How do I Submit an Obituary?

Losing someone is hard. The last thing your family needs is uncertainty about paperwork.

This page tells you exactly what to send us, when to send it, and who to contact. If you have questions before you’re ready to write, reach out — we’ll help you through it.

Pricing & Word Limits

Obituaries are priced by length. The base rate is $80 for up to 100 words, then $20 for each additional 50 words. You may include a photo and have the obituary appear on maderatribune.com as well — see add-ons below.

Length	Price
Up to 100 words	$80
Up to 150 words	$100
Up to 200 words	$120
Up to 250 words	$140
Up to 300 words	$160
Up to 350 words	$180
Up to 400 words	$200
Up to 450 words	$220
Up to 500 words	$240
Up to 550 words	$260

Length	Price
Up to 600 words	$280
Up to 650 words	$300
Up to 700 words	$320
Up to 750 words	$340
Up to 800 words	$360
Up to 850 words	$380
Up to 900 words	$400
Up to 950 words	$420
Up to 1,000 words	$440

Length	Price
Up to 1.050 words	$460
Up to 1,100 words	$480
Up to 1,150 words	$500
Up to 1,200 words	$520
Up to 1,250 words	$540
Up to 1,300 words	$560
Up to 1,350 words	$580
Up to 1,400 words	$600
Up to 1,450 words	$620

Larger formats: Half page $900 · Full page $1,800. More than 1,450 words: add $20 for each additional 50 words.

Add-ons

Additional photos: $25 each
Color photo: $50
Online posting (also appears on maderatribune.com): $50

Deadlines & Submissions

Submitting an obituary you’ve written (supplied copy)

The deadlines and instructions below are for ready-to-publish copy you supply.

Submission deadline (supplied copy): by 5 p.m. Friday for the following Wednesday edition, or 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following Saturday edition.

To submit: Email obits@maderatribune.net with the subject line: OBITUARY — [Last Name] — [Date of Death]

After you submit: We’ll confirm receipt within one business day. If you don’t hear from us, follow up by phone at +1 (559) 674-2424.

Edits: We’ll discuss any changes when we confirm receipt. After that, we can make minor copy corrections only. Please note the editing window before publication is very limited.

Our editorial standard: The Madera Tribune follows AP Style. We may make minor style corrections without notice. We will never change factual content without contacting you first.

Prefer us to write it? We can help.

Putting a life into words in the days after a loss is hard, and not everyone feels equipped to do it. That’s alright. If you’d rather, a Tribune writer can craft the obituary with you, from a short conversation and the details you provide.

Because a written obituary involves an interview and your approval, it runs on an earlier timeline than supplied copy, please don’t wait for the deadlines above.

To start: Email us obits@maderatribune.net or call us at +1 (559) 674-2424 and ask about our obituary writing service, including pricing and the lead time we’ll need to publish.

What We Cannot Promise

A specific publication date — we will work with your timeline, but cannot guarantee it
Photo quality if the submitted file is lower than the minimum resolution

A Note on Language

We welcome obituaries in Spanish. Contact us at obits@maderatribune.net to discuss.

Submit an Obituary Form

Required Information

Please include all of the following. Missing information delays publication.

Full legal name — and any preferred name in quotes (example: Margaret "Maggie" Ellis) Email Date of birth Date of death City of residence at time of death Survivors — full names and relationship (example: "survived by her son, James Ellis of Madera") Service details — date, time, and location; officiant name if applicable Memorial contributions — where to send donations, if your family wishes to include this

Optional Additions

Military service — branch, years served, and any honors received Memberships, clubs, or community affiliations Career or occupation A personal tribute paragraph in your family's own words

Photo guidelines

A photo can accompany the obituary. Please note:

Accepted formats: JPG or PNG
Minimum size: at least 600 × 600 pixels for a standard 2″ × 2″ print (larger is always better)
One photo per obituary unless other arrangements are made in advance
Sending from your phone: be sure to send full size photos.

If the photo you have doesn’t meet these requirements, send it anyway and let us know. We’ll tell you honestly what we can work with. We cannot guarantee print quality for low-resolution files, but we will do our best.

We’ve received your information. We are sorry for your loss.

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