When you choose this route, the funeral home acts as the intermediary. They will: * Draft the obituary text based on the biographical details you provide. * Format the text and prepare any accompanying photographs to meet the newspaper’s technical specifications. * Submit the notice directly through the newspaper's secure professional portal. * Handle the billing, often bundling the newspaper's publication fee into your overall funeral service invoice. Because newspapers must verify the validity of all death notices to prevent fraudulent submissions, utilizing a funeral home simplifies the verification process. *The Citizens' Voice* automatically trusts submissions coming directly from licensed funeral directors. ## Submitting Directly to the Newspaper If you are not using a funeral home, or if you prefer to handle the publication process personally, you can submit the obituary directly to *The Citizens' Voice*.
### Step 1: Contact the Obituary Department To begin the self-submission process, contact the newspaper's obituary department. You can typically reach them via the official website of *The Citizens' Voice*, where they provide dedicated email addresses, phone numbers, or self-service online submission forms. ### Step 2: Provide Proof of Death For security and accuracy, the newspaper requires verification of the death before publishing any self-submitted notice. You will need to provide proof, which typically includes: * A copy of the death certificate, or * A letter or official document from the funeral home, crematory, or medical examiner handling the arrangements. * Contact information for the facility handling the remains so the newspaper staff can verify the details. ### Step 3: Draft and Format the Notice When writing the obituary, keep the text clear and concise. Double-check the spelling of all names, dates, and locations. If you plan to include a photograph, ensure it is a high-resolution digital file (usually in JPEG format) and that the subject's face is clearly visible. ### Step 4: Review Pricing and Deadlines Obituaries in daily newspapers are typically charged based on the length of the text (such as line count or word count) and whether you choose to include a photograph or specific design elements (like a flag or religious symbol). Ask for a price quote before finalizing the submission. Additionally, confirm the daily submission deadlines to ensure the obituary runs on your preferred publication date.
## Key Information to Include in the Obituary To ensure the obituary is complete and informative for readers, gather the following details before drafting the text: * **Full Name:** Include the deceased's full name, as well as any common nicknames or maiden names. * **Dates and Locations:** List the date of birth, date of passing, and their town or city of residence. * **Biographical Highlights:** You may include brief details about their education, career, military service, hobbies, or community involvement. * **Family Members:** List surviving family members (such as spouses, children, siblings, and grandchildren) as well as immediate family members who preceded them in death. * **Service Details:** Clearly state the dates, times, and locations for visitations, funeral services, or celebrations of life. If services are private, you can state that in the text. * **Memorial Contributions:** If the family prefers charitable donations in lieu of flowers, include the name and website of the chosen organization. ## Finding and Verifying Published Obituaries Once the obituary has been submitted and processed, it will be published in the print edition of *The Citizens' Voice* and uploaded to their online obituary database.
To verify that the notice has been published correctly, you can visit the newspaper's official website and navigate to their obituaries section. The online platform, which is updated daily, offers several tools to help you locate the listing: * **Search Functionality:** You can search for the listing by entering the deceased's first or last name. * **Chronological Browsing:** You can filter listings by publication date or browse through recent entries. * **Tribute Features:** The online obituary pages often include interactive features, allowing family and friends to sign a virtual guestbook, share memories, or send flowers directly to the service. For historical research or to find older obituaries that are no longer hosted on the active website, you may need to consult local library archives, such as the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre, which maintains historical microfilm records of local newspapers.
