Finding information about someone who has passed away in a small town can be surprisingly tricky. You’d think in a place like Ramsey County, everyone would just know, right? But the reality of tracking down devils lake north dakota obituaries in 2026 is actually a bit of a scavenger hunt.
It's personal. It's often urgent. Maybe you’re trying to find service times for a childhood friend, or you’re a genealogy buff digging into the deep, salty history of the Spirit Lake region. Either way, the "old way" of just picking up a physical newspaper isn't always the fastest route anymore.
Where the records actually live
The most consistent place to start is the Devils Lake Daily Journal. Honestly, it's been the heartbeat of the region since the late 1800s. While the medium has shifted—most people check their website now—the Journal remains the primary record for local deaths.
But here is the catch: not every family chooses to publish a full obituary there. They cost money. Sometimes a lot of it. Because of that, you’ll often find "death notices" which are just the bare-bones facts, while the flowery, 500-word life stories end up on funeral home websites.
If you’re looking for someone specifically in the Devils Lake area, you basically have to check these three spots:
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- The Devils Lake Daily Journal (for the public record).
- Gilbertson Funeral Home (the main provider in town).
- Legacy.com (which aggregates a lot of the North Dakota data).
The Gilbertson Connection
In a town this size, one or two names dominate the industry. In Devils Lake, that’s Gilbertson Funeral Home. If you go to their site, you’ll find the "Book of Memories." It’s usually more current than the newspaper.
For example, looking at recent records from January 2026, you'll see names like Jesse Clark Davis and Gail Carlson. The funeral home site is where you find the stuff that matters for attending a service—like if the wake is at the funeral home or a local church like St. Joseph’s or St. Olaf.
Why the Spirit Lake Nation matters
You can't talk about devils lake north dakota obituaries without acknowledging the Spirit Lake Reservation (formerly the Devils Lake Sioux Reservation).
The traditions there are different. Wakes often last multiple days. Processions might start at the Four Winds parking lot in Fort Totten or at St. Michael’s. If you are looking for a tribal member, the obituaries might appear in the Journal, but they are almost always posted on the funeral home’s digital tribute wall first. Names like Roudie IronHawk or Fallon Littleghost appear in these records, often reflecting a deep connection to the Spirit Lake Nation and the Cankdeska Cikana community.
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Digging into the past (The Genealogy Angle)
If you’re doing family research, the game changes. Devils Lake has a weirdly diverse history. Did you know it was home to one of the oldest Jewish farming settlements in the Northwest?
The Sons of Jacob Cemetery and the records from the old "Ben Zion" post office are gold mines for researchers. If your ancestors lived in Ramsey County in the early 1900s, you won’t find them on a modern funeral home website. You have to go to the State Historical Society of North Dakota or use the digital archives of the Devils Lake Journal, which go back to the 1880s.
Common mistakes when searching
People get frustrated because they search "Devils Lake obits" and get nothing. Usually, it’s because the person actually lived in a surrounding town.
- Check Cando: Many residents use Dunnigan-Dix Funeral Home in Cando.
- Check Maddock: The Nelson Funeral Home handles a lot of the rural Ramsey and Benson County folks.
- Check New Rockford: Evans Funeral Home is a big player there.
If someone died at the CHI St. Alexius hospital in Devils Lake, their obituary might actually be filed under their hometown, like Crary, Starkweather, or even Leeds. Don’t limit your search to just the city limits.
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A nuanced look at the "Digital Divide"
There’s a bit of a struggle happening in rural North Dakota. Older generations want the paper. Younger generations want the Facebook link. This means sometimes an obituary is only on a Facebook page for a day or two and then disappears into the digital void.
If you can't find a record, honestly, the best move is to call the Ramsey County Clerk or the local library. The Carnegie City-County Library in Devils Lake has staff who actually know how to navigate the microfilm and the local databases. They’ve seen it all.
Actionable steps for your search
If you are currently looking for a record, do this:
- First: Search the specific name + "Gilbertson Funeral Home" or "Evans Funeral Home."
- Second: Check the Devils Lake Daily Journal obituary section. If it’s behind a paywall, try searching the name on Legacy.com which often hosts the same text for free.
- Third: Look for the "Spirit Lake Tribal News" or community Facebook groups if the person was from the reservation.
- Fourth: For historical searches (pre-2000), use GenealogyBank or the North Dakota State Archives. They have the 130-year-plus run of the local papers digitized.
The records are there. You just have to know which "neighbor" to ask. Whether it's a recent loss like Daniel Stave or a long-lost ancestor from the 1920s, the history of Devils Lake is written in these short, often heartbreaking, paragraphs.