Publishing an obituary or death notice online is a meaningful way that family members pay tribute to a loved one’s life. Online obituaries and death notices also help families announce funeral or memorial service details.
What’s the difference between an obituary and a death notice? These days, not much. Traditionally, a death notice is a paid announcement placed by the family or funeral home in a local newspaper, and an obituary is a news article about someone who has died written by a journalist. Increasingly the terms are used interchangeably, with death notice often being applied to short, fact-based announcements, and obituary used for any more detailed telling of a person’s life story.
Whether you wish to submit a short death notice or publish a longer obituary, here are the steps you will need to take. It’s common for families to submit a paid death notice or publish a loved one’s obituary in one or more newspapers and websites. We’ve included information to help you submit an obituary online, to a funeral home, and/or for print publication in a newspaper.
Publishing an obituary or death notice online is a meaningful way that family members pay tribute to a loved one’s life. Online obituaries and death notices also help families announce funeral or memorial service details.
What’s the difference between an obituary and a death notice? These days, not much. Traditionally, a death notice is a paid announcement placed by the family or funeral home in a local newspaper, and an obituary is a news article about someone who has died written by a journalist. Increasingly the terms are used interchangeably, with death notice often being applied to short, fact-based announcements, and obituary used for any more detailed telling of a person’s life story.
Whether you wish to submit a short death notice or publish a longer obituary, here are the steps you will need to take. It’s common for families to submit a paid death notice or publish a loved one’s obituary in one or more newspapers and websites. We’ve included information to help you submit an obituary online, to a funeral home, and/or for print publication in a newspaper.
Publishing an obituary or death notice online is a meaningful way that family members pay tribute to a loved one’s life. Online obituaries and death notices also help families announce funeral or memorial service details.
What’s the difference between an obituary and a death notice? These days, not much. Traditionally, a death notice is a paid announcement placed by the family or funeral home in a local newspaper, and an obituary is a news article about someone who has died written by a journalist. Increasingly the terms are used interchangeably, with death notice often being applied to short, fact-based announcements, and obituary used for any more detailed telling of a person’s life story.
Whether you wish to submit a short death notice or publish a longer obituary, here are the steps you will need to take. It’s common for families to submit a paid death notice or publish a loved one’s obituary in one or more newspapers and websites. We’ve included information to help you submit an obituary online, to a funeral home, and/or for print publication in a newspaper.
Ready to get started?
Ready to get started?
Ready to get started?
Legacy can help you submit an obituary online or in your favorite newspaper in minutes.
Legacy can help you submit an obituary online or in your favorite newspaper in minutes.
Legacy can help you submit an obituary online or in your favorite newspaper in minutes.
Submitting an Obituary to a Newspaper
The local newspaper is still a vital source of information about who in the community has died. The newspaper obituary page, whether in print or online, is one of the most-read local news sections. Submitting an online obituary or death notice to the local paper helps get the news out to everyone who knew your loved one.
To submit an obituary or death notice to a newspaper, visit the newspaper's website and look for the “Obituaries” or “Obits” section. Many newspapers use Legacy.com for obituary submissions. Legacy’s custom tool allows you to price and place an obituary in over 2,600 newspapers. Costs vary by location and length, typically including a set number of lines and characters, with additional fees for extra lines.
You can use that tool for placing an obituary by clicking here.
Submitting an Obituary or Death Notice Online
If you are looking for a newspaper, most will have information on their website under their "obituaries" section with links that take you to their obituary submission forms. Most papers work with Legacy to make it easy to submit an obituary or death notice online using our Memoriams obituary publishing tool. You can price out an obituary in over 2,600 of their newspaper partners before submitting online. Cost will vary depending on the location and length of the death notice or obituary, but our tool makes it easy to price them out to fit your budget. Also, be sure ask your funeral director about the obituary — funeral homes typically file death notices and obituaries on behalf of families and may have access to better rates, or even include an online and/or print obituary in the cost of the funeral.
Posting an obituary or death notice online quickly distributes important information to the wider community. People can post on Facebook or Twitter about loved ones who have passed, but social media messages are fleeting. An obituary is a permanent tribute that can be visited by anyone, any time. That’s one important reason why families choose to publish an obituary.
