### Submitting Through a Funeral Home The most common and seamless way to submit an obituary is through a funeral home or crematory. Funeral directors regularly work with local publications like *The Times Argus* and are familiar with their specific formatting guidelines, submission portals, and deadlines. If you choose this route, the funeral home will typically handle the writing, formatting, and submission on your behalf, adding the publication costs directly to your final invoice. This option minimizes the administrative burden on the family during a difficult time. ### Submitting Independently
If you are not using a funeral home, or if you prefer to manage the process yourself, you can submit the obituary directly to *The Times Argus*. To do this, you will need to contact the newspaper’s obituaries or advertising department. Because newspapers must verify the accuracy of death notices to prevent fraudulent submissions, you will likely need to provide verification of death. This typically requires providing the contact information of the funeral home, crematory, or anatomical donation program handling the arrangements, or submitting a copy of the death certificate. ## Deadlines, Pricing, and Formatting Before finalizing your submission, it is important to understand the newspaper's requirements regarding timing and costs.
* **Deadlines:** *The Times Argus* operates on strict print deadlines. To ensure the obituary runs on your preferred date, contact the advertising department or check their website for the exact cutoff times, which are typically one to two business days prior to publication. * **Pricing Structures:** The cost of publishing an obituary generally depends on the length of the text (often calculated by the word or line) and whether you choose to include a photograph. Standard text-only obituaries are priced differently than those with photos or custom graphics. * **Online Guestbooks:** Most print obituaries in *The Times Argus* automatically include an online listing with a digital guestbook. Be sure to ask if there are additional fees for hosting the online memorial long-term. Because pricing structures and deadlines can change, always verify the current rates directly with the newspaper before submitting. ## Key Information to Include in the Obituary When drafting the obituary, ensure you have gathered all the necessary details to create a complete and accurate record. A standard obituary typically includes:
* **Biographical Details:** The deceased's full name (including maiden name or nicknames), age, town of residence, and date and place of birth and death. * **Life Story:** A brief summary of their education, career achievements, military service, hobbies, and community involvement. * **Family Members:** The names of surviving family members, as well as those who predeceased them. * **Service Information:** The dates, times, and locations for visitations, funerals, or celebration of life services. * **Memorial Contributions:** Instructions for where memorial donations can be sent in lieu of flowers. ## Finding and Verifying Published Obituaries Once the obituary has been processed and published, you can verify that the notice has appeared by visiting the official website of *The Times Argus*. The site features a dedicated obituaries section that allows family members, friends, and researchers to locate specific listings. The online platform provides several features to help you find a published notice:
* **Name Search:** A search tool where you can look up listings using a partial or full name. * **Alphabetical Filters:** An option to filter the published listings by the first letter of the deceased person's last name. * **Monthly Browsing:** A feature that allows you to browse listings by month if you are unsure of the exact publication date. Using these search tools allows you to quickly locate the published notice, verify its spelling and details, and share the digital link with family and friends. ## What is Included in Online Listings When you locate and click on an individual obituary page on the official website, the page is designed to serve as a comprehensive digital memorial. Depending on the options selected during the submission process, individual pages can contain:
* The full text of the written obituary. * Specific service information, including dates, times, and locations for memorials or funerals. * Tribute options that allow visitors to sign a digital guestbook, leave messages, or share condolences. * Flower links for those who wish to send arrangements directly to the family or the service. ## Accessing Historical Archives and Older Obituaries If you are conducting genealogical research or trying to locate an older obituary published years ago, note that the newspaper's current online database may not contain every past publication. For historical research, you may need to contact *The Times Argus* directly to inquire about their physical archives, or visit a local Vermont library or historical society that maintains microfilm records of the newspaper. Always verify current archive availability and search capabilities directly through the official source.
