Obituary notice costs: what to expect when remembering a loved one

After losing a loved one, putting memories down on paper can help commemorate a life well lived. Here's what to expect when it comes to obituary notice costs.

The passing of a family member is an incredibly difficult process. For many, this can be a period in which they try to remember all of the things they loved about the individual they lost. One of the ways many choose to do this is by writing their thoughts about the deceased individual in the form of an obituary.

Most people are at least somewhat familiar with obituaries. They are thoughtful stories about the recently deceased that appear in newspapers. However, there is actually more than one type of obituary, and while some of them cost money, many of them are free.

A death notice is a short announcement that someone has died and a brief description of the individual, their life, and who has survived them. In cases where these announcements occur before the funeral service, the name and address of the funeral home where the burial service will take place is included. Death notices are provided by most newspapers free of charge, and the immediate family can write, call or email the newspaper to provide them with the pertinent information.

Paid obituaries are what most people are familiar with. Paid obituaries are typically much longer than a simple death notice, and usually go into more detail about the deceased individual. Obituaries are a great way to honour the deceased and can be a very cathartic experience for those who choose to write one. The cost for an obituary can vary significantly depending on the publication, but prices are typically between $5 and $10 per line of text, with additional fees for photographs.

A third, and more recent, option is to create an online obituary. There are a number of services online that allow users to create an obituary for those who have recently died. While a few of these online obituaries charge a fee, most of them allow users to post their obituaries for free. In addition, online obituaries are not constrained to the same physical limitations that a newspaper has to deal with, so obituaries can be as long as the writer deems appropriate. On top of that, online obituaries can be sent to anyone in the world much easier and less expensively than a typical obituary in a newspaper.

Regardless of the type of obituary you choose, the most important part is writing something heartfelt that honours the deceased.