OBITSOHIO GUIDE
ObitsOhio.com’s mainpage has elements designed to make it user-friendly. Those elements are described below. Most of the people listed on this site died after June 2009, when this site was launched.
However, ObitsOhio.com also provides information on Ohioans, whose deaths predate that launching, when families or funeral homes place In Remembrance sentiments or when the individual is mentioned in Alana Baranick’s The Dash Between column. (More info below.)
REPORTED DEATHS
The Reported Deaths list is the keystone of ObitsOhio.com’s mainpage. It shows the names of Ohioans and former Ohioans whose deaths we learned about today – usually thanks to funeral directors.
The most recent addition appears at the top of the list.
ObitsOhio.com’s aim is to tell our readers as promptly as possible that one of their neighbors, friends, co-workers or acquaintances has died. Some families may choose to wait until after the funeral to announce the death of their loved one. We will strive to share that information as soon as we have it.
Click a name or headline on this or any other list on this site, and you will be directed to that individual’s personal page. Typically, each of those pages will provide that person’s claim to fame or other identifying biographical markers, as well as funeral information.
Some may include a more extensive obituary, including the deceased’s biography, names of family members and photographs. Others may provide links to obits posted on funeral home, business, alumni association or memorial websites, such as Tributes.com, Mem.com, Legacy.com, etc.
Some may be linked to ObitsOhio.com’s The Dash Between columns in which the deceased is mentioned, Memorial Events or In Remembrance items.
To view more of today’s Reported Deaths and an alphabetical index of those names, click Name Index.
The same principles apply for the Memorial Events, In Remembrance and the various regional lists.
REGIONAL (NORTHEAST, NORTH, NORTHWEST, SOUTHWEST, SOUTH, SOUTHEAST OHIO)
A headline and snippet from each person’s obituary is posted under the region of Ohio in which the funeral home is located and/or regions in which the decedent had lived. Only a few names are shown on the Regional Coverage list on the ObitsOhio.com mainpage.
Click the headline to view the person’s personal page.
Click the “Browse by Region” button on the menu bar for a map showing the six regions. Select a region on the map to view the names of deceased individuals who lived or had significant ties to that area.
MEMORIAL EVENTS
The Memorial Events list shows the names of people whose funeral, memorial service or other event was not announced on the day that the death was reported.
The list also acts as a reminder of upcoming memorial events that may have been announced previously but are being held a week or more after the death was posted on this site.
Click the person’s name for details.
We also will post information about public vigils and memorial events for individuals and such groups as veterans, police and firefighters and victims of crime, cancer, etc. Submit details and your contact information by writing to us at info@obitsohio.com.
IN REMEMBRANCE
In Remembrance offers an opportunity to pay tribute to deceased loved ones on their birthdays, anniversary of death, holidays or anytime. We typically charge a fee for this service. For information, select “About Us” from the menu bar at the top of this page and/or write to us at info@obitsohio.com.
In Remembrance also is ObitsOhio.com’s place for posting eulogies.
OBITS ON MAINPAGE
The first paragraph or so of featured obituaries, usually composed by families and/or funeral homes and edited by ObitsOhio.com editors, appears on the mainpage. These obit snippets move from one featured obit space to the next, with the most recently posted obit appearing higher on the page and eventually disappearing from the mainpage.
The full obit appears on the deceased’s personal ObitsOhio.com page, where it will remain as long as this site remains online.
NOTABLE
The “Notable” earmark near the top of the righthand sidebar displays the name of a recently deceased individual who was well-known or whose story is especially interesting. Click the name to read the story.
IN THE NEWS
ObitsOhio.com editors scan news blogs for the latest stories about deaths and memorial events in Ohio daily and post links to those blogs under the heading of In the News.
These stories may range from fatal accidents and homicides to the death of a prominent person or a death resulting from a contagious disease that could spark a public health concern.
Send death-related news tips to info@obitsohio.com.
BASIC SEARCH
To find information about a specific individual, enter the name or other keyword in the “Search” field in the upper righthand corner of the ObitsOhio.com mainpage.
THE DASH BETWEEN
ObitsOhio.com founder Alana Baranick’s The Dash Between is a regular feature on the site’s mainpage. It serves as a forum on which Alana and guest columnists will address life and death in Ohio. We’ll write about the people, places and history of Ohio, as well as death-related matters.
The title of the column comes from the idea that the dates of birth and death that appear on a tombstone do not matter as much as the dash between: The life the person lived.
Anyone who wishes to be a guest columnist or has a suggestion for a column subject should write to us at info@obitsohio.com.
SUBMIT AN OBIT
We expect to provide all Ohio funeral homes with a private email address to which they can send prepared obituaries or partial obits.
The Submit an Obit page, which is accessible from the menu bar at the top of this page, is a form that can be used by families or others who wish to have an obit posted on ObitsOhio.com.
Fill in the blanks, particularly the fields marked as required, or use the field headings as an outline for compiling information for the obit.
If the obit is already prepared, please fill in the required fields and either copy and paste the prepared obit into the “Identifying markers” field or attach the document, preferably in a Word.doc file. Photographs also can be attached. They should be in .JPG format and in a reduced size that is compatible with Web posting.
We will post edited versions of the obit at no charge to the family, as long as the funeral home handling the arrangements is an ObitsOhio.com subscriber. Otherwise, we will charge a modest fee. To ask about fees, write to info@obitsohio.com.
Obits, obit information and/or photos should be emailed to submit.obit@obitsohio.com.
VIDEOS
ObitsOhio.com also will post video, audio and slideshows - or links to them - to enhance a person’s obituary. Send videos or links to online videos to info@obitsohio.com.
FUNERAL HOMES
A list of funeral homes and other agencies that subscribe to our service can be found by selecting the “Funeral Homes” button from the menu bar at the top of this page.
ObitsOhio.com provides links to subscribing funeral homes plus additional links and obituary information. The extent to and manner in which each obit is handled will be determined in accordance with ObitsOhio.com’s agreement with the subscriber.
In our quest to give our readers the latest news about Ohio deaths and the lives that preceded them, ObitsOhio.com also serves nonsubscribing funeral homes by listing names of their latest cases with brief identifying markers and time and place of funeral or memorial event — nothing more.
Funeral homes or other agencies interested in subscribing can read more on this topic by selecting “About Us” from the menu bar at the top of this page. Contact us at info@obitsohio.com for more information.
ADVERTISING
ObitsOhio.com provides advertising opportunities for companies and individuals whose products and services may be of interest to our readers.
Write to us at info@obitsohio.com or call us at 216-862-2617 for more details and rates.
LINKS
ObitsOhio.com will post links to genealogy, obituary and other websites that may be of interest to our readers. Please write to us at info@obitsohio.com to suggest appropriate links.