Writing Obituaries for the Valley News Dispatch: A Practical Guide
Obituaries in a small-town newspaper carry more weight than people in the industry usually let on. The Valley News Dispatch serves the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire, and the obituary section there functions as both a historical record and a community ritual. Getting it right requires knowing the paper's style, understanding what families actually want, and navigating a few ethical landmines that most people never consider until they are sitting across from a grieving family. The Dispatch accepts obituary submissions through their newsroom email or via phone. You can also work directly with a funeral home, since many of them prepare and submit copy on behalf of families. The typical turnaround is about one business day for standard placement, though same-day runs are possible if you are coordinating with the death editor and the deadline has not yet passed. Expect to provide a photo if the family wants one, and note that digital-only obits now run alongside print. The two versions can differ in length because the online format does not carry the same per-line cost structure. A standard Valley News Dispatch obituary contains the full name, age, town of residence, date of death, a short biographical paragraph, survivors, predeceased relatives, service details, and a line about donations or memorial arrangements. Keep it between 150 and 300 words for print. Anything longer gets trimmed by the editor or pushed to the digital version. The online slot can handle up to roughly 600 words without issues.
I have seen families include entire lists of extended relatives, which eats up space and dilutes the piece. The practical fix is to group distant relatives under a phrase like "survived by his extended family" and list only the immediate household and closest relatives by name. This approach respects the family's desire to acknowledge everyone while keeping the obit readable.
Navigating Ethical Reporting Decisions
Obituary writing sits in a gray area between journalism and sponsored content. The Dispatch treats obituaries as community notices rather than news reports, which changes how you handle certain topics. If a person died by suicide, the paper typically does not include method details. That is a standard practice across most regional outlets. If the cause of death involves an overdose or a criminal matter, you should verify with the death editor before including anything beyond "died unexpectedly" or letting the family phrase it themselves. One specific edge case I ran into involved a decedent who had been incarcerated for part of their life. The family wanted the obituary to be honest but also protective. We ended up listing the years of incarceration factually without elaboration and focused the narrative on their later community work. The death editor approved it, and the family appreciated that the piece did not reduce the person to a single chapter. Including too much background on legal issues tends to create liability and unnecessary distress, so I recommend steering families toward a factual timeline rather than a detailed account.
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Photo Selection and Rights
Photographs matter more than most writers acknowledge. The Dispatch usually accepts JPEGs at a minimum resolution of about 150 DPI for print and higher for digital. The image should be recent, clearly focused, and free of distracting backgrounds. I have rejected photos where the subject is cut off, heavily filtered, or taken from a distance where the face is unclear. Ask the family to provide a high-quality headshot or a well-lit candid. Avoid photos from social media unless they meet these standards, because social images often have compression artifacts that look terrible when printed. Print obituaries in the Dispatch are priced per line or per inch depending on the layout season. As of recent practice, a short obit in the standard column width runs a few hundred dollars, while a longer featured obit with a larger photo can cost significantly more. Digital obituaries carry a separate fee that is usually lower. The exact rates change, so call the advertising desk for current pricing rather than relying on old figures. Many funeral homes have pre-negotiated rates that make the process smoother. The most frequent mistake is treating the obituary like a résumé. Lists of achievements without personal detail read flat and fail to capture why the person mattered to the community. Another common error is delaying submission until the funeral is already over. The Dispatch prints obituaries before the service when possible, which gives the community a chance to respond. If you wait too long, the piece may appear after the funeral, which feels off to readers and family alike.
Spelling errors in names and dates are unacceptable. I always double-check the spelling of every survivor's name against the family's provided list. One time, a middle name was swapped with a first name due to a typo, and the family noticed immediately. Correcting it required pulling the proof and reformatting, which delayed publication by half a day. Take the extra ten minutes to verify names before sending copy.
When to Use a Memoir Style Instead of a Standard Obit
Sometimes a family wants something longer and more personal than a traditional obituary allows. The Dispatch offers memoir-style pieces that can run significantly longer and include more narrative detail. These are priced differently and often serve as a better fit for people with extensive community involvement or unusual life stories. If the family has dozens of paragraphs to share, push them toward the memoir format rather than cramming everything into a standard obit that will get trimmed anyway. Funeral homes in the Upper Valley routinely coordinate obituary submissions. Building a reliable relationship with one or two local homes streamlines the process considerably. They handle photo collection, family interviews, and initial draft preparation, which reduces back-and-forth. The trade-off is that some funeral homes prefer templated copy that sounds similar across multiple obituaries. I have learned to ask families directly for one or two specific memories or details that make the piece feel personal, then weave those into the draft before sending it to the funeral director for review. Before any obituary runs, verify the death with the funeral home or the family if you are working directly with them. Confirm the date, location, and cause if the family wants that included. Check survivor relationships for accuracy. Run through a sensitivity pass to catch phrasing that might unintentionally alienate any branch of the family. This last step is easy to skip when you are processing multiple submissions, but it prevents real problems.
Not every obituary situation fits neatly into the standard process. Some cases involve estranged family members, disputed narratives, or high-profile local figures. In those situations, the safest approach is to stick to verified facts, avoid speculation, and consult the death editor early. The Valley News Dispatch prioritizes accuracy and community respect over dramatic storytelling, and the obituary section reflects that principle consistently.
