciate the rawness of this quote about grief.
28. "As long as I can I will look at this world for both of us. As long as I can I will laugh with the birds, I will sing with the flowers, I will pray to the stars, for both of us." – Sascha
This quote may remind you of your relationship with your grandma.
29. "Sorrow makes us all children again - destroys all differences of intellect. The wisest know nothing." –Ralph Waldo Emerson
We love this quote about grief from someone known for being wise.
30. "What is there to do when people die — people so dear and rare — but bring them back by remembering?" ~ May Sarton
Call or text someone else who may be missing your grandmother and share memories of the deceased.
31. "Anyone who tells a story speaks a world into being." – Michael Williams
This quote is similar to the previous one on our list. Relive those special moments with your grandmother by telling her story.
32. "Should his heart break and the grief pour out, it would flow over the whole earth, it seems, and yet, no one sees it." – Anton Chekhov
Perhaps this is how your grief feels.
33. "Most of our childhood is stored not in photos, but in certain biscuits, lights of day, smells, textures of carpet." Alain de Botton
We know this quote isn't specifically about loss or grief, but we bet your thoughts, after reading it, immediately went to a smell or taste you associate with your grandma’s cooking.
34. "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." – Reinhold Niebuhr
We find this quote to be suitable for almost every situation.
'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Quotes to Share on a Social Media Post or Caption
You may feel you need to share the news of your grandma's death with your friends and family, but you may find it hard to do. Consider using one of these quotes on social media to announce your grandma's death.
35. "And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms,slowly and always irregularly. Spaces fill with a kind of soothing electric vibration.Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us. They existed. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For they existed." – Maya Angelou
We love this quote, which Maya Angelou originally wrote in response to the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
36. "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." - Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder was a playwright known for writing "Our Town."
37. "You will lose someone you can't live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn't seal back up. And you come through. It's like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly - that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp." – Anne Lamott
This, my friends, is a beautiful description of grief.
38. "With love that is almost joy I remember them." – John Hall Wheelock
John Hall Wheelock was an American poet who died in 1978.
39. "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." — Washington Irving
Don't hide your tears. They’re signs of "unspeakable love."
40. "When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." – Joyce Brothers
Share this quote with photos of your Grandma during happy times.
41. "I'm a flower, poa, a flower opening and reaching for the sun. You are the sun, Grandma, you are the sun in my life." – Kitty Tsui
Kitty Tsui was born in Hong Kong and works as an actor, bodybuilder, and writer.
42. "A house needs a grandma in it." Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, among other famous pieces.
'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Quotes to Put on Her Grave
Are you looking for the perfect epitaph for your grandmother's grave? Then, of course, you can work with the headstone designer. They can give you a list of the most common phrases that people use on gravestones.
However, you might be searching for something a little more unique. Here are some other ideas for gravestone quotes.
43. "Forever in Our Hearts"
This epitaph needs no explanation.
44. "No one spread more love in one lifetime."
Was your grandma important to many?
45. "Their love will last an eternity."
Are you looking for a phrase for your grandparent's grave? Consider this if their love was "for the ages."
46. "Life is not forever, but love is."
Again, this quote celebrates long relationships.
47. "Until we meet again."
Do you believe in the promise of the afterlife? Here's a quote discussing that promise.
48. "Generous of heart, constant in faith."
Are you looking for a phrase that celebrates your grandma's faith? Consider this.
49. "Here lies [Name]/ Age 102/ Only the good die young."
Did your grandma have a wicked sense of humor? Consider this epitaph for a grandma who was known for getting into trouble.
50. "An inspiration to all."
Did your Grandma overcome difficulties but prevailed to live an abundant life? Then here's a quote for her headstone.
51. "She walked in beauty."
This phrase is part of a poem by Lord Byron. You might also consider this longer version: "She walks in beauty like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies."
52. "And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance."
We love this quote that might be perfect for someone who had mobility issues.
53. "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.'" – Revelation 14:13
Was your Grandma a Christian? Consider this quote from the book of Revelation.
