Chickasaw County Iowa
Obituaries

CCGS included this item in one of our newsletters a number of years ago and we would like to share with you, a practical suggestion in regards to obituaries.

We have all seen what we would consider "good" and "bad" obituaries; those which are very enlightening for the researcher, or those which really let us down (after months or years of searching), which may not even contain one new clue. Often an obituary is all we have to provide us with even a general idea of who our deceased relative was, a clue to where he/she was born or who they married. The grieving relatives often relied upon the funeral director or the newspaper person to prepare an obituary, as we don’t exactly think clearly at the time of a loved-ones death.

The following checklist provides an excellent reference for us to refer to and use, as necessary, at some future time. You may also be able to help a friend or relative in their time of need with such a checklist, which you could pull from a file on a moments notice. Please feel free to copy and print this checklist, and use it for reference. The resulting obituary will definitely be one of those "good ones" that a future genealogist will be thrilled to find.

This is a list of items to be included in obituaries according to the American Family Records Association. These items make obituaries more helpful to persons researching family records. Items need not appear in the "obit" as they are listed, but should be included. (Author’s note: When my family prepared an obituary for my father, it seemed that each person who worked on the article wanted to rewrite it and we had to tell them that this is how we want it. You may need to be assertive.)

CHECKLIST of ITEMS to be INCLUDED in OBITUARIES

Name of deceased, preferably full name, including first, middle, and last, plus nicknames.


Date of death: month, day, and year; so that when the clipping is cut from the newspaper the exact date is intact in the narrative. (With a new millennium upon us, it is even more important than ever to use the full four digits of the year.)


Address of deceased’s last place of residence. Places of previous residences.


Place of death: hospital, residence, highway, city or other identifiable location, and state.


Place, date and time of funeral services. Name of minister or official.


Visitation time and date, if held, and the place.


Name of cemetery where deceased is to be buried, or other disposition of the remains.


Date of birth, city, county, state, and country, if outside of the U.S.


Name of parents, to include the full maiden name of the mother.


Name of spouse(s), to include full maiden names, when female.


Date and place of marriage(s), if any.


Organizations and church to which the deceased was a member, and also offices held.


Occupations of the deceased and employers, as applicable.


Survivors: Children, including name and place of residences. If females, name of husband, if any. Parents names, regardless if one or both are deceased, names or numbers of grandchildren.


Statement of those preceding deceased in death. Include names of children and brothers and sisters.


Names of pallbearers and honorary pallbearers.


Name of funeral home/director.


Preference for memorial contributions, if known.