The Practical Side of Writing Obituaries at a Family Funeral Home
Most people don't realize how much process goes into an obituary before it even hits the funeral home website. At JW Williams Funeral Home, obituaries serve as both a public notice and a community record. When I've worked with families going through this, the hardest part isn't writing—it's getting accurate information quickly while everyone's dealing with grief. JW Williams has operated funeral services for multiple generations, and their obituary records go back further than most online databases capture. The original paper records in the local county archive start around the late 1960s. Before that, obituaries were handled through newspaper submissions rather than on-site records. I've pulled files from both sources when families need documentation for genealogy work or estate matters. The digital transition happened around 2012, and anything before that date requires a phone call to the main office rather than a web search. The actual obituary writing process typically takes two to four hours from intake to publication. That timeline includes gathering the biographical details, confirming family survivor information, and coordinating with the cemetery for burial location. Families often submit draft language themselves, which speeds things up considerably. When they don't, the funeral director interviews the next of kin and fills in the gaps from available records.
How the Process Actually Works
I've seen the workflow multiple times over the years. Here's what it looks like without the polish: The funeral home receives a death certificate with a name, date of death, and basic identifying information. The family is contacted within hours to collect the obituary content. Photos are requested at this stage—most families provide one digital image, though the best results come from clear, well-lit portraits rather than candid shots. The obituary itself follows a standard structure: full name, age, city of residence, date and place of birth, surviving family members, service details, and a brief life summary. Predeceased relatives are typically listed as well. Once the draft is complete, it goes to a family member for approval before publishing. This review step is where mistakes usually get caught. I once worked on an obituary where the birth year was off by twelve years because the family was using an old birthday celebration date instead of the actual birth certificate. We caught it during the proofing stage and corrected it before it went live.
After approval, the obituary is posted to the funeral home website and forwarded to the local newspaper if the family requested print publication. Print runs in this area typically appear within 24 to 48 hours of submission, depending on the paper's deadline schedule.
Get the Full Details
What You'll Find in the Archives
The JW Williams online obituary archive contains detailed records going back roughly a decade and a half. Older records exist but aren't digitized. If you're researching a family member who passed before 2012, you'll need to contact the funeral home directly. They maintain physical files and can sometimes provide copies, though there may be a small processing fee. The obituaries themselves vary in length. Some are two or three paragraphs. Others run a page or more when the family wants to include extended biographical details, career highlights, or personal interests. The longer ones tend to be more useful for historical research because they include specific dates, workplace names, and community involvement.
Pitfalls to Avoid
The biggest issue I see is incomplete survivor information. Families sometimes forget to mention a spouse from a previous marriage or adult children from before the current family structure. This isn't intentional omission—it's just easy to miss when you're overwhelmed. Always double-check with multiple family members before the obituary goes to print. A correction after publication is possible but awkward for everyone involved. Another problem is photo quality. Phone camera images from recent deaths sometimes turn out grainy or poorly lit. Funeral homes typically accept whatever the family provides, but the difference between a sharp headshot and a blurry snapshot matters more than you'd think when these records become historical documents. The timeline pressure is real too. Obits generally need to go out within one to three days of death. That means decisions about wording, photos, and service details have to happen fast. Families should prepare what they can ahead of time if they know death is imminent, rather than waiting until after the funeral to start gathering information.
If you need records older than the digital archive, the county clerk's office and local library historical society are the next places to check. JW Williams keeps some original documents on file, but they won't release everything without proper authorization. A direct lineage or legal interest is usually required.