Many families prefer their loved one’s obituary to be published both online and in print in the local newspaper. An online obituary offers convenience and ease of access, while a print newspaper obituary is a tangible memory that can be saved and cherished. Fortunately, these options are not mutually exclusive — many newspaper obituaries appear both in the print edition and on the newspaper website.
Not sure what to say? See Legacy’s guide written by our obituary experts for how to write an obituary.
Need to find an obituary for a specific person? Legacy has the largest collection of online obituaries in the world. Search local obituaries from hundreds of newspapers across the U.S., Canada, and around the world.
Submitting an Obituary or Death Notice to a Funeral Home
Submitting an obituary for online publication is a service provided by many funeral homes. The funeral home may include an online and/or print obituary in the cost of the funeral. Some funeral homes may charge a fee for this service. Talk with the funeral director to find out how much they charge for filing a death notice or obituary.
Funeral directors also can assist the family with writing an online obituary. Typically, the funeral director will ask questions, or have you fill out a questionnaire, to learn the details of your loved one’s life. Then they will write the obituary for you, get your feedback and approval, and then submit the obituary to the newspaper. The funeral director may also post the obituary on the funeral home’s website and/or submit to Legacy.com or similar.
Find funeral homes near you, including services provided and contact info like email address and phone number. Legacy’s funeral home directory has all the information you need to help you select the right funeral home for your family.
Learn more about how funeral directors help families, and the surprising things a funeral director can do for you.
Submitting an Obituary to a Newspaper
The local newspaper is still a vital source of information about who in the community has died. The newspaper obituary page, whether in print or online, is one of the most-read local news sections. Submitting an online obituary or death notice to the local paper helps get the news out to everyone who knew your loved one.
To submit an obituary or death notice to a newspaper, visit the newspaper's website and look for the “Obituaries” or “Obits” section. Many newspapers use Legacy.com for obituary submissions. Legacy’s custom tool allows you to price and place an obituary in over 2,600 newspapers. Costs vary by location and length, typically including a set number of lines and characters, with additional fees for extra lines.
You can use that tool for placing an obituary by clicking here.
Submitting an Obituary or Death Notice Online
If you are looking for a newspaper, most will have information on their website under their "obituaries" section with links that take you to their obituary submission forms. Most papers work with Legacy to make it easy to submit an obituary or death notice online using our Memoriams obituary publishing tool. You can price out an obituary in over 2,600 of their newspaper partners before submitting online. Cost will vary depending on the location and length of the death notice or obituary, but our tool makes it easy to price them out to fit your budget. Also, be sure ask your funeral director about the obituary — funeral homes typically file death notices and obituaries on behalf of families and may have access to better rates, or even include an online and/or print obituary in the cost of the funeral.
Posting an obituary or death notice online quickly distributes important information to the wider community. People can post on Facebook or Twitter about loved ones who have passed, but social media messages are fleeting. An obituary is a permanent tribute that can be visited by anyone, any time. That’s one important reason why families choose to publish an obituary.
Many families prefer their loved one’s obituary to be published both online and in print in the local newspaper. An online obituary offers convenience and ease of access, while a print newspaper obituary is a tangible memory that can be saved and cherished. Fortunately, these options are not mutually exclusive — many newspaper obituaries appear both in the print edition and on the newspaper website.
Not sure what to say? See Legacy’s guide written by our obituary experts for how to write an obituary.
Need to find an obituary for a specific person? Legacy has the largest collection of online obituaries in the world. Search local obituaries from hundreds of newspapers across the U.S., Canada, and around the world.
Submitting an Obituary or Death Notice to a Funeral Home
Submitting an obituary for online publication is a service provided by many funeral homes. The funeral home may include an online and/or print obituary in the cost of the funeral. Some funeral homes may charge a fee for this service. Talk with the funeral director to find out how much they charge for filing a death notice or obituary.
