When it comes to expressing your sympathy to a friend or relative grieving the loss of someone special, you might not know what to say. For instance, maybe you’re wondering if it’s appropriate to say “rest in peace” or whether you can say “rest easy” instead of “rest in peace.”

There’s nothing wrong with saying “rest in peace” or “rest easy.” In fact, many people find comfort in hearing those phrases after someone dies. However, you don’t have to limit yourself to using those sayings if you’d rather say something more unique.  

When choosing your own sympathy message to comfort a loved one or to say a few words at a memorial service, you may decide you’d like to say “rest in peace” in a slightly different way, such as “rest in paradise” or “rest in power.” 

Whether you’re looking for a unique way to express sympathy or seeking the right words for a memorial service, the following alternatives to “rest in peace” can help you offer solace in a thoughtful way.

Rest in Peace: Family Members

Losing a Parent or Grandparent

1. Rest in paradise with eternal love, sweet Grandmother. We will miss you forever. 

2. We’ll all miss our Grandpa and cherish our memories of him. May he find eternal peace. 

3. May your mother’s spirit rest in bliss. She’ll always be remembered. 

Losing a Sibling

4. I pray your sister enjoys the beauty of paradise. I will miss her with all of my heart. 

5. May your brother enjoy the joyfulness of paradise. His light will continue to shine in all of us. 

Losing a Relative

6. Your uncle was an inspiration to us all. May he rest in Heaven.

7. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to get to know and love your aunt. I find comfort in knowing she is resting easy in Heaven. 

Losing a Spouse

8. I loved my wife more than anything in this world. May her soul find peace on the other side. 

9. Rest peacefully in the light, my dear Jon. I’ll never stop loving you. 

Losing a Child

10. I’ll always remember your son’s kind heart and a strong sense of compassion. May he rest in paradise. 

11. We will never forget our daughter’s sweet laugh and gentle nature. May she rest in the light as we hold memories of her close to our hearts. 

Rest in Peace: Friends & Loved Ones

Losing a Close Friend

12. May Cindy rest in power. She changed so many of our lives for the better, and we will treasure her memory always. 

13. Your friend will be missed by many. I pray her soul finds eternal rest on the other side. 

14. Jude is gone but never forgotten. May he rest in light and find eternal peace.  

Losing a Mentor

15. May Fred rest in peace and love. His spirit will always be remembered. 

16. May he rest easy in grace and love and shine down on all of us. 

17. As we celebrate and remember John today, we pray his soul enjoys peace in eternal rest. 

Rest in Peace: Famous Quotes

18. “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” – Helen Keller

19. “What is lovely never dies, but passes into other loveliness.” – Thomas Bailey Aldrich

20. “There are no goodbyes. Wherever you’ll be, you’ll be in my heart.” – Gandhi

21. “Keep the door to her life open.” – Edith Fogg Hickman

22. “May tender memories soften your grief. May fond recollection bring you relief. And may you find comfort and peace in the thought of the joy that knowing your loved one brought.” – Helen Steiner Rice 

23. “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” – Rabindranath Tagore

24. “After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” ― Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

25. “A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.” – Maya Angelou

There isn’t just one way to say “rest in peace,” so feel free to use any combination of these phrases and quotes when speaking of someone who has died. The most important thing is that you speak from your heart and come from a place of love when comforting those who are grieving.