Legacy Questionnaire

Leave your life Story

Leaving your personal and family history for your loved ones is a wonderful and important gift, for reasons medical and historical, as well as sentimental. Everyone has fascinating life stories their families would find interesting and enjoy hearing for generations to come.

It can also be a way of doing a “life review”, and recalling unfinished business or situations and relationships needing resolution. Hospice workers have often seen that resolving unfinished business is a key factor in experiencing a peaceful, “good” death.

Personal and family history may be written down, or recorded on audio or video. We have created the Legacy Questionnaire as a way to help recall and organize your memories.

Questions

What do you know about your distant ancestors? Your “ethnicity”?
What do you know of your great-grandparents? What did they do? Where did they come from and live? How did they pass away? Do you have any personal memories of them?
How about your grandparents? What did they do? Where did they live? How did they pass away? What are your memories of them?
Where did your parents grow up?
Do you know any details of their early lives? Did they have any siblings?
When & where were you born?
Any unusual or otherwise interesting circumstances or events associated with your birth?
Were you named after someone?
How many brothers and sisters did you have?
What did your father do for a living?
Was your mother also involved in generating household income?
What was your life like growing up?
Where did you grow up?
Did you like school?
What was your favorite pastime when you were a child?
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What is your favorite childhood memory?
What technological innovations did you see come into being, at what age?
Was religion an important part of your life as a youngster? How so?
Tell us about the high school(s) you attended.
Did you enjoy being a teen-ager?
How old were you when you first got a car? Tell us about that car.
Did you and your friends have a special “hang-out” where you liked to spend time?
Where was it and what did you do there?
Were there any fads during your youth that you remember vividly?
What music did you especially like?
Tell us about your first boyfriend/girlfriend.
Tell us about your first date.
Did you go to college? What did you study?
What were your goals when you finished school?
What wars have been fought during your lifetime? How did you feel about them?
If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties?
Tell us about meeting your mate.
How did you know you were in love?
Tell us about your wedding and honeymoon? How old were you?
Did you have children? How many? At what age?
How did you find out that you were going to be a parent for the first time?
What was the funniest thing you can remember that one of your children said or did?
If you had it to do all over again, would you change the way you raised your family? How?
Did you find that you had to treat each of your children differently? If so, why?
What advice do you have for your children and grandchildren?
Where did you live?
What did you do for a living?
What is your favorite story about your career?
When did you retire?
When did your parents pass away? How?
Tell us about your best friend in life (other than your mate).
What is your favorite story about your married life?
How would you describe your spouse?
What do (did) you admire most about them?
How do you spend your time now that you are retired?
What was your goal after you retired?
Tell us about your favorite vacation.
What did you and your mate and/or family do for fun?
What is your political affiliation, if any? Has it changed during your life?
Do you play, or have you played in the past, any musical instruments?
Do you consider yourself creative?
What things have you made that others have enjoyed?
Do you have any grandchildren?
Do you have any great-grandchildren?
How did you first hear that you were a grandparent and how did you feel about it?
What is/was your favorite pastime or hobby?
Tell us about any significant deaths that have occurred during your life.
What people or events helped shape your life? How?
What was the most amazing thing you ever saw or experienced?
What were the hardest choices that you ever had to make? Do you feel that you made the right choices?
What do you appreciate most?
From what mistakes have you learned the most?
What do you think was your greatest accomplishment?
What is your funniest memory?
What is your happiest memory?
What is your biggest regret, if any?
What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you personally?
Did/do you have any bad habits?
What organizations and/or groups have you belonged to?
Is there anything you always wanted to do and never did?
Is there any place you always wanted to go and never did?
Describe a time and place when you remember feeling truly at peace and happy to be alive. Where were you and what were you doing?
What is the most beautiful place you have ever visited and what was it like?
What was the most stressful experience that you ever lived through? What helped you get through it?
Why are you living where you are today?
Do you wish you lived somewhere else (If so, where would it be)?
Describe your general health.
What major illnesses or health problems have you experienced? Are any of those considered to be hereditary? Did any require hospitalization? Surgery?
Do you remember your dreams?
Did you ever have a dream that came true?
Do you currently go to church? Which one?
Have had any mystical, spiritual or metaphysical experiences in your life?
What do you think happens to you when you die?
Would you prefer to be buried or cremated? Why?
What would you prefer to be done with your body or ashes?
Any special requests about your funeral/celebration?
What do you think would be an appropriate epitaph for you?

