The death of a loved one is always a difficult time. Writing an obituary shouldn’t be also.
The Cibola Citizen would like to help streamline the process of writing an obit.
The first important thing to know is the rate for the obituary. The Cibola Citizen charges $60 for an obituary 400 words or less, and $0.25 for every word after that, and $10 for a photo. With tax, a standard sized obituary with a photo comes out to $64.88. The Citizen accepts obituaries by email or when dropped off in person. Obituaries can be mailed to ads@cibolacitizen.com and editor@cibolacitizen.com
Do not feel obligated to explain how a person passed away, only share that information if you are comfortable doing so.
The basics
You’ll want to make sure you have the basics for your obituary.
1. Full name of the deceased
2. The deceased birth year and age
3. Funeral/Memorial services
4. The deceased’s place of birth
5. Where the deceased live
6. Summary of life
Funeral and memorial services
The funeral and memorial services should follow the deceased’s name. It is the first place people will look to see where the services will be held and stops them from searching for the information.
Example: [name of deceased], born in [date], lived in [town], [state]. He passed away in [date]. Funeral services will be held on [day], [month] at [name of funeral/memorial location]
Summary of life
Everyone lives a life with a great story to tell, not every detail needs to be explained. Share what you like most about the deceased, where they went to school, volunteer service they did through their life and other things that they enjoyed to help readers get a sense of who they were.
Details do not need to include negative or bad things that happen, just what the family is comfortable with sharing. Relatives
Listing the “Survived by” relatives will allow readers to see if they know any of the deceased’s living relatives. It’s also a great way to establish their legacy. Typically, these start with the spouse of the deceased, followed by living parents, children, siblings, then grandparents.
Follow the “Survived by” with a list of “Preceded in death by” relatives, so readers can see who the deceased is related to that have already passed away.
Poem
Some families like to include a poem for the deceased, this can be included at the end of the obituary.
The Cibola Citizen hopes this advice will help in writing future obituaries.