Funeral Announcements – Obituaries, Funeral Notices, and Death Notices

A funeral announcement is also referred to as funeral notice or death notice. It is defined as a paid listing, announcing the death of someone. Family members usually pay for the announcement to be published in local newspapers. It contains basic information about the deceased, funeral details and a short biography of the deceased.

Obituary or Funeral Announcement?

People often mistake obituary for funeral announcement or funeral notice. A funeral announcement or an obituary can be a simple notice in the newspaper announcing someone’s death. Or, on the other hand, a funeral announcement or obituary can be much more detailed, more personal, and more biographical. In any case, it may begin with the deceased name, date of birth, date of death, place of residence and, sometimes, cause of death. This section is followed by a list of the deceased relatives including spouse, children, parents, significant others, or even pets. The middle part talks about the life of the deceased. It may include accomplishments or attributes of the deceased. A sentence or two—up to a paragraph—is appropriate to summarize the life of the deceased person.

Details regarding funeral arrangements are also discussed. It should be very specific and clear. It includes information on the wake such as the viewing time, the location of the funeral, the date and the time. If services are to be held privately, it must also be stated in the announcement. Finally, some families prefer to receive charitable donations instead of flowers. This must be clearly stated at the end of the funeral announcement.

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Where to Send Funeral Announcements or Funeral Notices

When a loved one passes away, it is common to notify family, friends and acquaintances of the recent loss. One way to do this is through the community newspaper. It is advisable that funeral announcements be sent to various local newspapers to ensure that many people become aware of a loved one’s death. It would also be wise to send a funeral announcement to local newspapers of nearby states as well.

Online obituaries are available. They are gaining in popularity since most of them are free to post.

If funeral services are to be held privately, news of a person’s death should reach family members, friends, employers, colleagues, fraternal orders and other organizations to which the deceased belongs through funeral announcement cards or email. Last but not least, various bureaus such as Social Security, insurance agencies and voter’s registration must also be informed since the deceased is no longer entitled to benefits. These tasks should be part of your funeral arrangements.