Planning Ahead: Talking with a Director About Funeral Plans

When someone passes away there are a lot of loose ends that must be tied up. One of the things that most people overlook is writing an obituary. An obituary is a fitting tribute to the deceased that offers up information about the deceased and the funeral arrangements that people need to know. Unless you have a background in writing, it can be difficult to put into words how much the deceased means to you. Here is a simple guide to writing an effective obituary.

Put Up All Important Details First

The first thing you want to make sure that is included is details that identify the person that has passed away. You want people to know the name, date of birth and the names of the spouse or children. These things will allow someone reading the newspaper to know who passed away and when. You will also want to include the information about the funeral services, such as the date, time and location. These things are critical that will need to be written into the obituary to inform the reader of the details you need to know.

Know How Many Words You Have To Work With

Once you have established the facts that must be included, you will need to to know how many words that you have to work with. Call the newspaper's obituary department and inquire on the maximum word limit you have to work with. This will give you an idea of things that you can include in the obituary such as hobbies or religious scripture to make the obituary a fitting tribute to the deceased.

How Much Time You Have

For an obituary you will to know what is the deadline for submissions to make the paper for the date you want it published. This will allow you to know when you need to have the submission submitted and you should know if the paper sends you a final proof to catch any errors before they publish. A final proof is a great way to ensure that the edit is published exactly the way you want it to appear.

If you follow the tips outlined above you can write a basic obituary, but if you still can't write an obituary you can consult with a funeral director. A funeral director (like those at Beeman-Patchak Funeral Home) will have experience knowing exactly what should be written in an obituary and they will have a few examples that you can look at to help formulate ideas.