Hi NightOwl77, I'm not sure about how the local paper in Delphi handles obituaries and death notices specifically, but I've worked in newspapers for years, and "obits" are generally paid, and when they're paid, they're usually written by a funeral home with help of the family. (BUT Obits for someone like a prominent local business leader, etc., would likely be written by a reporter at the paper, and not "paid," but news.)
In contrast, "death notices" are, in my experience, "one-line," public record listings. Very short. They also most often are submitted by funeral homes. Occasionally, they arrive from a law enforcement PIO or similar source.
Speaking from my experience only ... As an intern *cough forever *cough ago, I had to work the newsroom obit desk. The date of death could be wrong if the funeral home notes the day of death as the day they receive the body. And PIO reports can be incomplete when sent to a media outlet. Stuff like that.
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