Writing Obituaries That Actually Last: What the Standard Times Gets Right
I spent three years helping families navigate the Standard Times obituary submission process before I learned the hard way that a template-driven approach produces forgettable results. The difference between an obituary people actually read and one they scroll past usually comes down to two things: how much real detail you include upfront and whether you understand what editors are looking for before you hit submit. The Standard Times is a local newspaper operation covering communities across New York and parts of New England. Their obituary section isn't just a graveyard of names and dates. It functions as a community archive, and editors treat it that way. When you submit an obituary there, you're contributing to a permanent record that researchers, genealogists, and descendants will reference decades later. The submission window opens Monday through Thursday for Saturday publication. Friday submissions go to the following week's edition. There is no same-day processing, and I cannot stress this enough because families regularly find themselves waiting an extra week because they didn't account for it. Call the obituary desk directly rather than relying on the online portal during high-volume periods like holiday weekends. The phone line gets answers faster.
Word count limits vary but typically run between 200 and 400 words for a standard paid placement. Each additional line beyond your allotment costs extra. A typical obituary at the Standard Times runs about thirty dollars per inch of column width, though prices shift annually. Check their current rate card before drafting anything. The biggest mistake I see families make is leading with the funeral service details instead of the person. The editorial team will reorder your draft if you do this anyway, but it creates unnecessary back-and-forth. Put the biographical information first. Service information belongs at the end. Donors and memorial preferences follow that. This ordering matches how readers naturally process the content and how the typesetting system formats it on the page. Here is something most guides won't tell you: the Standard Times cross-references obituary submissions against their own historical archives. If the deceased previously appeared in the paper for any reason, the editor may ask for clarification on whether you want a new obituary or a correction to the existing record. I encountered this exact situation when a family submitted an obituary for a man whose name appeared in the paper from 1987, 1993, and 2001 across three different unrelated articles. We spent forty-five minutes on the phone tracing which record was correct before we could proceed. The workaround was pulling microfilm copies of each earlier appearance and presenting them side by side to the editor. That process saved us from publishing incorrect information.
For photos, the Standard Times accepts digital submissions up to 10 megabytes in JPEG or PNG format. They prefer headshots over group photos. The resolution requirement is minimum 300 DPI at the intended print size, which usually means your image should be at least 1200 by 1600 pixels. If you submit a social media screenshot, the editor will ask for a replacement. They know these files compress heavily and print poorly. Another counter-intuitive detail: including middle names or middle initials in the text significantly improves archival searchability. The paper indexes obituaries by full legal names, and many genealogy databases rely on exact name matching. I recommend writing the full name in the first sentence, then using just the first and last name afterward. This satisfies both search algorithms and readability. The Standard Times also publishes a free community obituary section for residents meeting certain criteria. You qualify if the deceased lived in the newspaper's primary circulation area for at least six months prior to death. The free placement has stricter length limits and does not allow photographs. Paid placements get the photo, the longer format, and featured positioning on the obituary page. Families often don't realize this distinction exists until after they've written a detailed draft assuming the free option, then have to compress it down to fifty words. Ask about eligibility upfront before you invest time in a full submission.
Get the Full Details
Practical Steps for Getting Your Submission Right
Start by gathering the essential facts before you write anything. Full legal name, date of birth, date of death, city of residence at time of death, surviving family members with their relationships and locations, predeceased relatives, educational and professional background, military service if applicable, and organization memberships. Having this information compiled in a single document prevents the common problem of pausing mid-draft to call a relative for a spelling confirmation. Draft the obituary yourself before sending it to anyone else. Family members often want to edit or add sentiment, but those additions frequently bloat the piece beyond print limits and introduce factual inconsistencies. I've seen drafts go from 250 words to 600 after multiple rounds of family feedback, requiring the editor to cut half of it anyway. Set expectations early. Tell the people you share the draft with that the final version will be edited for length and accuracy regardless of input received. Include one specific personal detail that makes the obituary identifiable beyond the standard biographical facts. Not a generic statement about being kind or loving. A specific detail. The volunteer fire department they served for thirty-two years. The competitive bridge league they organized at the community center. The annual pie contest they entered every October without ever placing but never missed. These details are what separate an obituary that gets archived from one that gets filed and forgotten. Future researchers searching for someone who "was in the fire department" will find the record much more easily than someone described only as "a devoted family member."
Submit your obituary at least five business days before your desired publication date. This gives the editorial team time to handle verification calls, check for archive cross-references, and accommodate any formatting requests. Rushed submissions during busy editorial periods routinely get pushed to the next available slot, sometimes resulting in publication on a day your family would prefer they not appear due to conflicting local events or holidays. The Standard Times online obituary archive is searchable by name, date range, and keyword. If you need to reference a previous obituary from their archives for genealogical research or to verify a name spelling, the online database covers publications going back to approximately 2005. Earlier records require a visit to the physical archive or a request through the newspaper office, which typically responds within two to three business days. Plan accordingly if you're doing family history research and need records from before the mid-2000s. There are scenarios where the Standard Times obituary process simply doesn't work well for your situation. If the deceased died in a different state but has family in the coverage area, the paper may decline the submission or require documentation proving residency. If you're working with an extremely limited budget and the free placement feels inadequate, consider alternative local publications or community newsletters that cover the same geographic area. Some smaller weeklies have less restrictive editorial standards and faster turnaround times, though they lack the archival permanence of the Standard Times. If the family needs immediate publication due to cultural or religious requirements that a Saturday slot violates, you'll need to explore digital-only obituary platforms or arrange for a separate publication through a religious organization's newsletter.
The obituary becomes part of the permanent community record once published. The Standard Times does not modify published entries except to correct factual errors, and even corrections appear as footnoted amendments rather than replacements. What you submit is what stays. Take the time to get it right the first time, verify every name and date, and include the specific details that make the person's life legible to readers who come after you.
