More than merely a ‘good-bye’ to the deceased, the obituary is a farewell which can, in chronological order, detail the life of the deceased. An obituary also serves as notification that an individual has passed away and details of the services that are to take place.  The obituary is not a eulogy. The obituary is prepared by the funeral home and sent electronically to the newspaper.

Brazil Times     $50 – Basic obit

Tribune Star     $95 – Basic obit

The basic obituary gives detail about where the person passed on, who is survived by them and the location and date of the viewing/visitation and funeral services. The obit may also include details describing the deceased’s education, employment, community and church activities, hobbies, family members who have preceded the deceased in death, and information about memorial donations.

Our on-line Pre-Arrangement form will assist you in gathering the information needed to order a death certificate and begin the obituary.

• The full legal name of the deceased and legal address
  
• The location, date and time of death
  
• Date and place of birth
  
• Name of both parents and mother’s maiden name
  
• Number of years of education and school(s) attended
  
• Occupation during the deceased’s lifetime
  
• Military service information
  
• Hobbies and special interests
  
• Memberships in clubs, organizations, etc.
  
• Awards or special recognitions received during the deceased’s lifetime
  
• Memberships and/or attendance of a church
  
• Date and location of marriage
  
• Name of spouse
  
• Names of immediate family members who have already died
  
• Names and cities of residence of immediate family members who survive the deceased
  

SURVIVORS INCLUDE:

• Parents
• Spouse and children
• Adopted children
• Half & step children
• Siblings
• Half & step siblings
• Grandparents
• Name of Pastor, Clergy or other person(s) who will officiate at the funeral
  
• Name of organization, etc. where friends can make a donation in memory of the deceased
  

You may wish to consider placing a photograph with the text.  There is no charge for adding a photograph to the Brazil Times or Terre Haute Tribune obituary.

NOTE: The newspaper obituary must be prepared and transmitted via email or fax to the newspapers by their specified deadline times.

Writing and delivering a eulogy is a noble gesture that is worthy of thought and effort. It is an opportunity to make a contribution to a memorial service a contribution that your friends and family will remember for a long time.

Writing in general a eulogy, a tribute, a letter, or keeping a journal presents another equally valuable opportunity for you. The ability to use the writing process as a therapeutic tool to help you deal with your grief. The power of writing is undeniable and there is no better time than now for you to discover and take advantage of this.

There are two common misconceptions about the purposes of a eulogy. Some people think: 1) it should be an objective summation of the deceased’s life; or 2) it should speak for everyone who is present at the memorial service. Both of these assumptions are unrealistic.

A eulogy is much more simple. It should convey the feelings and experiences of the person giving the eulogy. The most touching and meaningful eulogies are written from a subjective point of view and from the heart. So don’t feel compelled to write your loved one’s life story. Instead, tell your story.

Clearly, the burden of the eulogy does not have to be yours completely. If you have the time, ask friends or relatives for their recollections and stories. In a eulogy, it is perfectly acceptable to say, for example, “I was talking to Uncle Lenny about Ron; he reminded me of the time Ron came to our Thanksgiving dinner with half of his face clean-shaven and the other half bearded. It was Ron’s funny way of showing that he had mixed feelings about shaving off his beard.”

Honesty is very important. In most cases, there will be a lot of positive qualities to talk about. Once in a while, however, there is someone with more negative traits than positive qualities. If that is the case, remember, you don’t have to say everything. Just be honest about the positive qualities and everyone will appreciate the eulogy.

Flowers can be ordered right here on our website.  Simply locate the obituary for the person and click the Send Flowers & Sympathy Gifts link.  Orders are only accepted if there is sufficient time for the florist to make the delivery in time for the visitation or service.

Embalming and/or some type of preservation, has been recorded in history as far back as the Egyptians. Back in those days, only the wealthy were embalmed or mummified, as it was known then. And history has shown that the Egyptian mummies were well preserved for thousands of years. Over the years the procedure has changed many times to what we now know as modern day embalming.

We use embalming today for three primary reasons–to allow adequate time between death and burial to observe social customs such as visitations and funeral services, to prevent the spread of infection and to restore a more natural color and form to the deceased’s face and hands.

Modern embalming now consists primarily of removing body fluids (blood) from the body and the insertion of a solution of disinfecting embalming fluids. Small incisions are made in either the carotid or femoral artery and the jugular or femoral vein; the disinfecting embalming solution is injected through the carotid or femoral artery, and the blood is drained from the jugular or femoral vein.

If an autopsy is being performed, the vital organs are removed and immersed in special embalming fluid, and then replaced in the body, often surrounded by a preservative powder. If an autopsy is not performed, the embalmer aspirates fluids out of the body cavity by making a small incision near the navel and aspirating the bodily fluids.After aspiration, a special “cavity fluid” is injected into the abdominal and thoracic cavities to preserve the tissues.

Without embalming, most remains become un-viewable within a short time. There are constant changes going on chemically and physically within the remains that change the looks and other qualities that we are accustomed to seeing. Embalming acts as a hindrance to this, and gives us the time needed to pay respect and express our sympathies.