If you’ve lived in the Capital Region for more than a minute, you know the Times Union isn’t just a newspaper. It’s the record. When someone significant passes away—whether it’s a legendary Saratoga coach or just the neighbor who grew the best tomatoes in Guilderland—the Albany NY Times Union obituaries are where the community goes to say goodbye.
Honestly, trying to track down a specific notice from three years ago or figure out how to post one yourself without spending a fortune can be a headache. The digital shift has changed things. It’s not just about flipping through the back of the "A" section anymore.
The Best Way to Search the Archives
Most people just head to Google and type in a name. That works... sometimes. But if you're looking for someone with a common name like Smith or Miller in Albany County, you’re going to get buried in results.
The Times Union actually maintains a few different "vaults" for this stuff.
For anything recent—basically anything from 2002 to right now—the paper partners with Legacy.com. It's the most user-friendly way to find a recent passing. You can filter by the last 30 days or search the full 20-year history.
Digging into the Deep Past
What if you're doing genealogy? Maybe you're looking for an ancestor who lived in Troy or Schenectady in the 1940s.
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You won't find those on the basic website. For the "old school" records, you have to look at:
- GenealogyBank: They have digitized versions of the paper going back nearly 150 years. It’s a paid service, but it’s the gold standard for historians.
- Albany Public Library: If you have a library card, you can often access the Times Union databases for free. They have full-text articles from 1986 and some obituary records dating back to 1993.
- New York State Historic Newspapers: This is a fantastic free resource. It’s a bit clunky, but it’s great for finding those mid-century death notices that haven't made it to the big commercial sites yet.
How to Place an Obituary Without the Stress
Let’s be real: when you’re dealing with a loss, the last thing you want to do is navigate a complicated ad-submission portal.
Usually, the funeral home handles this. Whether you're working with New Comer, McVeigh, or Applebee in Delmar, they have a direct line to the Times Union classifieds. They’ll bundle the cost into their service fee.
But you can do it yourself.
The paper uses a self-service portal (often powered by Hearst’s EzAds system). You pick a template, upload a photo, and the system calculates the price based on how many lines you write.
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The Cost Reality
Price is a big thing people get wrong. Albany NY Times Union obituaries aren't cheap. A basic notice might start around $35, but once you add a photo and a few paragraphs about their love for the Adirondacks, you’re looking at several hundred dollars.
Expert Tip: If the price is too high, consider a "Death Notice" instead of a full "Obituary." A death notice is a short, factual announcement of the passing and service times. You can save the long life story for a free online memorial or a smaller local weekly paper.
Why the Digital Version Matters More Now
In 2026, the print paper is a keepsake, but the online obituary is where the "action" is. When a notice goes live on the Times Union site, it automatically gets a Guest Book.
These Guest Books stay open indefinitely. It’s pretty common to see people posting "Thinking of you" messages five or ten years after the person passed. If you're searching for a loved one, don't just read the text—check the Guest Book. Sometimes you’ll find long-lost cousins or old coworkers who shared a memory you never knew existed.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Missing the Deadline: For the print edition, the deadline is usually mid-afternoon the day before publication. If you miss it, you're waiting until the next cycle.
- Forgetting the Charity: If the family wants donations to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society or a local food pantry instead of flowers, make sure that’s at the very end.
- Spelling Names: It sounds obvious, but double-check the spelling of the grandkids. There’s nothing worse than seeing a typo in print that stays in the archive forever.
Actionable Steps for Your Search
If you are looking for a specific notice right now, start with the Times Union/Legacy search portal. Use the "Advanced Search" feature to narrow it down by the specific year.
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If that fails, head to the Albany Public Library website. Their "Research & Databases" section is a hidden gem for local history.
For those placing an obituary, draft your text in a Word document first. Count your lines. Every extra line in the Times Union adds to the bill, so being concise while staying heartfelt is the secret to a great tribute.
Double-check the service locations. With so many "St. Mary's" and "St. Patrick's" churches in the Capital District, always include the specific town (e.g., "St. Mary's in Ballston Spa") to make sure friends and family show up to the right place.
Once the obituary is published, save a digital PDF of the page. Web links can break over decades, but a saved PDF ensures you have that record for the family tree forever.