Obituary Policy
An obituary can be submitted via
mail to:
The Times Argus Obituaries
47 N. Main Street, Suite 200, Barre, VT 05641
e-mail to:
Our deadlines are 12 p.m. (noon) daily. Obituaries submitted outside office hours or holidays will be processed the next business day.
It is necessary for us to have a copy of the death certificate, or name/phone number of the funeral home, or other such authority, to verify the death.
If you have a question, please call 802-747-6121, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On weekends or after hours, questions are best directed to the obits email to be answered the next business day.
Guide to Obituaries
Obituaries, rites notices, death notices and service notices are published in the print and online editions Tuesday through Saturday.
The deadline for submitting an obituary for print publication is 12 p.m., Monday through Friday. We prefer to accept obituaries through email. Obituaries submitted on weekend days will be processed the next business day.
Obituaries preferably come from funeral homes. Obits received from relatives must be verified with a copy of a death certificate or the contact information for the funeral home or crematory handling the arrangements. (We have, on occasion, received fictitious obits.)
All text will be published as submitted. Funeral homes with established accounts will be automatically billed for paid notices. All other notices must be paid in advance or by credit card.
Photos are included in the per column inch charge, and will be cropped to fit into a roughly 1.25 inch wide by 1.5 inch tall box as a headshot, unless otherwise directed by the funeral home or family. The Rutland Herald and Times Argus will process photos prior to publication to optimize them for print reproduction.
A flag image is included for veterans.
General guidelines below:
Death Notice (Free if accompanying a Paid Obituary) - Includes name, age, town of residence, date of death, place of death and Funeral Home name. Additional information may result in the notice being a paid notice. Please contact us for details.
Service notice - Includes service time, date and place; and name, age, town of residence, service time/date/place and Funeral Home name.
Rites Notice - Includes Name, age, town of residence, date of death, date/place of service, person officiating, eulogist, soloist, musician, bearers, honorary bearers, organization represented, place of burial, place of reception, memorial contributions, Funeral Home name.
Full Obituary Guidelines
As a paid obituary, the submitter has leeway to write as they see fit. As a guideline, we have provided an outline of what is typically included in an obituary:
1. Name, Age, Place of Residence and Cause of Death
“SPRINGFIELD – Margaret R. “Peg” Smith, 69, died Dec. 5, 2004, at Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, after a long illness.”
The deceased’s full name is published with middle initial and maiden name, if applicable. Nicknames will be placed in quotes after the middle initial.
The newspaper lists the town the deceased is from as the dateline and will list a nursing home if desired.
Listing the length, type of illness or cause of death is up to the family.
Courtesy titles are used in the second reference to the deceased. If no preference is given on a courtesy title for a woman, the newspaper will use “Mrs.” if the deceased was married, and “Miss” if she was not.
2. Birth, Education
“She was born Feb. 26, 1935, in Woodstock, the daughter of Joseph and Carolyn Smith.
She graduated from Rutland High School in 1953 and Castleton State College in 1957.”
“He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Castleton State College in 1945 and a master’s degree in English from Harvard University in 1949.”
Degrees may also be listed.
Elementary and middle schools are only listed if the deceased is under the age of 18.
3. Marriage
“She married John Smith in Woodstock on June 3, 1955.”
If a marriage ends in divorce or death, and the deceased has remarried, that can be included as follows: “She married John Smith in Woodstock on June 3, 1955. He died in 1975. She married Jack Jones on July 17, 1983.”
4. Employment/Organizations/Military Service
“Mr. Smith served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was an editor at the Rutland Herald for 46 years.
He was a past president of the New England Newspaper Association and a member of the Moose Club.”
Prior short-term employment may be included, but dates are not.
“Mr. Smith was a clerk at Price Chopper before starting his own construction business. He also operated a day-care center.”
All organizations will be listed but dates will not be. Leadership positions will also be noted.
Volunteer experiences will be listed.
5. Hobbies/Church Affiliation
“She enjoyed baking cookies and sailing.”
Hobbies and activities like gardening, hunting, bowling, stamp collecting, etc., may be included.
The Herald will also include unique items like: “Mrs. Jones baked apple pies for the local harvest supper for 25 years.”
However, the newspaper avoids general comments that apply to all human beings, like an appreciation for morning, evening, the sun, children, grandchildren, animals, etc.
“She was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church for 28 years.”
Church membership may also be included.
6. Survivors
“Survivors include his wife, Ruth (Smith) Jones of Wallingford; three sons, James Jones and William Jones, both of Wells, and Kevin Jones of Poultney; two sisters, Betty Dakes of Burlington and Marion Hall of Granville, N.Y.; two grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.”
7. Predeceased
“He was predeceased by his wife, Ruth (Smith) Jones in 1998; three sons, James Jones, Williams Jones and Kevin Jones; and a cousin.”
8. Calling Hours/Funerals/Funeral Homes/Contributions
“Friends may call from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, at [the x funeral home] on [x Street] in [x town].
The funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the funeral home.
Burial will follow Wednesday in Evergreen Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 1460, Williston, VT 05495.”
The full name of the funeral home is used in the first reference. Second and third references are “the funeral home.”
