Hi, I was certainly surprized to see how many ways of dealing with Obituary or funural notices there are. Our California paper lets the person decide what they want in the paper. First you can have a picture in the notice. It is a little over an inch big. Almost all of the notices have pictures with them these days. You can make the notice as long as you want depending on how much you want to pay. Photos cost $60 per day. If the notice is only in the Sunday paper the photo cost is $70 for the day. I might add that a lot of people opt for Sunday only. There are usually about 3 pages on Sunday. The notice cost per line. The rates are $5.25 per day per line. For Sunday only the rate is $6.25 per line. Basically one is paying at the ad space rate. A person can put what they want in their obituary as long as it fits the subject. Often people have chosen to have a two column notice and some times it even covers three or four columns.I don't think that there have ever been free notices for everyone. There is an index at the top of the pages that gives the names included which I believe is free. Sometimes the newspaper print a larger article if the person is well known in the community which is free.The notices can also be viewed on line for a time which is free, The prices certainly have gone up recently (hasn't everything.) Just a couple of years ago they were $2.00 or $2.50 per line. Why would a family pay so much for a notice? People are leaving a valuable bit of information for their descendants to find. Almost all have some mention of their family but sometimes the names of all of the grandchildren and great grandchildren and where they live are also left for posterity. Often the names of their schools and degrees are included. Often their life work is included. Sometimes the clubs that they belonged to are included. If they were an officer in an important club that is often included. If they have won awards those are often included. You get the idea. It is a legacy that can only be left once. There are also In Memoriams that are included at the end. They honor the date of death or a person's birthday etc. Those can also have pictures. They are usually just a few lines and also cost per the going rate. An old boss of mine put one in every year for his deceased wife whom he missed very much. He included a different picture of her each time one appeared. Some of the sadest are for children who have been murdered or had a dreadful disease. The police officers honor those who have fallen in the line of duty every year. Velma