Star Beacon Obituaries Ashtabula (2025)

FAQs

Do obituaries list cause of death? ›

It is preferable, when applicable, to include the age at death and a personal comment such as “surrounded by family” or “comforted by his wife.” NB: Sometimes it is desirable to omit the cause of death – such as when death came as a result of extreme violence, or the carrying out of a court sentence.

An obituary is written to tell the story of your loved one. These will often be in the funeral program. There will even be a part of the funeral where the obituary will be silently read by everyone in attendance at the funeral. It is something you and your family should be patient with when you are writing it.

D., Boston-based clinical psychologist, occasional obit reader, and author of the book How to Be Yourself. “They cause us to reflect on the narrative of our own life and what we want that life to mean. Young people especially might look to them for guidance, a way of tapping the wisdom of their elders.”

When writing an obituary, leave out details that could be used for identity theft, such as the deceased's date and place of birth, middle name, maiden name and mother's maiden name. And don't include the deceased's home address.

When you list the survivors, make sure that you list them in order of closest relation to the deceased: spouse, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, parents, and siblings. When you are listing a relative, make sure to include their first name, their spouse's first name in brackets and then their last name.

You are under no legal obligation to take out a death notice or obituary. Think of the latter as a final gift to your loved one—a celebration of who they were and the legacy they created. The former is more of a courtesy to give people information so they too can honor and memorialize the dearly departed.

If you are struggling to find a way to put your thoughts into words, and you want to send a message but are unable to think of what to say to someone before a funeral, consider something simple; “I will be thinking of you today.” “Sending love and prayers to you and your family.” “I hope things run smoothly today.”

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.

Obituaries are not required by law , so the deceased's family might have chosen to forego publishing one. Publishing an obituary can be expensive , and the funds may be unavailable. The deceased has few family members or friends , so there might have, unfortunately, been no need for an obituary.

Reading an obituary is not so much an act of mourning a death but of reviewing a life of notable accomplishment and celebrating it. Obituaries are capsule biographies. Still, obituaries concern death.

What is the last sentence of an obituary? ›

Concluding Message

Phrases like “We will always carry your memory in our hearts,” or perhaps a favorite quote of your loved one are heartfelt and personal.

Someone who wants to have the last word even in death. Someone who knows who they are, the lives they led, the choices they made and how those choices impacted their generation. It's basically someone who wants to tell their own story and get real and raw about it in ways only they can.

If you like to be technical, names should be listed as follows: first name, spouse's first name in parenthesis, then surname (ex: Tom (Sarah) Johnson). If the spouse or partner's surname is different, include their surname in the parenthesis along with their first name (ex: Tom (Sarah Williams) Johnson).

Obituaries not mentioning the cause of death in overdoses and addict is ultimately the choice of the family, and there are a lot of stakes and repercussions for having a family member's suicide or overdose be public.

How a person died may be of interest to someone reading an obit, but it is not for public disclosure, is a personal and private issue, and is in fact nobody's business but the deceased's family. In the US, most obits are now written by the family, or by the Funeral Director under their direction.

The last and most remote condition leading to death is listed as the “underlying” cause of death. All conditions that fall between the immediate and underlying cause of death are known as intermediate or intermediary.

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.