Understanding Local Obituary Practices at Franklin Strickland Funeral Home
Franklin Strickland Funeral Home in Chattanooga handles obituaries differently than the big national chains you see online. They keep things straightforward, which is honestly a relief when you're dealing with arrangements during a stressful time. The office has been operating out of the Chattanooga area for decades, and their process reflects that kind of local, no-nonsense approach. The obituary process at this facility starts with a basic intake form. You provide the deceased's full name, date of birth, date of passing, and surviving family members. That's it for the core data. From there, the funeral director drafts the piece and sends it to you for review before publication. The typical turnaround from death to published obituary is about 24 to 36 hours if everything is in order. Missing information slows it down, sometimes pushing it to two or three days. One thing that catches people off guard is that Franklin Strickland publishes obituaries through the Chattanooga Times Free Press as their primary outlet, but they also maintain an online listing on their own website. The online version is usually posted first, often within hours of the service being arranged. The print version follows on a delay tied to the newspaper's submission cutoff, which is typically mid-morning on the day before publication. If you miss that window, your notice goes out the next available edition. This matters because families sometimes expect same-day print placement, and it simply doesn't work that way with daily newspapers.
I ran into this exact issue last year when a client needed an obituary published urgently due to a memorial service being moved up. The family had relocated several relatives from out of state and needed the notice out fast. I walked them through the website-first option and coordinated with the newspaper for the earliest possible print slot. We got the online version live within twelve hours and the print version two days later. Not ideal, but workable when you understand the pipeline. The content guidelines are reasonably standard. They ask for biographical details, survivals, predeceased family, service information, and a brief life summary. The word count for a standard obituary runs anywhere from 150 to 400 words depending on how much detail you include. Longer pieces cost more in the print version because the Chattanooga Times Free Press charges by the line or by the inch. The online posting has no extra charge regardless of length, which is worth knowing if you want to include extensive biographical information without blowing the budget. Photographs are accepted but there are practical limitations. The online format handles standard JPEG or PNG files up to about 5 megabytes. Print requires higher resolution, and the funeral home will typically scan a physical photo or accept a high-resolution digital file. I've seen families send heavily compressed phone photos that worked fine online but got rejected for print. If you plan to include a photo in both places, use a source file that's at least 300 DPI at the intended print size. This saves a back-and-forth that delays everything by a day.
There's a nuance most people miss about memorialization choices at this funeral home. They offer traditional burial, cremation, and green burial options, and the type of service directly affects what gets included in the obituary. A green burial obituary typically includes specific language about the eco-friendly nature of the interment, which some families want highlighted and others find unnecessary. The funeral directors won't push either way, but they will make sure the language matches what was actually arranged. Getting this wrong in the draft creates an awkward correction cycle that delays publication. Another counter-intuitive point: the obituary is not the same as the death certificate, and mixing them up causes problems. A death certificate is a legal document filed with the state. An obituary is a personal announcement. Some families try to have the obituary serve as official proof of death for estate purposes, which it cannot do. Banks, courts, and insurance companies require the actual death certificate, not a newspaper clipping. I've watched people waste hours trying to use obituaries for legal proceedings because they didn't understand the distinction early on. If you're working with Franklin Strickland on obituaries, here's the practical workflow I'd recommend. Gather all the necessary information before your first meeting with the director. Have full names, dates, relationships, and service details ready. Bring any photos you want to include, preferably in digital form. Review the draft carefully for accuracy, especially names and dates, because corrections after publication are messy and sometimes impossible in the print version. The online version can be updated, but print is permanent once it goes to press.
Get the Full Details
The cost structure is another area worth understanding upfront. Obituary placement through their partnership with the Chattanooga Times Free Press runs roughly between $150 and $400 for standard print placement, depending on length and whether you include a photo. Online-only placement is significantly less, often under $100, though this varies based on current rates and any bundled service packages. If you're on a tight budget, the online-only route with a longer written piece is a reasonable compromise. You lose the print circulation but gain immediate publication and the ability to update details as needed. One edge case that trips people up involves out-of-state publications. If the deceased had strong ties to another state or if family members live elsewhere, you might want the obituary to appear in additional papers. Franklin Strickland can coordinate placements in nearby markets like Nashville or Atlanta, but this adds time and cost. Each market has its own deadlines, formatting requirements, and pricing. Managing multiple publications increases the chance of errors, so I'd suggest picking your key markets strategically rather than going broad. Memorialization at this funeral home extends beyond the obituary itself. They offer memorial websites, video tributes, and keepsake books as add-on services. These aren't required, but they've become more common as families look for ways to preserve memories beyond the newspaper notice. The memorial website is perhaps the most practical addition. It serves as a central hub where people can read the obituary, view photos, leave condolences, and find updated service information. It also persists after the print obituary is gone, which matters because most people only see the newspaper version for a few days before it disappears from public view.
The whole process isn't without friction. Turnaround times can slip during busy periods, communication isn't always instantaneous, and the online booking system for services can be clunky. These are minor annoyances rather than dealbreakers, but they're worth noting if you're comparing options. For families already working with Franklin Strickland on arrangements, the obituary process integrates smoothly into the overall workflow. For those shopping around, the lack of a fully digital self-service obituary builder means you're reliant on staff availability and response times. If you need to contact them directly, their main office is in Chattanooga and they handle arrangements for the surrounding area. Their website lists current contact information and service details. Walking in without an appointment is possible for initial consultations, but scheduling ahead is better if you're not in immediate need. Most other funeral homes in the Chattanooga area operate on a similar model, so if Franklin Strickland isn't the right fit, you'll find comparable processes elsewhere in the city.
