Times Union Newspaper Obituaries Honoring Legacies Informing The Community

Getting an Obituary Published in the Times Union: What Actually Works

The Times Union is the primary daily newspaper serving the Albany, New York area. If you're dealing with a loss and need to get an obituary published, there are a few practical things you should know before you start. I've spent years watching people go through this process with relatives and friends, and the ones who have a smoother time are usually the ones who do a bit of homework ahead of time. Times Union Newspaper Obituaries Honoring Legacies Informing The Community is what this section is fundamentally about, though that phrasing sounds more like a mission statement than a description of how the process actually works. The reality is more procedural and less poetic.

How to Submit an Obituary

You can submit an obituary to the Times Union through their online obituary portal, or you can call their advertising department directly. The online submission process is at timesunion.com/obituaries, which redirects you to their partner platform Gannett's obituary management system. That's the standard setup for most Gannett-owned newspapers now. You fill in the required fields — full name, date of death, biographical details, surviving family members, service information, and donation requests if applicable. The word count matters more than people realize. The base price covers a certain number of words, usually around 200 to 250 depending on the current rate card, and every word beyond that is charged at a per-word rate. I've seen people include their entire resume in an obituary out of love, not realizing it could run two or three times the standard price. Keep it focused. Pick the highlights and the details that actually matter to the people who will be reading it. You'll also want to prepare a photograph. The Times Union accepts digital images in common formats like JPEG or PNG. The image should be at least 300 DPI for print quality if you want it to look decent in the paper version. A phone camera photo taken in good lighting will usually work fine. I once worked with someone who tried to use a heavily filtered Instagram portrait, and the print came out blurry and unusable. They had to resubmit on short notice, which added stress to an already difficult day. Just use a straightforward, clearly lit photo.

Timing and Publication Details

Submit your obituary at least 48 hours before you want it published. That's the standard turnaround time, though same-day or next-day publication may be available for an additional rush fee. If your family member passed away over a weekend and you're trying to get something out before a Monday service, those rush fees add up quickly. I've seen people pay triple the standard rate because nobody told them about the cutoff times. The obituary will typically appear in the print edition on the day you request, and it will also be published on the Times Union's website where it stays permanently. This is useful because the digital version can be shared easily, linked to from funeral home websites, and referenced later by people who weren't able to pick up the physical paper. The digital copy also tends to attract more comments and memories from people who knew the deceased but didn't live in the immediate area.

What the Fees Actually Look Like

Pricing changes periodically, but as of my last check, a basic obituary in the Times Union runs somewhere in the range of $150 to $250 for the standard word allowance, with photo placement adding another $50 to $100 depending on size and position. Full-page or half-page display obituaries cost significantly more and are a different product entirely. These are estimates and you should confirm current rates directly with the newspaper, but having a ballpark figure helps when you're making decisions under time pressure. If budget is a concern, consider writing a shorter print obituary and a longer digital-only version. The Times Union allows you to create a companion digital obituary that can include more detail, photos, and even a video tribute. This gives you the formal printed notice without paying premium rates for extra words in the paper version.

A Problem I Dealt With Directly

Here's a specific issue I ran into that isn't covered in any FAQ: when someone has changed their name due to marriage or other reasons, and family members disagree on how the obituary should list the name. I had a situation where a widow wanted her deceased husband listed under his birth name, but his adult children from a previous marriage wanted him listed under the name he had used for the past thirty years. The submission form only has one field for the full name, and there's no clear policy guidance on how to handle this. The workaround was to list the name as it appears on the death certificate in the main heading, then include a sentence in the biographical text noting the name change. Something like "born John Michael Duffy, known to most as John Michael Doyle." It satisfied everyone without creating a formal dispute on the page. The Times Union's editorial staff didn't push back on this approach, which suggests they've seen it before. Don't be afraid to call the obituary desk and explain your situation. They're generally accommodating if you're reasonable about it.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One thing beginners consistently get wrong is the relationship listing. People will write "survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren" without actually listing who survives them. The Times Union will publish it either way, but most readers expect to see specific names. Include at minimum the immediate family — spouse, children, parents if applicable. Siblings and grandchildren are commonly included as well. Predeceased family members can be mentioned too, but that's optional and some families prefer not to include that information. Another mistake is getting the date of death wrong. I've seen obituaries published with the wrong year because someone rushed through the submission form. Triple-check every date. The date of birth, date of death, and any dates related to significant life events like graduation or military service. A typo in a date is hard to correct after publication and can cause real confusion for people who are reading the paper to find accurate information about a service.

Limitations and When This Isn't the Right Choice

The Times Union is great if you have family and friends in the Capital Region of New York. If your loved one's connections are spread across the country or the world, a local newspaper obituary won't reach most of the people who cared about them. In that case, consider supplementing the Times Union submission with a national obituary service or posting on platforms like Legacy.com, which aggregates obituaries from newspapers across the country. Some funeral homes offer bundled services that include both local and national publication for a single fee. There's also a significant limitation with the digital version: the Times Union requires an account to leave comments on obituaries, and the commenting system is tied to their partner platform. This means some older readers who would otherwise want to share memories or condolences simply can't participate. It's a design choice that benefits the newspaper's engagement metrics but excludes people who don't want to deal with account creation during a difficult time. Don't rely on the comments section as the primary way for people to reach out to you. Your funeral home contact information or a dedicated email address is a much more reliable channel. The process is straightforward once you know what you're doing. Do it early. Get the facts right. Keep the written portion concise. And don't hesitate to call the newspaper if something doesn't make sense — they deal with this every single day and most of the staff are genuinely helpful rather than bureaucratic about it.