Obituary Help

[teatimefor2]

I am trying to locate an Obituary, and I'm not sure where in was published.  Is their a massive database for this throughout the US?  My problem is most papers will only let you click a few times before requiring a subscription.  This is really important.

My great aunt is 91 and in very very poor health. She has been married to my Uncle for 20 years and found out yesterday from an old neighbor that he passed in February!  They moved separately to live with their respective children in 2011 due to both their poor health.  She desperately wants to find his obituary.  My Aunt (great aunt's daughter) never liked her husband and never got along with his children.  To complicate issues, great aunt married uncle who was the brother of her first husband who died in the late 60s.  They have known each other for 70 + years.

Any ideas?  Thank you!!

[rbp]

www.legacy.com or Google his name + obituary

[smm5623]

I've read this twice and am still unable to wrap my head around the relationships.

I'm not aware of any database. Google didn't come up with anything?

[Ashley&Scott]

Did you try googling his name & the town he lived in? Many funeral homes have online obituaries with free access.

[zarapipe]

Woah, that is horrible for your Aunt. Is anyone friendly of great uncles children? Can you call? If you knew the city you can search online.

[teatimefor2]

Mar 27, 2015 19:29:51 GMT -5 smm5623 said:

I've read this twice and am still unable to wrap my head around the relationships.

I'm not aware of any database. Google didn't come up with anything?

Great Aunt Married first husband 
First Husband died 
Great Aunt Married second husband who happened to be her first husband's brother

Great Aunt's child and second husband's children don't like each other.  Therefore, they never shared the information that uncle passed.

[teatimefor2]

Thanks, I have googling for more than an hour. It's not on Legacy.com. I don't think they did one. He was 97, I think. I feel so bad for my aunt.

Appreciate all the advice.

[h]

Do you know the town he lived in? If so, I would call the local paper if their obits aren't searchable online and ask them if they can help you get a copy.

[teatimefor2]

Mar 27, 2015 19:46:11 GMT -5 h said:

Do you know the town he lived in? If so, I would call the local paper if their obits aren't searchable online and ask them if they can help you get a copy.

I plan to ring on Monday.  Thanks!

[Ashley&Scott]

Search his name in the social security death index. That should tell you what town he lived in when he passed.

[JayhawkGirl]

So his kids are her kids' cousins right? How awful to not tell her. Plus, as his legal window her social security may change, etc.

How unfortunate they couldn't get over themselves to let you guys know he passed. Wow.

[teatimefor2]

Mar 27, 2015 20:28:30 GMT -5 JayhawkGirl said:

So his kids are her kids' cousins right? How awful to not tell her. Plus, as his legal window her social security may change, etc.

How unfortunate they couldn't get over themselves to let you guys know he passed. Wow.

Yes, all this!  They got married when they were in their 60s.  My Aunt is 91 and my Mom thinks uncle was 94/95...

Good point about the social security -- I'll mention that to my mom.  We almost lost my Aunt last week, so I know her daughter (only child) is dealing with a lot, so I'm sure she didn't think of social security (at least not yet).

[meltoine]

My grandmother's brother's wife didn't like his family, so she didn't tell them when he died. My grandmother found out in church during the "please pray for the recently deceased of our parish, including...." part of mass.

Ditto finding out where he died first. If the local paper doesn't have anything and it's a small-ish town, I'd even call the local funeral homes individually and ask.

[JayhawkGirl]

Widow not window - autocorrect fail

[soxin2]

My family has pulled likewise shenanigans. *hugs*


I second the search for "So and So obituary" advice offered.

[smm5623]

Mar 27, 2015 19:33:57 GMT -5 teatimefor2 said:

Mar 27, 2015 19:29:51 GMT -5 smm5623 said:

I've read this twice and am still unable to wrap my head around the relationships.

I'm not aware of any database. Google didn't come up with anything?

Great Aunt Married first husband 
First Husband died 
Great Aunt Married second husband who happened to be her first husband's brother

Great Aunt's child and second husband's children don't like each other.  Therefore, they never shared the information that uncle passed.

Ahhhh got it!

How sad that they lost contact with each other. I hope you find out some info. Do you think if you called family you would get some info? I get that there's some hostility between the families but maybe you can get some details

[auntie]

It might be useful to contact the local funeral homes/mortuaries directly or via their websites. I would think as next of kin, she should be able to get a copy of his death certificate through her state.

If the children didn't want your great aunt to know about his death, they may not have published an obit. In many places, obituaries cost money which can be another reason you can't find a copy. My BFF's modest dad's obit cost over $800 for a single day publication in a large city Sunday edition.