Funeral directors also can assist the family with writing an online obituary. Typically, the funeral director will ask questions, or have you fill out a questionnaire, to learn the details of your loved one’s life. Then they will write the obituary for you, get your feedback and approval, and then submit the obituary to the newspaper. The funeral director may also post the obituary on the funeral home’s website and/or submit to Legacy.com or similar.
Find funeral homes near you, including services provided and contact info like email address and phone number. Legacy’s funeral home directory has all the information you need to help you select the right funeral home for your family.
Learn more about how funeral directors help families, and the surprising things a funeral director can do for you.
Submitting an Obituary to a Newspaper
The local newspaper is still a vital source of information about who in the community has died. The newspaper obituary page, whether in print or online, is one of the most-read local news sections. Submitting an online obituary or death notice to the local paper helps get the news out to everyone who knew your loved one.
To submit an obituary or death notice to a newspaper, visit the newspaper's website and look for the “Obituaries” or “Obits” section. Many newspapers use Legacy.com for obituary submissions. Legacy’s custom tool allows you to price and place an obituary in over 2,600 newspapers. Costs vary by location and length, typically including a set number of lines and characters, with additional fees for extra lines.
You can use that tool for placing an obituary by clicking here.
Submitting an Obituary or Death Notice Online
If you are looking for a newspaper, most will have information on their website under their "obituaries" section with links that take you to their obituary submission forms. Most papers work with Legacy to make it easy to submit an obituary or death notice online using our Memoriams obituary publishing tool. You can price out an obituary in over 2,600 of their newspaper partners before submitting online. Cost will vary depending on the location and length of the death notice or obituary, but our tool makes it easy to price them out to fit your budget. Also, be sure ask your funeral director about the obituary — funeral homes typically file death notices and obituaries on behalf of families and may have access to better rates, or even include an online and/or print obituary in the cost of the funeral.
Posting an obituary or death notice online quickly distributes important information to the wider community. People can post on Facebook or Twitter about loved ones who have passed, but social media messages are fleeting. An obituary is a permanent tribute that can be visited by anyone, any time. That’s one important reason why families choose to publish an obituary.
Many families prefer their loved one’s obituary to be published both online and in print in the local newspaper. An online obituary offers convenience and ease of access, while a print newspaper obituary is a tangible memory that can be saved and cherished. Fortunately, these options are not mutually exclusive — many newspaper obituaries appear both in the print edition and on the newspaper website.
Not sure what to say? See Legacy’s guide written by our obituary experts for how to write an obituary.
Need to find an obituary for a specific person? Legacy has the largest collection of online obituaries in the world. Search local obituaries from hundreds of newspapers across the U.S., Canada, and around the world.
Submitting an Obituary or Death Notice to a Funeral Home
Submitting an obituary for online publication is a service provided by many funeral homes. The funeral home may include an online and/or print obituary in the cost of the funeral. Some funeral homes may charge a fee for this service. Talk with the funeral director to find out how much they charge for filing a death notice or obituary.
Funeral directors also can assist the family with writing an online obituary. Typically, the funeral director will ask questions, or have you fill out a questionnaire, to learn the details of your loved one’s life. Then they will write the obituary for you, get your feedback and approval, and then submit the obituary to the newspaper. The funeral director may also post the obituary on the funeral home’s website and/or submit to Legacy.com or similar.
Find funeral homes near you, including services provided and contact info like email address and phone number. Legacy’s funeral home directory has all the information you need to help you select the right funeral home for your family.
Learn more about how funeral directors help families, and the surprising things a funeral director can do for you.
"ObitWriter": The All-Purpose Interactive Obituary Writing Tool
If you want an even simpler way to create an obituary, it’s fast, easy, and free to use Legacy’s ObitWriter® tool. All you have to do is answer some basic questions about your loved one’s life, and in just a few minutes, ObitWriter will take your responses and turn them into a well-written draft of a thoughtful, respectful obituary.
Ready to get started?
Ready to get started?
Our ObitWriter® Template can help you create an obituary in minutes.
Our ObitWriter® Template can help you create an obituary in minutes.
Ready to get started?
Our ObitWriter® Template can help you create an obituary in minutes.
