Obituaries in West Lafayette, IN | Journal and Courier (2024)

FAQs

How do I find a local obituary? ›

Many funeral homes publish obituaries on their websites. These can usually be located with a Google search on the person's name. Local genealogical and historical societies, public libraries, and some newspaper publishers maintain clipping files of obituaries.

An obituary (obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case.

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Most people submit obituaries to local newspapers, but depending on the deceased's relationship with their community, you might also consider sending the obituary to: National newspapers. Church newsletters and websites. Community publications.

MyObits offers obituary creation and sharing, as well as announcements for funerals or memorials and lets you order flowers to send your condolences from the app.

Legacy.com. Search the world's largest obituary database.

Why does it cost so much to post an obituary? Publishing an obituary in the newspaper is expensive because of the limited space papers have. Newspapers value every inch of each page, so they must charge to use that limited space for an obituary.

An obituary is more personal and is a form of a tribute to the deceased. Unlike a death notice that has general information like the name and date of death, obituaries have a personal touch and are usually referred to as a small biography.

Obituaries and death notices are not required—but notices to creditors may be. You are under no legal obligation to take out a death notice or obituary.

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Alternative Options for Publishing an Obituary

If a family chooses not to write an obituary, that's okay. No law insists families should publish an obituary. But there are several alternative options available for families to help pay tribute to the deceased.

Some may feel that it is too personal or private to share with the public, while others may not have the financial means to pay for its publication. Additionally, some families may prefer to grieve privately and not draw attention to the death.

To submit a death notice to a newspaper you can go to the paper's website and follow the instructions there, or you can go to Legacy.com and find a link to the newspaper's death notice submission page there. To submit an obituary online, use our resource Guide: Filing a Death Notice or Obituary.

Two state-level California Death Indexes can be found at Ancestry.com (a database anyone can access from any library branch and Central Library) or FamilySearch.org (a free internet database).

Obituaries in Massachusetts and other parts of New England can generally be found in the local town or county papers. Many obituaries for Boston and the surrounding area can be found in: Boston Athenaeum. Index of Obituaries in Boston Newspapers, 1704-1800.

Some funeral directors list recent and upcoming funerals (for example, Co-operative Funeralcare). If you know where the deceased lived and died, you can also contact local funeral homes for information. Otherwise, you may be able to find details of a funeral online at sites such as: Funeral Notices.