Losing someone in Lackawanna County used to mean one thing: you’d wait for the morning paper to hit the porch. You’d flip to the back, scan the fine print, and find out who passed. It was a ritual. But honestly, finding death notices Scranton PA residents can actually rely on has become a bit of a scavenger hunt lately. The digital shift changed everything. Now, you’re bouncing between legacy newspaper sites, funeral home landing pages, and those weirdly aggressive third-party aggregators that pop up in your search results. It’s frustrating when you just want to pay your respects or check a viewing time.
The reality is that Scranton is a "valley" town with deep roots. People here care about the neighborhood—Green Ridge, West Side, the Plot. When someone dies, the community feels it. But the way we document those losses is in a state of flux.
The Scranton Times-Tribune and the Paywall Problem
For over a century, the Times-Tribune has been the gold standard for Scranton obituaries. If it wasn't in the Times, did it even happen? That’s how the old-timers feel.
However, there's a hurdle now. Paywalls. If you try to access death notices Scranton PA through the official newspaper site, you might hit a limit after three clicks. It’s annoying. You’re trying to find out where your neighbor’s wake is, and suddenly you’re being asked for a monthly subscription. Most people don’t realize that the Times-Tribune often syndicates their obituaries to platforms like Legacy.com.
Why the Price of an Obit Matters
Did you know it can cost a family hundreds, sometimes over a thousand dollars, to run a full obituary in a print newspaper? It’s true. Because of these rising costs, some families are opting for "death notices" instead of full obituaries.
There is a difference. A death notice is usually just the facts: name, age, date of passing, and funeral home. An obituary is the story—the "he loved fishing at Lake Wallenpaupack and retired from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad" stuff. If you’re searching and can’t find a long-winded story, the family might have just gone with a basic notice to save money during an already expensive time.
The Rise of the Funeral Home Website
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the paper, go straight to the source. Scranton has legendary funeral homes. Families like the Miller Beans, Solofans, or the Vanston and Cummings crews have been handling burials for generations.
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These businesses have basically become their own news outlets.
Most Scranton funeral homes now host their own digital "tribute walls." This is actually a better experience for most of us. You get the high-res photos. You can leave a digital candle. You can read the guestbook without leaving your house.
Pro Tip: If you know the person lived in a specific neighborhood, search the funeral homes nearby first.
- North Scranton? Check Edward Knight O'Donnell or Gorman-Linane.
- West Side? Savino Traditional or Kearney.
- South Side? August J. Haas or Corey Brian Strauch.
It’s a more direct route than scrolling through a massive list of death notices Scranton PA provides on a regional level. You’re cutting out the middleman.
Social Media: The New Digital Wake
We have to talk about Facebook. In a city like Scranton, news travels through "I’m from Scranton" groups faster than any newsroom can keep up with.
Often, a death notice will appear on a family member's profile or a community page hours before it hits a formal website. It’s the modern version of the grapevine at the local diner. But be careful here. Information on social media gets garbled. I’ve seen people post the wrong viewing times or even the wrong church. Always verify a Facebook post against the official funeral home listing.
The Archival Search: More Than Just Today’s News
Sometimes you aren't looking for someone who passed yesterday. Maybe you're doing genealogy. Scranton is a massive hub for Irish, Italian, and Polish ancestry research.
The Lackawanna Historical Society, located right in the Catlin House on Ridge Row, is a goldmine for this. They have microfilm records that go back to the 1800s. If you are looking for death notices Scranton PA archives, don't rely on Google. Google only goes back so far. For the 1940s or 50s, you need physical archives or a subscription to a service like Newspapers.com, which has the Scranton Republican and the Scrantonian digitized.
Common Misconceptions About Local Obits
People think the city keeps a public, real-time list of everyone who dies. They don't.
Death certificates are legal documents handled by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. They aren't "notices." If you need a legal record of a death for an estate or insurance, you aren't looking for a death notice; you’re looking for a certified death certificate from the Vital Records office in New Castle or the local branch.
Also, it’s a myth that every death requires a public notice. It is entirely up to the family. Some families choose total privacy. If you’ve searched every corner of the internet and found nothing, it might be intentional. Respect that.
How to Write a Notice That Actually Helps People
If you’re the one tasked with writing a notice for a loved one in Scranton, keep the local geography in mind.
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Scrantonians navigate by landmarks. Instead of just saying "St. Lucy’s Church," maybe mention "in West Side." If the person was a regular at a specific VFW or worked at the Tobyhanna Army Depot for 30 years, include that. It helps people identify the person and connect with the family.
Avoid flowery language that doesn't say anything. People want to know:
- Who passed?
- When are the calling hours? (Usually 4-7 PM is the local standard).
- Where is the Mass or service?
- Where should donations go? (St. Cat's? The Griffin Pond Animal Shelter?)
The Shift to "Celebrations of Life"
Lately, I've noticed a change in the Scranton area. Fewer traditional "viewings" and more "celebrations of life" at local venues.
This changes how death notices are worded. You might see a notice that says "services will be private," followed by an invitation to a luncheon at a place like Arcaro & Genell’s in Old Forge or a local banquet hall. This is becoming the norm for the younger generations who find the traditional funeral home setting a bit too heavy.
Actionable Steps for Finding a Notice Right Now
If you are looking for a specific person right now, follow this sequence. It works 90% of the time.
- Search the name + "funeral home Scranton" – This usually bypasses paywalled newspaper sites and takes you to the tribute page.
- Check the "Obituaries" section of the Times-Tribune – But do it in an incognito window if you've hit your article limit for the month.
- Search for the name on Facebook – Look for "Shared" posts from local funeral homes.
- Check Legacy.com – Use their "filter by location" tool and set it to a 10-mile radius of Scranton to catch people in Dunmore, Dickson City, or Taylor.
- Call the Parish – If you know they were a member of a specific church (like St. Paul’s or Immaculate Conception), the parish office will almost always have the funeral details before they are even printed.
Finding death notices Scranton PA shouldn't be a chore, but in the digital age, it requires a little bit of strategy. The local landscape is shifting, but the sense of community remains. We still want to show up for each other. We just have to know where to look.