Understanding Funeral Industry Jargon: Death Notice vs. Obituary
While grieving, it can be difficult to pay attention to the small details, even though we may want everything to be perfect. You don’t have time to decipher between seemingly interchangeable vernacular like death notices and obituaries. They both get the job done, right? Well, in a way yes, but in two important ways, no. We’d like to make the distinction so you know what you’re asking for from us or from a newspaper.
- Paid Notice vs. Free. A death notice involves paying a newspaper to include the very basic information about your loved one, while an obituary is picked up and written by a reporter with a space in the paper for free.
- Content. If you look at a newspaper, you’ll see there are two different kinds of stories. Death notices are short and to the point—Name, date of death and where/when the services will be held. However, the obituaries highlight the deceased’s community involvement, accomplishments, interests and survivor’s names of the beloved.
There you have it. Now that you know the difference, it’s your choice to decide which path you’d like to take. We’re happy to submit the death notice for you or help show you how on Legacy.com. If you’d like to have an obituary written about your loved one, we can help you as well because every newspaper’s website can be a little different. Need tips on how to write an obituary? Check out Legacy.com’s helpful post. Interested in funeral services? Click here.
