It is often said that the obituary page is the best-read page in the paper.

The late Richard Pearson, longtime Washington Post obituary writer, once told a conference of obituary writers (yes, there is such an organization) that obituaries are "one of the last parts of the paper that really reflect the community. It's the last bastion. Obituaries look at the flavor of that community, tell us how they look at themselves."

As much as that may be, in many large cities newspapers no longer print free obituaries for everyone.

We have not followed that trend, and every day of the week the second page of the Hawai'i section is devoted to all the obituaries that are submitted to us.

We will print every one we receive as long as the deceased lived here or had a significant Hawai'i connection.

Most obituaries are provided to us by mortuaries but we will take them directly from families as long as the family can provide a proof of death, such as a copy of the death certificate.

For most people, their passing is marked on the obituary page in a capsule account — the date of death, place of birth, a sentence or two about the person's occupation or avocation, survivors and services.

Those obituaries are faxed or e-mailed to us by the mortuaries or families and are processed on the city desk by Pat Glaser, Helen North and Wade Shirkey. We always ask for the name of someone we can contact if we have questions.

There is no charge for these obituaries — we provide them as a public service — but we do edit them to conform to our style.

Families sometimes wonder why we won't run obituaries just as they submit them. It's not that we are insensitive to their wishes. It is a matter of fairness. We rewrite the obituaries to conform to our style so there is consistency.

The Advertiser also offers paid funeral notices, which are handled through our classified advertising department. They also run on the second page of the Hawai'i section throughout the week.

Paid funeral notices give families the opportunity to write obituaries in the manner they wish. They can also include photos.

Some people by nature of their job, their role in the community or a brush with fame will merit a news obituary, a fuller summation of their life and impact.

Those obituaries will be assigned by an editor to a reporter for a news story. The reporter will research our newspaper archives, talk with family, co-workers and friends of the deceased to write what is meant to be a concise version of a person's life and accomplishments.

Obituaries are not treated lightly, whether they are a basic obituary or get more extensive treatment. We strive to be fully accurate, fair and sensitive in writing the obituaries and dealing with families.