When someone passes away in Tangipahoa Parish, the first place almost everyone looks is the Daily Star. Honestly, it’s just how things have been done in Hammond since 1959. But if you’ve ever tried to dig through the Daily Star Hammond LA obituaries online, you know it isn’t always a straight line from point A to point B.
The paper has survived everything from Hurricane Katrina to the digital shift that’s killed off so many other local dailies. Today, it remains the primary record for folks in Hammond, Ponchatoula, and Amite. It's more than just a list of names; it’s basically the local history book of who we were and who we’ve lost.
Navigating the Daily Star Hammond LA Obituaries
Finding a specific notice can be kinda tricky if you don't know where the paper hides its archives. Most recent stuff—we’re talking the last 30 days—usually sits on the main website or is mirrored through Legacy.com.
If you’re looking for someone who passed away this week, the digital "Death Notices" are usually your fastest bet. These are the short, bare-bones announcements. They give you the name, age, and when the service is happening. If you want the full story—the "life story" version with the hobbies, the grandkids' names, and the photo of them fishing—you’re looking for a full obituary.
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For the older stuff, you've got to get a bit more creative.
Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) actually keeps a massive collection of Daily Star negatives and archives at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. We're talking records dating back to the 60s. If you are doing genealogy and need something from, say, 1974, Google probably won't help you as much as a trip to the SLU library or a search through GenealogyBank.
Why Digital Searches Sometimes Fail
Sometimes you type in a name and get zero results. It's frustrating.
Often, it’s because of a typo in the original print or the way the digital scanner read the text. Back in the day, editors didn't always catch every misspelling of a last name. Another issue? Women were often listed under their husband's names in older archives—think "Mrs. John Smith" instead of "Mary Smith."
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Try searching by just the last name and the year. It's tedious, but it works.
How to Post a Notice Without Overpaying
Writing an obituary is hard. Doing it while you're grieving is even harder.
The Daily Star usually works directly with local funeral homes like Harry McKneely & Son or LN Hughes. Honestly, letting the funeral director handle the submission is the easiest path. They know the deadlines and the formatting requirements that the paper's ad desk expects.
If you’re doing it yourself, here is the reality of the costs:
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- Death Notices: These are the "just the facts" listings. They usually start around $80 for a 40-word limit.
- Full Obituaries: These start a bit lower for the base (around $65), but the price climbs quickly based on word count and if you want a photo.
- The "Memorial" factor: Most paid notices now include a permanent online guestbook. This is actually pretty cool because people can post photos and memories long after the physical paper has been recycled.
Deadlines are strict. Since the paper only publishes on specific days now—Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday—you can’t just send something in on a Wednesday morning and expect it to be in the hands of readers by Thursday. You generally need to have your copy verified and paid for at least 24 to 48 hours in advance.
The Archive Secret: Beyond the Search Bar
Most people don't realize that the Daily Star Hammond LA obituaries aren't just in one place.
If you can't find a record on the paper's official site, check the USGenWeb Archives for Tangipahoa Parish. Volunteers have spent years transcribing old Star obits into text files. They aren't pretty, and there are no photos, but the data is there for free.
What to Include in a Modern Notice
- Full legal name (and that nickname everyone actually called them).
- Service details (be specific about the church or funeral home address).
- A "In lieu of flowers" note if there's a specific charity like the Ginger Ford Northshore Fuller Center that mattered to them.
- Verification. The paper won't run anything without confirming the death with a funeral home or crematorium. It’s a safety thing to prevent "prank" obituaries, which, yeah, unfortunately happen.
Taking Action: Your Next Steps
If you are currently looking for a recent notice or trying to place one, don't just wing it.
- Check Legacy first: Most Daily Star obits from the last few years are indexed there automatically.
- Call the paper directly: If you're struggling with the online portal, the office is on C.M. Fagan Drive. Sometimes talking to a human at 985-345-2333 saves two hours of clicking.
- Use SLU for History: If the person passed away more than 20 years ago, skip the website and head to the university archives.
- Draft offline: Write your tribute in a Word doc or Notes app first. The online submission forms can sometimes time out, and losing a heartfelt tribute you just wrote is the last thing you need right now.
The Daily Star is a small-town paper with a big-city legacy. It’s held this community together through some pretty dark times, and its obituary section remains the most-read part of the paper for a reason. It’s how Hammond remembers its own.