Obituary submission guide

Questions and Answers about Obituaries.

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1. What is an obituary?
2. Whose obituaries will you publish?
3. What do you mean by "abbreviated obituaries" of parents, siblings, etc.?
4. Will you publish spouses of survivors?
5. Will you publish a picture of the person who died?
6. Do all obituaries that appear in the newspaper also appear online?
7. May we write our own obituary?
8. Do you have any tips for writing an obituary?
9. How much does an obituary cost?
10. Do you have paid notices?
11. How do I submit an obituary to the Press?
12. What is the submission deadline?
13. Can we see the obituary you write before you publish it?

What is an obituary?

In The Ridgefield Press, an obituary is a news story about a person who has died. The text is written -- or at least, edited -- by the staff, based on information supplied by the family, funeral home, our files, interviews, and other sources. While we will use the information supplied by the family, we usually rewrite submitted obituaries, at least to some degree.

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Whose obituaries will you publish?

The Ridgefield Press carries obituaries of anyone who lived in town at the time of death or who once lived in town -- no matter how long ago. We will also publish abbreviated obituaries of residents' parents, siblings and children who have not lived here, and of people who worked in Ridgefield but did not live here. We don't run obituaries of aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, friends, etc., who never lived here.

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What do you mean by "abbreviated obituaries" of parents, siblings, etc.?

For relatives who never lived here, we will publish an obituary that includes basic biographical information, as well as lists any survivors who live in Ridgefield or have lived in Ridgefield. We will not list the names and places of residence of survivors who have never lived here. Thus, for instance, an obituary of a Ridgefielder's parent, who lived in Ohio, would include as named survivors only the Ridgefielder (son or daughter) and the Ridgefielder's children (grandchildren of the person who died). We would note that survivors also include five daughters, two sons, four brothers, three sisters, etc, but would not give all their names and places of residence. Space constraints force us to impose these restrictions.

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Will you publish the names of spouses of survivors?

Yes. For instance, in an obituary of John Smith of Ridgefield, we could write: "Mr. Smith is survived by a daughter, Mary Jones, and her husband, John, of Fitchburg, Mass., and a son, Joseph, and his wife, Joan, of Westport..." It is up to the family members whether they want to list spouses.

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Will you publish a picture of the person who died?

Yes, if the person lived in Ridgefield at some time. In fact, we encourage you to submit a photo because a picture helps make the obituary more human and allows more people to recognize the person who died. (Often, we know people by the faces, but not their names -- the man we greet at the supermarket each week, the woman who walks her dog along our road, etc.) Photos should be clear and sharp, not too dark or light. They may be recent or from some time ago; if it is an old photo, please give the approximate year. Except in very unusual circumstances, we use only the head-and-shoulders view of a person -- the typical portrait-style picture. However, that head-and-shoulders view may come from a photo that has several people in it; we can crop out the others.

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Do all obituaries that appear in the newspaper also appear online?

No. The online obituaries are limited to Ridgefielders -- people who lived here at some point in their lives. They are placed online automatically and at no charge.

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May we write an obituary for our family member?

Yes, but remember that we may need to edit information into a format or style that is typical of a newspaper news story. See next question.

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Do you have any tips for writing obituary information?

Here are some things to include in an obituary:

• Date and place of death.
• When and where the person was born, and who the parents were.
• Where did the person grow up?
• Did the person go to Ridgefield High School? Year of graduation?
• If the person went to college, where and when?
• Military service? Which branch, when, where? Any notable decorations? Rank on being discharged?
• Where did the person work -- and what did he or she do (many obituaries fail to tell what a person actually did; they give a job title and employer, and little more).
• When did the person come to Ridgefield? Did the family live at more than one address here?
• When did the person move from Ridgefield (if applicable) and whereto?
• Clubs or organizations the person belonged to locally, even if a while ago. Any offices held?
• Church affiliation. And was the person active in any church organizations?
• Hobbies and interests. Also, was the person especially good at or noted for some hobby, avocation, or sport?
• Recollections of character traits: "She was known all over the neighborhood for helping kids with problems" or "He had a great sense of humor, and could tell a joke like a professional comedian." (We would have to quote and attribute such statements, but they are very nice to include in an obituary. They help give a sense of the person.)
• When doing survivors of a Ridgefielder's parent who may not have lived here, don't forget to include grandchildren who live in Ridgefield or who grew up in Ridgefield.
• Many people use the occasion of death to benefit a charity or organization close to the heart of the person who died. If you'd like us to include "Contributions in his/her memory may be made to...", please give us a full mailing address of the organization. That makes it easier for someone to send a contribution.
• Since our obituaries are news stories, we would not use phrases like "beloved mother of" or "has gone into the arms of The Lord."
• There are many online examples of obituaries long and short, and we recommend that you read a few; they may help you think of information to include. See The Ridgefield Press Obituaries for examples.

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How much does an obituary cost?

We do not charge for obituaries of residents, former residents, direct relatives of residents, or people who used to work in Ridgefield.

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Do you have paid obituary notices?

Paid notices for deaths are very rare in our newspaper. However, a paid obituary notice could be used if the person who died did not live here, had no family here, but did business here; for instance, an insurance agent whose office was in Danbury or a plumbing contractor from Norwalk who did work here. To place a paid obituary, call the Press at 438-6544 and ask for the legal notices department.

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How do I submit obituary information?

Usually, the funeral home will submit an obituary for you. However, you may submit an obituary yourself by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , by fax to 203-438-6097, by postal mail or FedEx to 16 Bailey Avenue, Ridgefield CT 06877, or by telephone, 203-438-6544. The best method is e-mail since it eliminates the need to retype information, introducing the chance of typographical errors. We can accept Microsoft Word files, RTF files, plain text, or just an e-mail with the information typed into it. Always include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number where we can easily reach you for confirmation and questions. Without the phone number, we will not publish the obituary.

While photos may be submitted electronically, we recommend that you give us an original picture to scan. If you prefer an electronic submission, please scan at 150 dots per inch and e-mail the image as a .JPG file. However, we sometimes have difficulty with images that are e-mailed, and can't guarantee they will be usable.

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What is the submission deadline?

The Ridgefield Press is a weekly newspaper that arrives in homes Thursdays (except in a few cases of major midweek holidays such as Fourth of July, Christmas or Thanksgiving). The obituary page is put together Wednesdays around 11 a.m.; thus we must receive the obituary before that. The earlier we receive the information, the more attention we can devote to it. If you will be submitting a last-minute obituary, please try to warn us as much in advance as possible so we can plan for space and for staff time.

For obituary information, call 203-894-3350. If it's after hours, please leave a message.

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May we see the obituary you write before you publish it?

We are happy to have someone from the family "proof" the obituary, if possible. However, any changes must reach us by the deadline (above). Call 203-894-3350 with questions.

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