Most obituaries are filed by the Funeral Home that takes care of the deceased. An interview is conducted with family members and this information is then forwarded to the appropriate papers. Sometimes when a person has lived in more than one town, the obituary is sent to papers in many different places. There are some basic standards to obituaries. Generally they contain the name of the deceased, the time and place of death, the place of birth and the parents.
Most obituaries also contain information about the next of kin and close relatives.
If a person happens to be famous or was a civic leader, there may be additional career details and information concerning life contributions and activities. All of this information is research gold. It may be inaccurate, so don't take it as gospel until you have confirmed the facts contained. Remember, this information has been related by the family members and there may be mistakes. Plus, some newspapers don't take care with items contained and names end up slaughtered.