Obituary Placement and Policies

The Pioneer Press is committed to honoring the deceased with respectful and compassionate obituary notices. To ensure the accurate and timely placement of an obituary, the following information must be provided.

General Information

When submitting an obituary, please provide the following information:

• Your full name
• Address (City, State, Zip Code)
• Phone number
• Alternate phone number (if any)

Obituary Specification

In addition to the general information, please provide the following details:

• Name of Deceased
• Obituary Text
• A photo in a JPEG or PDF file is preferable, TIF and other files are accepted, we will contact you if there are any issues with the photo.

Ad Run Dates

Please specify the dates on which you would like your obituary to appear. Note that there is a discount available for running more than one day, but this must be scheduled on the first run date to apply. If a photo is used, it must be used for both days for the discount to apply. Please contact us for more information regarding this policy.

Policies

The Pioneer Press adheres to the following policies:

• Verification of Death: A name and phone number of the funeral home/cremation society is required to verify the death. We must contact the funeral home/cremation society during their business hours to confirm the passing. If the body has been donated to a program such as the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program, their phone number is required for verification.
• Death Certificate: A death certificate is also an acceptable option for verification.
• Guestbook and Outside Websites: We do not allow references to other media sources with a guestbook or an obituary placed elsewhere. However, we may place a website for a funeral home or a family email for contact instead. Please contact us with any questions regarding this matter.

Obituary Process

Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review prior to publication. This proof includes the price and days the notice is scheduled to appear. Please review the proof carefully, as we must be notified of errors or changes before the notice appears in the Pioneer Press.

Online Obituary

Changes to an online obituary can be handled through our obituary desk. Please call us with any questions.

Payment Procedure

Pre-payment is required for all obituary notices prior to publication. Please call 651-228-5263 with your payment information after you have received the proof and approved its contents. We accept the following payment methods:

• Credit Card: Payment accepted by phone only due to PCI regulations
• EFT: Check by phone. Please provide your routing number and account number.
• Cash: Accepted at our FRONT COUNTER Monday – Friday from 8:00AM – 3:30PM

Rates

The minimum charge for an obituary notice is $162 for the first 10 lines. Every line after the first 10 is $12.20. If the ad is under 10 lines, it will be charged the minimum rate of $162. On a second run date, the lines are $8.20 per line, starting with the first line. For example, if the first run date was 20 lines, the cost would be $164. Each photo published is $125 per day. For example, 2 photos in the paper on 2 days would be 4 photo charges at $500.

Deadlines

Please follow the deadline times to ensure your obituary is published on the requested day.

Policies Specific to Memoriam Submissions

Unlike obituaries, memoriam submissions are remembrances of a loved one who has passed. The rates for a memoriam differ from obituaries. Please call or email us for more information on memoriam submissions.

Hours of Operation

Our office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00AM – 5:00PM. We are closed on weekends and holidays. Please submit your memoriam ad to memoriams@pioneerpress.com or call 651-228-5280.

“This is the very LAST thing I ever wanted to have to do … I will not teach my kids how to quit when bad things happen. I’m going to set my ego aside and ask for help and keep fighting.” – Beth (Fynbo) Benike, owner of Busy Baby

Rewrite of Obituary Placement and Policies
As a small business owner, it’s not easy to ask for help, but sometimes, it’s the best decision. Beth (Fynbo) Benike, the owner of Busy Baby, is taking a bold step by crowdfunding $229,000 to save her company from the effects of tariffs on imported products.