New obituary template/guidelines

Community readers,

We sent the following letters to funeral directors today. We wanted you to all be aware of the change as well.


Dear local funeral director:

Thank you for letting Local Obits being a part of you! By posting obituaries to your website, you allow us to gather the information for our site. We greatly appreciate it when you e-mail your obituaries to us, especially death notices before the arrangements have been made. Below, we have included an obituary template. All of our obituaries will be written this way, starting on Monday, December 06, 2009. We appreciate you providing us with the date of birth, place of birth, parent's name, biography, survivors, and funeral service arrangements so we can better serve the community. If you like the following template, feel free to use it on a daily basis for you funeral home.

OBITUARY TEMPLATE:

OBITUARY NOTICE
ELBERTON, GEORGIA
HICKS FUNERAL HOME

MR. JIM FRANK BURDEN

Mr. Jim 'Frank' Burden, age 92, of Elberton, passed away on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at the Elbert Memorial Hospital.

Born on September 16, 1917 in Elbert County, he was the son of the late Lee Llewellyn and Myrtie Chastain Burden. He was a long-standing member of the Solid Rock Family Worship Center, formerly the Elberton Church of God, where he served as head usher for a number of years. Mr. Burden was also a youth Sunday School teacher for several years. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his sisters, Frances, Annie Ruth, and Estelle; and four brothers, Tom, Buford, Walton, and Julian.

Survivors include his wife, Nancy Magnettie Pless Burden of Elberton; sons and daughters-in-law, Henry and Erlene Burden, Charles and Cindy Burden, all of Elberton, and Gene and Linda Burden of Athens; daughters and son-in-law, Shirley and Vernon "Junior" Vaughn, and Sarah Anderson, all of Elberton; 11 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and 4 great-great-grandchildren. One brother, Charlie Burden, and several nieces, nephews, and other relatives also survive.

Funeral services for Mr. Burden will be held on Saturday, Novemer 7, 2009 at 2pm from the Chapel of Hicks Funeral Home. Rev. Leon Suttles and Bishop Randy Coggins will officate. His grandsons will serve as pallbearers and burial will follow in Elmhurst Cemetery. The family will be at the residence of ______________, 1234 John Doe Lane, Elberton, and will receive friends from 6-8pm Friday evening at Hicks Funeral Home.

Condolences may be placed online at www.hicksfuneral.com for the family.

Hicks Funeral Home of Elberton is in charge of arrangements for Mr. Jim Frank Burden.