How to Submit an Obituary to The Gallup Independent

Updated

To submit an obituary to The Gallup Independent, email the completed obituary to [email protected], fax it to 505-722-5750, or drop off a hard copy at the office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The paper's site lists all three routes and notes that faxed photos are handled separately, so plan for how photos travel with the text.

Choose Your Submission Method

The Independent accepts obituaries through three channels. Pick the one that matches how you've prepared the material.

Method Where it goes Best for
Email [email protected] Text and digital photos; keeps a copy in your sent folder
Fax 505-722-5750 Printed drafts or scanned pages you already have on paper
In person The Independent's office, weekdays 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Hard copies, including printed photos

The site's obituary notice points to an "Obituary form" alongside these instructions, so check the Obituaries section for the current form before you finalize your draft.

Step by Step

  1. Complete the obituary text first. Write the full notice before choosing a channel — the site's wording is "send completed obituaries," which means the paper expects a finished submission rather than notes to be assembled later.
  2. Decide how photos will travel. The notice specifically mentions faxed photos, which suggests photos follow a different handling path than the text. If you're emailing, attach digital images; if you're faxing, include the photo pages with the text.
  3. Send by your chosen route. Email to [email protected], fax to 505-722-5750, or bring hard copies to the office.
  4. Drop off during office hours if delivering in person. The window is 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday — arriving outside it means no one is there to take the copy.
  5. Confirm receipt. The page doesn't describe a confirmation process, so if you need assurance the notice arrived, follow up by phone. The paper's subscription line, 505-863-6811, is the contact number listed on the site.

Common Sticking Points

  • Faxed photos. The notice calls out faxed photos as their own item, so don't assume a faxed photo is handled identically to a faxed text page. Ask when you send.
  • Timing. The office closes at 4:30 p.m. Drop-offs after that wait until the next business day.
  • No stated fees or deadlines. The site doesn't publish obituary pricing or a submission deadline. Confirm both with the paper before you rely on a particular publication date.
  • Email as the default. For most people, email is the simplest route because it preserves a record of what was sent and when.

What the Site Doesn't Tell You

The obituary instructions cover where and how to send a notice, but not cost, word limits, photo requirements, or how far ahead of publication you need to submit. Those details aren't on the page, so treat them as open questions to settle with the paper directly rather than assumptions.