Obituary Writing and Memorial Planning at Redmond Richardson
Funeral homes handle obituaries more often than people realize. Redmond Richardson Funeral Home in Louisiana has been doing this for decades, and the process is straightforward once you know the steps. I have worked with families going through this at various funeral homes over the years, and the main challenge is usually figuring out what to include and how to phrase things when you are still processing grief. An obituary is not just a death notice. It is a brief biography that captures who the person was. At Redmond Richardson, they typically publish these in local newspapers and on their own website. The standard format includes the full name, age, city of residence, date of death, a summary of life milestones, and surviving family members. Some families also include service details right in the obituary, while others keep that separate for the funeral program. I ran into a specific problem once with a family who wanted to list every single organization their father belonged to during his 60-year career. The draft was about 40 lines long. Newspaper obituary sections charge by the line or by the word, so this would have cost nearly $200 instead of the usual $50-80 range. The workaround was simple: we grouped them into categories like "Professional Associations," "Community Service," and "Religious Organizations" with just the major ones named. That cut the length in half and actually made it more readable. Nobody scans an obituary looking for complete organizational histories anyway.
Here is how the process typically works at Redmond Richardson. You contact the funeral home after the passing, either by phone or in person. They will collect basic biographical information from you. The obituary writer or funeral director then drafts it for your review. You can request changes, and once approved, they handle the submission to the newspaper and any online posting. The whole thing usually takes about two to three hours from first call to final draft, assuming you have the information ready. One thing beginners miss is that obituary content rules vary by publication. The Shreveport Times has different requirements than the Alexandria Daily Town Talk. Redmond Richardson knows these differences and will typically advise you on word limits and formatting requirements before you finalize anything. Always ask about this upfront if you want the obituary in multiple papers. There is also a timing consideration. Most newspapers run obituaries within one to three business days of submission. If you need same-day or next-day publication, you should mention this when you call. Redmond Richardson can sometimes expedite the newspaper submission, but the website posting on their own platform is usually immediate once approved.
Some families ask whether they should include cause of death. This is entirely optional. Many Louisiana funeral homes, including Redmond Richardson, will omit it unless the family specifically requests its inclusion. Medical privacy laws do not require disclosure in obituaries. The standard practice is to say "passed away" or "died" without elaboration. The cost structure at Redmond Richardson is generally bundled into the funeral service package. Some families choose a direct cremation or burial and still want an obituary published. In those cases, there may be a small additional fee for writing and placement assistance, but it is typically far less than hiring a standalone memorial service. I would estimate anywhere from $100 to $300 total depending on how many newspapers and whether you use their website. For digital memorials, Redmond Richardson maintains an online obituary section where families can add photos, share memories, and link to service information. This is separate from the newspaper submission. The online version can be updated after the funeral if needed, which is useful if service details change or if you want to add a thank-you note later.
Get the Full Details
If you need to access existing obituaries from Redmond Richardson, their website at redmondrichardson.com has a searchable archives section. You can look up past notices by name or date. This is helpful if you are trying to find an old obituary for genealogical research or if you need to reference format examples from previous services.
What to Prepare Before You Call
Gathering information beforehand makes the process significantly faster. You will need the deceased full legal name, including any middle names or suffixes. Birth date and place of birth are standard. List of surviving immediate family members: spouse, children, grandchildren, and sometimes siblings. Predeceased relatives if you want to include them. Occupation and employer, especially if it is notable or long-term. Military service details if applicable, as this can qualify for special newspaper formatting in some cases. Church affiliation or community organizations if the family wants that highlighted. Service time and location if you plan to include it in the obituary itself. The hardest part for most families is deciding what to leave out. You do not need to list every job you held, every vacation you took, or every award you received. Two or three meaningful career highlights and a sentence or two about personal interests is usually sufficient. The goal is to give readers a sense of who the person was, not to compile a complete resume. Redmond Richardson Funeral Home is located at 700 N 11th St in Shreveport, Louisiana. Their phone number is (318) 222-9000. They serve the Shreveport and Bossier City areas. Most Louisiana funeral homes follow similar obituary processes, but local newspaper relationships can vary, so using a funeral home with established connections to regional publications can save time and reduce errors.
One limitation worth noting: if the family does not respond to draft reviews within 24 hours, the obituary may not run in the next available newspaper issue. Deadlines are usually early afternoon, Monday through Friday. Weekend deaths mean the first possible publication is typically Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the paper. Plan accordingly if timing matters for your situation. For those looking for alternative approaches, some families now choose to publish solely through online memorial platforms instead of traditional newspapers. These options are often cheaper and can include photo galleries and guest books. Redmond Richardson can accommodate this preference if discussed in advance. The tradeoff is reduced reach among older readers who may not encounter online-only notices. The obituary writing process at Redmond Richardson follows standard Louisiana funeral home practices. The key is to communicate clearly about your needs, review drafts carefully before approval, and understand the costs and deadlines involved. Most families complete the entire obituary process within a few days of the passing, allowing the notice to reach the community while memories are still fresh.
