Obituary Checklist: Every Detail You Need Before You Start Writing

Gather the Biographical Basics First

Sitting down to write an obituary without your information organized is a recipe for frustration and errors that print permanently. Before you type a single word, collect these details into one document or folder.

Full legal name and any preferred names. Include nicknames in quotes between the first and last name — "Big Mike" or "Nana" — but leave out the middle name. Publishing full middle names creates identity theft risk, since middle names are common security questions for financial accounts.

Birth information. For the published version, use the birth year only; omit the exact birth date and birthplace. Thieves can combine personal details from obituaries with other information to target identities.

Immediate family. List the surviving spouse, children, grandchildren, and siblings. For blended families, decide early whether step-relationships will be labeled or listed without distinction. Get the correct spelling of every name — one wrong letter in print costs you a correction fee and a second insertion.

Education and career highlights. Degrees, military service, professional achievements, and volunteer roles. Request a copy of DD-214 discharge papers for veterans — newspapers may require military rank verification.

Service details. Date, time, location of the visitation, funeral or memorial, and burial or cremation. If arrangements aren't final, ask the newspaper whether you can submit the text first, how later updates are handled, and whether they incur a charge.

The Publication Requirements Checklist

Newspapers and online memorial sites each have their own formatting rules. Missing a requirement means delays, extra charges, or rejection.

Newspaper requirements:

• Proof of death (death certificate copy or funeral home contact information for verification)
• Word count or line count — ask for a quote; research estimates major metro obituaries at $400–$2,000 or more, with prices varying by paper
• Photo specifications (resolution, file format, and whether color or black-and-white)
• Submission deadline — ask the newspaper for the cutoff for the issue you want; deadlines vary by paper and market
• Payment method and billing contact

Online memorial platforms:

• Account credentials for the memorial site
• Digital photos (multiple are usually allowed, unlike print)
• Guest book settings — decide whether to allow public comments or restrict to approved contacts

Security Items to Check Off

Before you publish anything, run through these protective steps. Published obituaries are publicly accessible, and identity thieves can use personal details they contain.

Credit bureau notification. Once the certified death certificate is available, contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion about their deceased-file process. The research recommends sending the certificate with Letters Testamentary or other proof of authority; confirm each bureau's requirements and request a deceased alert.

IRS notification. Send a death certificate copy to the IRS to place a deceased indicator on the tax account.

Home address exclusion. Never put the home address in the obituary. Burglars use funeral times published alongside addresses to target empty homes.

Social media accounts. Decide whether Facebook, Instagram, and other profiles will be memorialized, deactivated, or left alone. Follow each platform's current process; memorialization does not itself secure other accounts or estate records.

The Final Review Pass

Print the draft or read it aloud before submitting. Check every name spelling against a government-issued document. Verify dates against the death certificate. Confirm the service location address is complete including the city and state.

Have one other family member review the draft for accuracy and omissions — not for editing the prose, but for factual errors. Disagreements over wording are common, but factual mistakes are the ones that create real problems in print.

The How to Write an Obituary toolkit includes a structured information-gathering worksheet and a security checklist you can print and work through step by step, so nothing falls through the cracks during the hardest week of your life.