What You Need to Know About Publishing in Sioux Falls Obituaries
If you're in the position of needing to place an obituary notice in Sioux Falls, the process is straightforward but there are a few details that people routinely miss. The main outlet for this is the Argus Leader's online obituary section, which runs in partnership with funeral homes across the region. Most families go through a funeral home, and the funeral director handles the submission. But if you're doing it independently or helping someone else, here's how it actually works. The Argus Leader site accepts submissions for both paid and free obituaries. A standard paid obituary with a photo and full text runs around $150 to $200 depending on length and whether you include additional photos beyond the first one. A bare-bones death notice — just name, date, and service information — can sometimes be placed at a lower cost or even free depending on current policy. Memorial ads from organizations or groups run significantly higher, easily $300 to $600 for a full page. The turnaround time for publication is typically the same day if you submit before 2 p.m., otherwise it rolls into the next day's print and online edition. That matters more than people realize, especially if the family is coordinating around a particular service date.
Here's a practical tip: if the deceased was a veteran, the American Legion, VFW, or other organization may offer to cover part or all of the obituary cost. I've seen families get this completely for free after their first attempt resulted in a standard charge, because they didn't know to ask. The funeral home staff usually knows about these programs, but they won't always volunteer the information unless you prompt them. It's worth mentioning the veteran status upfront and asking directly. The paperwork takes about two minutes and can save you real money. When it comes to content, the obituary itself is your best opportunity to actually say something about the person beyond dates and surviving relatives. The template most publications provide — name, age, city, survivors, service details — is fine for the basic legal requirement. But the narrative section is where the difference shows up. People who read these online often do so because they knew the person or want to understand who they were. A well-written obituary gets shared, commented on, and referenced for years. A bare-bones one gets scrolled past. One common mistake I see repeatedly: people write the obituary in a way that sounds like a resume. Years of employment, list of achievements, institutional affiliations. That reads flat because it's not how people talk about someone they remember. Specificity wins. Instead of "she was a dedicated teacher for thirty years," write "she taught third grade at Lincoln Elementary for three decades and every student in her class knew she kept emergency candy in her desk drawer." The second version is what stays with readers.
There's also the matter of photographs. The Argus Leader and its online partners will publish one photo with a standard obituary at no extra charge beyond the base fee. Additional photos cost extra per image. The technical specs require a minimum resolution of about 300 DPI and a landscape orientation for best results. If you send a phone snapshot that's been cropped and recompressed through messaging apps, it will likely get rejected or look blurry in print. Use the original file from the camera or phone, not the compressed version sitting in your iMessage or WhatsApp history. If you're dealing with an unusual situation — say, the family wants to honor a life that doesn't fit the traditional obituary format — the online platform gives you more flexibility than the print version. Digital obituaries can run longer, include video, and stay up indefinitely. Print obituaries are constrained by column inches and daily layout decisions. For someone whose life was unconventional or who doesn't have a traditional family structure, the digital space is often a better fit. The submission portal is accessible through the Argus Leader website under the obituaries section. You'll need to create an account or sign in with Facebook or Google. Fill in the required fields, upload your photo, and write or paste the full text. You can save and return to edit before final submission. Once submitted, there's typically a confirmation email with a preview link. Check that preview carefully. A typo in a date or a misspelled name of a surviving family member is embarrassing and correcting it after publication may require a separate amendment notice, which some families feel is worse than the original error.
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For those managing obituaries as part of a broader memorial effort — say a community fundraising page or a tribute site — the Argus Leader obituary can serve as an anchor. Link back to it from whatever other memorial materials you're creating. It adds legitimacy and ensures the information stays consistent across platforms. I've noticed that families who do this tend to have fewer follow-up questions from distant relatives who find out about the passing through social media rather than the official channels. The biggest bottleneck most people hit is timing. If a death occurs on a Friday afternoon, the earliest publication is Monday's paper. That's four days of waiting. During that gap, people are posting on social media, asking funeral homes for details, trying to figure out what happened. Having a draft ready before you need it — which is almost always sooner than you expect — eliminates that gap. Keep a blank obituary template with the basic biographical data filled in. When the call comes, you're minutes away from submission rather than hours of research and writing. There's also the question of privacy. Including the full address of the family home, the exact location of the service venue, or other personal details can be a security risk, especially in smaller communities where everyone knows everyone anyway. Use the funeral home's address for the service information rather than a home address. It's a small detail that prevents unnecessary exposure.
If you're working with a funeral home, they have a direct feed to the Argus Leader and many other regional publications. That means they can push the obituary to multiple outlets simultaneously — the paper, their own website, and partner sites like Legacy.com. This is generally more efficient than submitting independently, but it does mean you're relying on their timeline. Some funeral homes batch their submissions once per day. If you need same-day placement, confirm with them directly how often they submit and whether they can prioritize yours. For anyone navigating this process while grieving, the administrative details are exhausting and the last thing you want to think about. That's normal. The obituary process doesn't have to be complicated. Have the essential facts ready, write something that actually captures the person, get the photo sorted, and submit it. The rest is handled from there.