Legacy Questionnaire

Leave your life Story

Leaving your personal and family history for your loved ones is a wonderful and important gift, for reasons medical and historical, as well as sentimental. Everyone has fascinating life stories their families would find interesting and enjoy hearing for generations to come.

It can also be a way of doing a “life review”, and recalling unfinished business or situations and relationships needing resolution. Hospice workers have often seen that resolving unfinished business is a key factor in experiencing a peaceful, “good” death.

Personal and family history may be written down, or recorded on audio or video. We have created the Legacy Questionnaire as a way to help recall and organize your memories.

What do you know about your distant ancestors? Your “ethnicity”?

What do you know of your great-grandparents? What did they do? Where did they come from and live? How did they pass away? Do you have any personal memories of them?

How about your grandparents? What did they do? Where did they live? How did they pass away? What are your memories of them?

Where did your parents grow up?

Do you know any details of their early lives? Did they have any siblings?

When & where were you born?

Any unusual or otherwise interesting circumstances or events associated with your birth?

Were you named after someone?

How many brothers and sisters did you have?

What did your father do for a living?

Was your mother also involved in generating household income?

What was your life like growing up?

Where did you grow up?

Did you like school?

What was your favorite pastime when you were a child?

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

What is your favorite childhood memory?

What technological innovations did you see come into being, at what age?

Was religion an important part of your life as a youngster? How so?

Tell us about the high school(s) you attended.

Did you enjoy being a teen-ager?

How old were you when you first got a car? Tell us about that car.

Did you and your friends have a special “hang-out” where you liked to spend time?

Where was it and what did you do there?

Were there any fads during your youth that you remember vividly?

What music did you especially like?

Tell us about your first boyfriend/girlfriend.

Tell us about your first date.

Did you go to college? What did you study?

What were your goals when you finished school?

What wars have been fought during your lifetime? How did you feel about them?

If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties?

Tell us about meeting your mate.

How did you know you were in love?

Tell us about your wedding and honeymoon? How old were you?

Did you have children? How many? At what age?

How did you find out that you were going to be a parent for the first time?

What was the funniest thing you can remember that one of your children said or did?

If you had it to do all over again, would you change the way you raised your family? How?

Did you find that you had to treat each of your children differently? If so, why?

What advice do you have for your children and grandchildren?

Where did you live?

What did you do for a living?

What is your favorite story about your career?

When did you retire?

When did your parents pass away? How?

Tell us about your best friend in life (other than your mate).

What is your favorite story about your married life?

How would you describe your spouse?

What do (did) you admire most about them?

How do you spend your time now that you are retired?

What was your goal after you retired?

Tell us about your favorite vacation.

What did you and your mate and/or family do for fun?

What is your political affiliation, if any? Has it changed during your life?

Do you play, or have you played in the past, any musical instruments?

Do you consider yourself creative?

What things have you made that others have enjoyed?

Do you have any grandchildren?

Do you have any great-grandchildren?

How did you first hear that you were a grandparent and how did you feel about it?

What is/was your favorite pastime or hobby?

Tell us about any significant deaths that have occurred during your life.

What people or events helped shape your life? How?

What was the most amazing thing you ever saw or experienced?

What were the hardest choices that you ever had to make? Do you feel that you made the right choices?

What do you appreciate most?

From what mistakes have you learned the most?

What do you think was your greatest accomplishment?

What is your funniest memory?

What is your happiest memory?

What is your biggest regret, if any?

What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you personally?

Did/do you have any bad habits?

What organizations and/or groups have you belonged to?