Where to publish an obituary

For families who have written an obituary, or are about to, and want to know where to put it so the right people see it in time for the service.

Once the obituary is written, the next question is where it should go. The answer depends on who needs to know, how quickly, and how long you want it to stay findable. Here is what each option does well, and what to watch for. If you have not written it yet, start with how to write an obituary.

1. The funeral home website

If you are working with a funeral home, ask whether they will post the obituary on their website. Most do, and it is often included in what you are already paying for. Their page usually shows the service details, a guestbook and a way to send flowers.

• Best for: the service details, and people who search the name in the days before the funeral.
• Ask: how long the page stays up, whether you can edit it after it is posted, and whether they share it to newspapers or other sites for you.
• Watch for: some funeral home pages are hard to update later, so check the spelling of every name before it goes live.

2. The local newspaper

A newspaper obituary still matters to many families, especially for older friends, former coworkers and people in the town where your loved one grew up. Many papers also put the printed obituary online.

• Best for: reaching people who read the local paper, and a printed copy to keep.
• Cost: most papers charge for obituaries, often by the line or by the word, and a photo may cost extra. Prices vary a lot from paper to paper, so ask for a quote before you send the full text.
• Timing: papers have deadlines, sometimes a day or more before the print date. Ask what the deadline is for the day you want.
• Tip: if the full obituary is expensive to print, run a short death notice in the paper and point readers to the full obituary online.

A death notice is a short paid announcement: the name, the dates and the service details. An obituary tells the story of the life. Many families print a notice and publish the full obituary online, where length does not cost more.

3. A free online memorial page

An online memorial gives the obituary a home that lasts. Friends who could not come to the service can read it later, and relatives can add photos and stories over the years. On Turning Hearts, a memorial page is free and holds the life story, photos and memories shared by family and friends.

• Best for: a lasting place for the story, and for photos and memories that keep coming after the funeral.
• Ask yourself: who can see it, and whether people can find it by searching the name. Choose a site that lets you make the page private or public and lets you edit it any time.
• Good to know: people often search the name together with the town, so include the town and state on the page.

4. Social media, text and email

Most people now hear about a death from a friend or family member's post or message. Once the obituary is up somewhere, share the link rather than pasting the whole text. That way everyone sees the same, correct details, and if the service time changes you only need to fix it in one place.

5. Church, school and club newsletters

If your loved one belonged to a church, a veterans group, a club or a school alumni group, ask whether they share news of members who have passed. These groups often reach the people who knew your loved one best, and many will share the link at no cost.

Publish early, then add more

You do not need the perfect obituary before anything goes up. Families often post a short notice with the service details first, then add the full life story a day or two later. Publishing early helps the right page come up first when people search the name, and it gives friends the service details in time.

1. Day one or two: a short notice with the name, dates and service details.
2. Before the service: the full obituary, with a photo.
3. After the service: photos from the day, and memories that friends share.

What to leave out

Obituaries are public, and some details can help identity thieves. Many families now leave these out:

• The full date of birth (the month and year, or just the year, is enough)
• The home address
• A mother's maiden name, if it is used for bank security questions
• Saying the house will be empty during the service

A simple plan for most families

• Ask the funeral home to post it, and check every name before it goes live
• Decide whether the newspaper is worth it for your family, and get the price first
• Put the full obituary and photos on a free memorial page
• Share one link with everyone, with the service time and place
• Put the same link or QR code in the funeral program, so guests can share memories

If you are also making a program for the service, our free funeral program maker puts a QR code on the back that opens the memorial page, so guests can read the obituary and add a memory right from their seats. For what to include in it, see what to put in a funeral program.

Common questions