Writing and Submitting Obituaries to The Taunton Gazette
Obituaries in local newspapers like The Taunton Gazette are not just formal death notices. They function as community archives. Each one records who lived in the area, where they came from, what they did, and who survives them. The process of getting one published involves more than filling out a template. There are editorial expectations, legal considerations, and practical constraints that people frequently overlook until it is too late. The Gazette publishes obituaries through a combination of submissions from funeral homes and independent writers. Most of the papers that come across their desk each day originate from the local funeral directors who handle arrangements. If you are not working through a funeral home, you can still submit directly, but the editorial team will review the piece more closely for accuracy and tone before it runs. This is not a negative thing, but it does mean the turnaround time is slower compared to funeral home submissions which are often pre-vetted. Here is how the process actually works in practice.
You begin by gathering the core facts. Full legal name, date of birth, date of death, place of death if the family wishes it included, a brief biographical sketch, surviving family members, predeceased relatives, service details, and any charitable donation preferences. The biographical section is where most people struggle. The Gazette prefers between 200 and 400 words for a standard obituary. Going significantly over that threshold triggers an additional page fee, and going under often results in the editor asking you to expand it. There is no hard minimum listed on their website, but anything below 150 words usually gets flagged as insufficient. When you draft the piece, write it in third person. Avoid religious or military jargon unless the deceased explicitly identified with those organizations throughout their life. The editorial staff will remove subjective language like "beloved" or "devoted" in some cases, though this is inconsistent. I have seen pieces with those words published without comment and others trimmed back. The safest approach is to let the facts speak for themselves and describe qualities through actions rather than labels. One specific problem I ran into involved a submission for an individual who had been adopted and later reunited with their birth family. The family wanted both sets of parents mentioned along with the legal surname. The funeral home submission form does not have a clear field for this kind of complex family structure. The initial draft listed only the adoptive parents, which the birth family found deeply offensive. The workaround was to contact the Gazette obituary editor directly before publication, explain the situation, and provide a revised version that acknowledged both families respectfully. This took about 20 minutes of phone time and prevented a serious conflict. If your situation involves non-traditional family structures, never assume the standard form will accommodate it. Call the office first.
The submission itself can be made online through The Taunton Gazette website or by emailing the obituary desk. You will need a PDF or Word document attachment along with a photograph. The photo requirements are specific: minimum 300 DPI, JPEG or PNG format, and no larger than 2MB. I have had submissions rejected twice for images that looked fine on screen but were compressed far too heavily by email clients. Always attach the file directly and verify the file size before sending. Payment is processed at the time of submission. The cost is determined by word count and whether you include a photograph. As of the most recent pricing I have seen, a standard obituary under 200 words runs around $150 to $200, with each additional 50 words adding roughly $25 to $35. Photographs add another $50 to $75. These prices change periodically, so confirm current rates directly with the newspaper before you finalize anything. Proofreading is non-negotiable. Spelling errors in names, dates, or places are the most common reason for corrections after publication. A single wrong date on a death notice can create legal complications for the family, particularly if it conflicts with Social Security or probate records. Have at least two people review the final draft before you submit it. I usually recommend having one person check the facts against the death certificate and another person read it purely for flow and tone.
Get the Full Details
There are legitimate limitations to this process that families should understand. The editorial review system means you do not have full control over the final text. Editors may rephrase sentences, move sections around, or cut content they feel is unnecessary. You can request changes, but the final decision rests with the editorial staff. If you require absolute control over wording, publicating through a paid memorial website alongside the newspaper submission is a practical alternative. Another constraint is timing. Obituaries typically run one to three days after submission, depending on volume. During holiday weekends or periods of high mortality, such as flu seasons, turnaround can extend to five business days. If the family needs the obituary published on a specific date, submit it at least 72 hours in advance. Rush processing is sometimes available for an additional fee, but it is not guaranteed. The longer-term value of these obituaries extends beyond the print edition. The Gazette maintains an online archive that remains searchable indefinitely. This means the piece functions as a permanent public record. Genealogists, distant relatives, and historical researchers regularly search these archives. Accurate information in the obituary helps people trace family connections they might otherwise never discover. This is why the details matter more than the format.
If you are dealing with this process right now, focus on getting the facts right rather than worrying about elegant phrasing. The Gazette readers care about accuracy. The family needs completeness. Everything else is secondary.