54. "The song is ended but the melody lingers on . . ."
This quote is from Irving Berlin, one of America's greatest songwriters.
55. "Today she dances with angels."
Epitaphs that speak of the afterlife are popular for those of faith.
56. "Always in our thoughts. Forever in our hearts."
This is a lovely way to give tribute to someone important to you.
57. "Safe in the arms of Jesus."
This quote could also work on the headstone of a child.
'Rest in Peace, Grandma' Poems to Share
Grief and loss are prevalent themes in poetry. After all, grief is a common human experience.
So here are some poems to share at your Grandma's funeral.
58. "The Gift" by Mary Oliver
Here's is this poem in its entirety:
"Be still, my soul, and steadfast.
Earth and heaven both are still watching
though time is draining from the clock
and your walk, that was confident and quick,
has become slow.
So, be slow if you must, but let
the heart still play its true part.
Love still as once you loved, deeply
and without patience. Let God and the world
know you are grateful. That the gift has been given."
59. "The Ship" by Bishop Brent
This long-adored funeral poem describes mourners standing on the shore watching as a ship leaves port. However, on the "other side," souls are on a distant shore welcoming that ship home.
60. "She Walks in Beauty" by Lord Byron
We mentioned this poem earlier in our article. Consider reading the entire piece and using it at your Grandma's funeral.
Here is the last stanza of this famous poem:
"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!"
61. "Death is Nothing at All" by Henry Scott Holland
This piece describes death as merely "slipping into the next room." You might appreciate this poem if you feel your grandma is still present in spirit.
62. "Remember" by Christina Georgina Rosetti
This famous funeral poem is written from the perspective of the deceased.
"Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Then that you should remember and be sad."
Where Can You Share a ‘Rest in Peace, Grandma’ Quote?
Whether you lost your grandma days ago or years ago, you may be looking for a place to share your thoughts regarding the loss. Here are some places to post a quote about death and grief.
Online memorial page
We hope that someone set up an online memorial page to honor the life of your grandma. You can use online memorial pages in many different ways.
If your grandma recently passed, the family can use an online memorial page to make announcements regarding the funeral services. Users can offer their condolences to mourners on online memorial pages as well.
But one of the best things about online memorial pages is that they allow family and friends to share memories of the deceased or express their emotions about the death. So this would be the appropriate place to share a “rest in peace, grandma” quote.
Your social media page
Would you like others to know how you feel about the loss of your grandma? Or perhaps you want to keep her memory alive by sharing a quote or photo of this person who meant a lot to you. Share a quote about loss and grief on your social media page.
Even if your friends on social media didn’t know your grandma, they may have also experienced a loss of a loved one and might receive some solace knowing that others within their circle of friends are suffering from grief.
A journal or online blog
Some grief experts advise their clients to express their emotions following the death of a loved one by journaling. As an exercise, you might respond to a famous quote about loss –perhaps one you found in this article.
If you want others to see and respond, you might share your thoughts on Twitter or your online blog.
Share with your family
Your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins may also be suffering following the loss of your family matriarch. If you found a quote that speaks to you about loss and grief, share it with your family. You can do this informally – just by texting the selection in a group chat. You might also create something using the quote and a photograph of your grandma to give to others mourning the loss.
Share with Cake users
Do you have a favorite quote that you turn to when you are overcome with sadness? Share your quote on the Cake users forum. Your post might help someone else who is sad about the loss of their grandmother.
What Feelings Are You Trying to Express?
Do you feel deep sadness and devastation at the loss of your grandma? Do you feel at peace, knowing that she is no longer suffering? Do you ache for your grandpa because you know that his life will never be the same? Perhaps you feel angry that others still have their grandparents, and you think that life isn’t fair. Maybe you wake up each morning and are sad to be reminded that someone you love is gone.
Not everyone reacts to death the same way, and your feelings may change over time. Hopefully, we have given you a quote or two that reflects how you are feeling now that your grandma is gone.