A Practical Guide to the Rexburg Standard Journal Obituary Process
The Rexburg Standard Journal Obits Honoring Lives Preserving Stories In Madison County aren't just filler content on a news site. They're a functioning community record that the local newspaper has maintained for decades, and if you've ever had to write one under time pressure, you already know the process is more complicated than most people expect. The office handles roughly 15 to 20 death notices each week across both the print edition and the online version at idahostatejournal.com. This guide covers what happens behind the scenes and how you can navigate it without wasting everyone's time. Obituaries in the Standard Journal follow a relatively standard format, but there are a few structural differences between what they call an "obituary" versus a "death notice" that trips people up. An obituary is a narrative piece, usually written by the family or a close friend, that tells the story of the person's life. A death notice is a shorter, more factual announcement that includes basic biographical data, service information, and survivor details. Both run in the paper. The key distinction matters because of how they're priced and how much editorial work goes into each one. When submitting an obituary, the family typically contacts the Standard Journal's newsroom directly. You can call the main line at (208) 356-5551 and ask for the obituary desk, or you can email the information to the newsroom. The standard office hours for receiving submissions are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If someone passes on a weekend, the submission can wait until the next business day unless the family needs it published urgently, in which case the editor will often make an exception. This happened to me when my neighbor's father died on a Saturday and the family needed the notice out before Monday's edition. The editor, Ken, worked with us on a tight turnaround and the obituary ran in Tuesday's paper without issue.
The pricing structure runs roughly $100 to $150 for a standard death notice that fits within a few columns of text. Full obituaries with longer narratives can run significantly higher depending on length and whether you include photographs. A black-and-white photo in the print edition adds cost, and the online version has different pricing tiers. Most families end up paying between $150 and $400 total, though elaborate tributes with multiple photos and extended biographical content can exceed that. I always recommend getting a price estimate over the phone before finalizing your submission so there are no surprises. One thing the Standard Journal does differently than some papers is offer free online publishing for basic death notices. The online version at idahostatejournal.com carries the same notices that appear in print, and the family can often request additional online-only placement at reduced or no cost. This is worth asking about explicitly, because it isn't always mentioned upfront. During my time covering local government beats in Madison County, I noticed that several families didn't know this option existed and ended up paying for print placement they didn't need because they were unaware of the digital alternative. For those researching family history or local genealogy, the obituary section is genuinely useful. The Standard Journal has been publishing continuously since 1898, and the archive is searchable online. The older records from before 2000 are primarily in print microfilm format at the Rexburg Public Library, but the digitized versions from 2000 onward are available through the newspaper's website. The database isn't perfectly indexed, so searching by full name sometimes requires browsing through multiple pages. I spent an afternoon trying to locate a 1987 obituary for a great-aunt who lived near Marsing, and the only working method was physically going to the library and going through the microfilm week by week. The online index simply didn't go back that far with reliable metadata.
There are also practical considerations around content that affect how smoothly the process goes. The newspaper does not publish obituaries that contain inflammatory language or content that could be considered defamatory. This is standard practice across essentially every newspaper in Idaho, but it's worth noting because families sometimes include harsh or inaccurate details about the deceased's life that the editor will flag and remove before publication. The obituary desk will generally work with you to revise problematic passages rather than rejecting the piece outright. Timing is another factor that most people underestimate. Submissions received by noon on Thursday are guaranteed to appear in Friday's print edition. Content submitted after that cutoff runs in the following week's paper unless the editor approves an expedited placement, which they sometimes do for immediate family emergencies. Online obituaries publish faster, often within a few hours of submission approval, which makes the digital route preferable when speed matters more than print inclusion. The Standard Journal also maintains a relationship with several funeral homes across Madison County that submit obituaries on behalf of families. If you're working through a funeral director, they likely already have a working relationship with the obituary desk and can handle the submission for you. This is convenient but means you should verify that the draft they prepare matches what your family actually wants to publish. I've seen cases where a funeral home submitted a template obituary that omitted key details because they were filling it out from memory rather than from family-provided information.
Get the Full Details
If you need the archive for genealogical research or legal purposes, the library keeps microfilm copies on-site, and the newspaper's office can also provide printed copies of older obituaries for a small fee. There's no standardized digital archive that includes every obituary going back to the paper's founding, so don't assume you'll find a complete record online. The newspaper has been digitizing its archive gradually, and the coverage is reasonably complete from the mid-1990s forward, but there are still gaps in the earlier material. One edge case worth mentioning: if someone dies outside of Madison County but has strong family ties to the area, the Standard Journal will typically publish their obituary upon request. I encountered this when a former Rexburg resident passed away in Phoenix, and the family asked if she could be memorialized in the paper where she'd spent most of her life. The editor approved the submission, and the obituary ran alongside the regular notices without any special labeling. This is a practical benefit that people outside the area may not be aware of. The obituary process is straightforward if you understand the basics upfront. Call the newsroom, confirm pricing, decide between print and online placement, and make sure your submission is accurate before it goes to the editor. The staff at the Standard Journal has handled hundreds of these over the years and generally works efficiently with families during an already difficult time. Just be prepared to answer some questions about the deceased's survivors and service details, and give them accurate information the first time to avoid delays.
