You’re looking for someone. Maybe it’s a distant relative who lived in Bridgeport their whole life, or perhaps a legendary local bartender whose stories were as thick as a deep-dish pizza. Tracking down Chicago Sun-Times obituaries can feel like trying to navigate the Dan Ryan during rush hour—confusing, a bit loud, and full of unexpected turns. But here’s the thing about Chicago: we keep our records like we keep our grudges. They’re deep, they’re detailed, and they’re usually tucked away somewhere specific if you know where to knock.
Losing a loved one is hard enough. Navigating a paywall or a clunky search engine shouldn't make it worse. Whether you are doing genealogy or just trying to find the wake times for a friend, there is a rhythm to how the Sun-Times handles its death notices. It’s different from the Tribune. It’s grittier, often more concise, and deeply rooted in the city's neighborhood identities.
Why Chicago Sun-Times Obituaries Still Matter in a Digital Age
People sometimes think print is dead. Tell that to a South Side family who wants to see their grandfather’s face in the Sunday paper. The Sun-Times has always been the "blue-collar" voice of the city. While the Tribune might lean toward the grander, more formal biographies, the Sun-Times is where you find the heart of the neighborhoods.
The digital transition changed things. It used to be you just grabbed the paper at the 7-Eleven. Now, most people start their journey at the Sun-Times website or Legacy.com. Legacy is basically the backbone of the newspaper's online memorial section. When you search for Chicago Sun-Times obituaries, you are usually redirected to a co-branded portal. It’s efficient, sure, but it loses some of that "local" feel.
I’ve spent years looking at historical records. One thing I’ve noticed is that Sun-Times notices often include specific neighborhood affiliations that other papers miss. They mention the parish. They mention the union local. They mention the specific corner tavern where the person was a regular. This isn't just data; it’s a map of a life lived in Chicago.
Navigating the Search: More Than Just a Name
Don't just type a name into Google and hope for the best. You'll get a million hits for people with the same name in different states. You have to be surgical.
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Start with the date range. If you are looking for someone who passed away recently, the Sun-Times website has a search bar that syncs with their recent print editions. If the death happened more than a week ago, the "Recent" tab won't help you much. You need to dive into the archives.
Most people don't realize that "obituaries" and "death notices" are two different things. An obituary is an article written by a journalist about a prominent person. A death notice is a paid advertisement placed by the family or the funeral home. Most of what we are looking for are death notices. If you're searching for a local legend who didn't make the front page, search the notices, not the news section.
The Power of the Parish
Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, but for the older generations, it was a city of parishes. St. Sabina, St. Jude, Visitation—these names appear in Chicago Sun-Times obituaries more often than the actual street addresses. If you’re hit with a "no results found" message, try searching for the name plus the church or the funeral home. Names like Cooney Funeral Home or Cumberland Chapels appear in thousands of Sun-Times records. Sometimes the funeral home’s own website has a more detailed version of the story than the paper does.
Breaking Down the Paywall and Archive Issues
Let’s be real. Nobody likes a paywall when they’re grieving or doing research. The Sun-Times moved to a nonprofit model under Chicago Public Media, which changed their digital strategy, but archives are still a bit of a hurdle.
If you need a record from the 1970s or 80s, you aren't going to find it on a simple web search. You’re going to need the Chicago Public Library. They have the "Chicago Tribune & Chicago Sun-Times Historical Archive." You can access this from home if you have a library card. It is a literal lifesaver. You can see the actual scan of the newspaper page. There’s something powerful about seeing the font, the surrounding ads, and the context of the day someone passed.
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- Check the Public Library: Use the ProQuest database through the CPL portal.
- Ancestry and MyHeritage: These paid services index Sun-Times records, but they’re often a few months behind.
- Social Media: Believe it or not, neighborhood Facebook groups like "Old Chicago Neighborhoods" often have members who clip and share Sun-Times notices. It’s a community archive.
The Nuance of the South Side vs. North Side Records
The Sun-Times has historically been the paper of the South and West Sides. If your family was from Canaryville, Bridgeport, or Hegewisch, the Sun-Times was the paper. This means the obituary archives are incredibly rich for these areas.
You’ll see a specific style in these records. They are often concise because every line cost money in the print days. You get the essentials: the "beloved husband of," the "cherished grandfather," and the "interment private" or "interment at Holy Sepulchre."
If you are looking for an African American relative, the Sun-Times is a vital resource. Historically, the Sun-Times and the Chicago Defender were the primary outlets for the Black community’s records. While the Defender provided deep social context, the Sun-Times provided the citywide record that integrated the family into the broader history of Chicago.
Common Mistakes When Searching
People get frustrated. I get it. You type in "John Smith" and get nothing. Or you get 5,000 results.
First, check the spelling. Chicago names are notoriously difficult. Was it "Mc" or "Mac"? Was there an "e" at the end of "Clark"? Names were frequently misspelled by tired funeral directors or harried newspaper clerks. Try searching by just the last name and the date of death.
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Second, remember that not everyone had a notice. It costs a lot of money to run a full obituary in a major metro paper. Sometimes families opted for a shorter notice or just used the funeral home’s website. If you can't find it in the Chicago Sun-Times obituaries, don't assume the person didn't pass or that you have the wrong city. Check the suburbs. If they moved to Orland Park or Naperville, the notice might be in the Daily Herald or a local Patch site instead.
How to Write a Sun-Times Notice Today
If you’re the one tasked with writing one, keep it "Chicago."
- Mention the Union: If they were a pipefitter, a teacher, or a cop, say it.
- The Sports Factor: It is perfectly acceptable (and common) to mention if they were a lifelong Cubs fan or a die-hard Bear.
- The Neighborhood: Mention where they grew up. "Formerly of Back of the Yards" carries weight here.
Honestly, the best notices read like a conversation at a wake. They shouldn't be stiff. They should sound like the person they are describing.
Accessing Recent Records (2020–2026)
In the last few years, the digital record has become the primary record. When you search for Chicago Sun-Times obituaries today, you’ll find that the online guestbooks are a major feature. These guestbooks are actually a goldmine for family researchers. People leave stories there that never made it into the printed text.
I’ve seen guestbooks where old coworkers from the old Stockyards or the steel mills share stories from forty years ago. That’s the real value of the digital shift. The obituary is no longer a static piece of paper; it’s a living document where the community can weigh in.
Steps to Take Right Now
If you are currently searching for a record or planning to post one, here is exactly how to handle it:
- For researchers: Head to the Chicago Public Library website first. Don't pay for an individual article on a news site if you can get it free with your library card. Use the "Biography and Genealogy" section under their "Online Resources."
- For those looking for recent deaths: Use the Sun-Times/Legacy portal but filter by "Last 30 Days." If you don't find it, search by the funeral home name.
- For those writing a notice: Contact the Sun-Times obituary department directly at (312) 321-2345 or email their intake team. Most funeral homes will do this for you, but you can do it yourself to save on "convenience fees" some homes tack on.
- Verify the date: Remember that an obituary usually runs 2-4 days after the death. If someone died on a Tuesday, search the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday editions.
- Save the URL: Digital obituaries can sometimes move or change as websites are updated. If you find a link you like, use the Wayback Machine (Archive.org) to save a permanent version of it for your family records.
Chicago is a city that remembers its own. The Sun-Times remains the ledger for the everyday heroes of the 77 neighborhoods. It’s not just a list of the dead; it’s a census of the lives that built this place. Digging through these records takes patience, but the payoff is a clearer picture of the people who made Chicago what it is today.