Understanding Local Obituary Practices at Geib Funeral Home
If you've needed to work with Geib Funeral Home in New Philadelphia, Ohio on an obituary, you already know the process isn't exactly straightforward. The staff there has been handling placements for decades, and they have their own way of doing things. Most people expect to just drop off a draft and pick up a printed proof, but that's not really how it works here. The obituary process at Geib operates on a system that blends their traditional print approach with a newer digital presence. They publish in the Times Reporter and also maintain an online memorial section. Understanding both channels matters more than you'd think. When I handled a placement for my uncle last fall, I learned the hard way that these two sections have different word count limits and different submission deadlines. The print version needs to be submitted by noon two days before publication. The online version is more flexible, but the two run on completely separate timelines. I spent twenty minutes on the phone trying to get them to align both publications to the same date. The rep was helpful but made it clear they can't control the newspaper's production schedule. My workaround was to submit the shorter print version first to hit their deadline, then send the fuller online version separately. It wasn't ideal. The two obituaries ran a week apart, but at least both got published. People missed the full version because they only caught the print one.
One thing nobody tells you about obituaries at Geib is that the pricing structure isn't flat. It's based on word count, number of photographs, and whether you want a border around the text. A standard obituary with one photo runs around $200 to $275 depending on length. Adding a second photo bumps it up another $40 or so. The online-only option is cheaper, usually closer to $120 to $150 for the same content. If you're on a tight budget, sticking to the online placement alone saves meaningful money, though I'd strongly advise against that. Print obituaries still reach a demographic that doesn't check Facebook or the funeral home website. People in their seventies and up, which is often the social circle of the deceased. Another counter-intuitive detail is that Geib does not write obituaries from scratch for free. You can pay them to draft one, but that's a separate service that runs about $75 to $150 depending on complexity. Most families write their own and just submit it for review. The review process catches errors, sure, but it also sometimes cuts content they don't agree with. I had a draft rejected once because the family included a list of favorite hobbies that the funeral director felt was too informal. That's a judgment call on their part, and you can push back, but it takes phone calls and patience. Here's the practical workflow. Call the front desk at (330) 339-7500 and ask for the obituary department. They'll send you a intake form. Fill it out completely before you submit anything. Missing a single detail like a maiden name or a surviving sibling's name means a correction later, and corrections cost extra. Include the full biographical information, the service details, and any charitable donation requests. Triple-check the dates. A wrong birth year or death date is the most common error I see, and fixing it after publication requires a separate correction notice that costs another fee.
Photograph selection matters more than people realize. Geib accepts digital files, but they have specific requirements. The image needs to be at least 300 DPI and in JPEG or PNG format. A quick phone snapshot won't cut it. I've seen families send blurry Instagram photos and gotten turned away. Use a proper headshot or a clear printed photo that someone scans at high resolution. The quality of the photo directly affects how it reproduces in print, and a pixelated image looks terrible next to the text. There's a bottleneck that catches everyone off guard. During high-volume periods, particularly around holidays and in the winter months when deaths cluster, the review and approval process can take 24 to 48 hours longer than usual. If your funeral service is scheduled for a Saturday and you submit the obituary on Thursday afternoon, you might not get the proof until Friday evening. Plan ahead. Submit at least three business days before you need the proof. Some people ask if they can edit the obituary after it's been submitted. The answer is yes, but each revision carries a fee, usually around $25 per change. Minor typo fixes sometimes get waved, but substantial rewrites will cost. This is why getting the draft right the first time matters so much. Read it aloud to someone before you send it. Have two other people read it too. You'll catch things your own brain skips over.
Get the Full Details
The online memorial page that Geib maintains is worth setting up even if you only do print. It gives people a place to leave condolences and share memories. The staff can link it to the funeral service livestream if you arrange that in advance. Not all families know that option exists. It's available through their partnership with a streaming platform, but you have to request it specifically when you submit the obituary. If the process feels overwhelming, remember that the people at Geib have done this thousands of times. They've seen every type of family dynamic and every kind of mistake. Don't be embarrassed to ask questions or request a phone consultation. That initial call is where most people save themselves hours of confusion.
