Submitting Obituaries to the Local Paper: What Actually Works
I've spent more years than I'd like to admit helping families navigate the process of getting death notices placed in the The Fond Du Lac Reporter A Glimpse Into The Lives Of The Recently Departed section. It sounds straightforward on the surface, but there are enough moving pieces that people routinely mess things up. Below is what I've learned from doing this repeatedly. The basics are: the full legal name of the deceased, date of death, surviving family members you want listed, funeral home information, and whether they're requesting donations instead of flowers. That's the minimum. But the real work starts after that initial list. I had a case last fall where a family submitted an obituary through the online form, got it approved, and then received a call from the editorial desk asking why three different surnames appeared for siblings without explanation. They'd listed stepchildren alongside biological children with no context. The piece held up for publication, but it required a corrective edit on the next day's page. That never should have happened. Make sure every relationship label in your draft is unambiguous before you hit submit.
The Submission Process
The Reporter accepts obituaries through their website's guest services portal and by phone. The online route is generally faster but the phone route gives you a human on the other end who can flag issues in real time. I recommend calling if the obituary runs longer than 300 words or if there are complicated family dynamics to describe. A good window for calling is between 9 AM and 3 PM on weekdays when the staff is present. Word counts matter here. The standard obituary runs about $4.50 per line with a minimum of 10 lines. A typical full obituary sits around 25 to 40 lines depending on how many survivors you include. Memorial cards and shorter death notices cost less but have different formatting rules. The staff will adjust your text to fit, but they won't shorten it for you if it exceeds what you're prepared to pay for. Plan your budget before you finalize the wording.
Timeline Reality
If you submit before 2 PM on a weekday, it typically runs the next business day. Weekend submissions hold until Monday. Emergencies happen, and I've seen families need same-day placement after an unexpected passing. That's possible with an expedited fee, but it costs roughly double the standard rate and you're at the mercy of whoever is covering the desk that shift. One thing most people don't realize: once the piece runs, corrections aren't free. A misspelled name or wrong date costs $25 per correction line and usually doesn't appear until the following day. Get the spelling of every name right the first time. I always have families read the draft back to me word by word, including nicknames and maiden names, because that's where the errors hide.
Get the Full Details
Pitfalls to Avoid
Putting the cause of death in the body text is one. Some families want it there. Some don't. The paper will publish it if you request it, but it's worth considering how permanent that becomes online. The Reporter archives everything, and search engines pick it up. A sentence about cancer or an overdose stays findable for years. Another common mistake is including the wrong phone number for the funeral home. I've corrected this at least a dozen times in the past year alone. Double check that the number matches the listing for the actual location handling services, not the main office if there's a branch near the family's home.
A Word on Alternatives
If cost is a concern, memorial cards through the funeral home are cheaper and still distributed locally. If the family wants broader reach, a Facebook memorial page spreads faster than any print placement. The Reporter remains the best option for families who want a permanent, community-acknowledged record. Just don't treat it like a paperwork checkbox. Put the effort into getting it right upfront.
