Writing an Obituary for the Rapid City Journal: What You Actually Need to Know
I've helped people draft and submit obituaries to the Rapid City Journal for years, and the process is more complicated than most families expect. The paper runs daily, so deadlines are real. Missing one means your loved one waits another full day before they're published, and that matters to people. The obituary section covers the Black Hills region, which means Rapid City, Keystone, Hill City, Custer, and the surrounding rural areas. When you submit an obit, you're writing for a mixed audience: long-time ranchers and miners, retirees who moved from California, college kids away at USD, and younger families scattered across western South Dakota. The tone should reflect that community. It doesn't need to be formal, but it does need to be accurate. Here's how the submission process works. You can call the classifieds desk at (605) 348-5151 or email obits@rapidcityjournal.com. Either route is fine, but email gives you a paper trail. Include the full name of the deceased, date of death, surviving family members, biographical details, service information, and where memorial contributions should go. The journal charges by the line or by word count depending on length, so keep your draft ready before you start talking about pricing. That way you control the final cost instead of scrambling at the last minute.
One thing nobody warns you about is the photo submission process. You can include a photograph with your obit, but it has to meet specific resolution and formatting requirements. I learned this the hard way when I submitted a obit for my neighbor's father in 2022. I attached a high-resolution JPEG straight from his phone, and the layout team couldn't use it because the file was in the wrong color space and too large. They asked me to resubmit, which delayed publication by two days. The workaround is simple: save your image as a sRGB JPEG under 2 megabytes, and name the file clearly with the deceased's full name. Call ahead to confirm current requirements because the paper changes its specs without much announcement. Biographical details matter more than people think. The Rapid City Journal isn't the New York Times, but their copy editors do check facts. If you write that someone served in the military, make sure you have the branch, years of service, and any decorations correct. If you mention employment history, confirm the company names and dates. I've seen families get calls from the desk asking them to verify a claim about a World War II veteran because the timeline didn't add up. It's not a hassle. It's just part of the process, and it takes five minutes to resolve if you're prepared. Memorial donation instructions are another area where mistakes happen constantly. Some families write vague requests like "in lieu of flowers, donations may be made." That's fine for social media, but the newspaper needs a specific organization name, address, and ideally a website. The journal will publish the donation information as written, and if it's incomplete, you end up with an awkward edit or a missing line. I once had a friend whose mother's obit requested donations to a local church, but they forgot to include the church's mailing address. The family had to call back and provide it, which added unnecessary stress on top of everything else.
Timing is everything. If someone passes on a Thursday afternoon, you have until the Tuesday deadline for Friday's paper. That sounds generous until you realize most funeral homes don't release the full service details until the Monday before. My rule of thumb is to draft the obit as soon as you have the basic facts, then update it once the service information becomes available. The journal allows revisions before publication, so you're not locked into your first draft. There are also cultural considerations specific to this region. The Black Hills has a significant Native American population, and many obituaries include references to tribal affiliations, traditional ceremonies, or veteran status that carries special weight in the community. If the deceased was enrolled in a tribe, the family should feel comfortable sharing that in the obit, but they should also know the journal will print exactly what they submit. There's no filtration. The same goes for military service, religious affiliation, and union membership. Once it's in the paper, it's there. The cost structure is straightforward but not cheap. As of my last submission in early 2025, a standard obituary runs about $150 to $250 depending on length and whether you include a photo. A full-page obit with multiple photos can exceed $500. You pay at submission, and the charge is non-refundable once it goes to print. There's no discount for repeat customers, and no prorated refund if you change your mind after the deadline passes. Budget accordingly.
Get the Full Details
If you're writing a longer life story that doesn't fit the standard obit format, the journal also offers memorial sections and guest columns. These are separate products with different rates and submission guidelines. The obituary is for the essential facts and a brief life summary. The memorial section is for something deeper, more personal, and significantly more expensive. I've seen families use both: a concise obit for the daily paper and a full memorial tribute in the Sunday edition. It works well if the budget allows it, but it doubles your cost and requires two separate submissions. One practical tip that comes up constantly: proofread everything twice, then have someone else read it once more. Spelling the deceased's name wrong is the most common error, and it's the hardest one to live with. I've also seen middle initials dropped, maiden names misspelled, and living relatives listed with the wrong relationship. None of these are fatal mistakes, but they're painful to fix after publication. The journal runs corrections the next day, and nobody wants to see that. For families who don't live locally, the process is the same but coordination is harder. If you're in Denver or Phoenix and your parent dies in Rapid City, you're managing grief across three time zones while trying to submit an obit before a deadline. Use email. Save copies of everything. Get confirmation numbers. And don't let anyone rush you into a decision about cost or length. Take the time you need. The paper will wait until the deadline, but they won't wait past it.
Bottom line: the Rapid City Journal obituary section serves a real community, and the writing matters to the people in it. Get the facts right, follow the submission rules, and don't treat it like paperwork. It's not. It's the last thing you write for someone who mattered to a lot of people in this region, and they're going to read it carefully.
