Need answer fast: "in memoriam" notice in magazine

In My Humble Opinion
1

Sadly, I just found out that a colleague of sorts who worked for a different but somewhat affiliated organization has died. We publish a journal that he provided some help with.

So I need to come up with a proper little box of the sort you would see in The Economist, or Harpers, etc. - not a full-on obituary, but the kind of notice that says “so and so has passed away, he was known to us as an occasional contributor, helpful guy, our condolences.”

Anybody got an example or two I can follow? Is “In Memoriam” the correct title for such a notice? Which of these elements are essential/optional/inappropriate:

  • date of death
  • date of birth (that may be hard to find out)
  • cause of death (it was a heart attack, BTW)
  • a few comments about how he worked with us and was helpful
  • a “We extend our condolences to family and friends” statement
  • anything else I am leaving out that is a must include/don’t include?

I’ve seen these before, but never thought to save one. If anyone has specific words for me, I would be grateful.

Sniff. I didn’t know him well, but he was really nice when I met him and very generous with his time.

2

Here’s a bunch of examples from NOW Magazine. Nope, not Harper’s or The Economist - it’s just Toronto’s entertainment magazine. But the bits all seem perfectly classy.

3

Thanks - I can always count on Dopers for a quick and helpful response. Those examples are nice in part because they are pretty much short and sweet, and I’m not looking to do an actual full obit. It does need to be a bit personal, though - more like one of those notices that say “one of our freelance writers just passed away, he wrote xxx for us and was a cool guy” or whatever.

Here is what I have drafted (minus identifying details) - anyone should feel free to make suggestions:

It is with great sorrow that we announce the loss of D-----, who passed away in Jakarta on 4 September, 2012. D—, the [title and agency], worked tirelessly to promote improvements in the safety of Indonesia’s Air Transport Management systems. He was always willing to extend a helping hand, and will be especially remembered by [our organization] for his [example from a colleague] and the way he generously shared his time and expertise for the [journal name] issue on aviation. We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.