How to Write an Obituary

When a loved one passes away, you may feel like just crawling into bed and not coming out for years. However, there are many arrangements that need to be taken care of a person dies, and one of those is writing an obituary.

You may decide you do not feel that it is necessary to place an obituary in your local paper, and that is absolutely fine. It is your personal choice. The purpose of publishing an obituary is to let everyone in the community know that the person has passed away. It also serves to commemorate the life of the deceased, and can be a tribute to what the person has done in the community.

The best time to place an obituary is either soon after the person passes away, or a couple of days before any services are held. Services often occur within a week of the death anyway, but it is best to try to place the obituary before services are held. If you do not get around to placing the obituary before the service, it is still fine to publish one afterwards. To reach the most readers, the best day of the week to publish an obituary is usually Sunday.

Most newspapers charge for obituaries. You will need to call your local newspaper to find out the exact prices, but do be aware that the cost is usually based on length, which is generally calculated based on a per line charge, with an additional charge to include a photo.

Because the price that you will pay is based on length, it is a good idea to decide before submitting the obituary what information you would like to include. If you are the one writing the obituary, you may want to consult with other family members to see if there is anything that they would really like to see included in the obituary. An obituary can be very simple, just a few lines stating that the person has passed away with some service information, or it can be a long obituary telling the life story of the deceased.