Finding a specific tribute or service time in a river city like Vicksburg isn’t always as straightforward as a quick Google search might suggest. You'd think everything is digitized by now, right? Kinda, but not really. Vicksburg is a place where history and modern life sit right on top of each other. Sometimes the information you need is buried in a local Facebook group, tucked away on a funeral home’s private server, or printed in a physical newspaper that hasn't hit the porch yet.
If you’re looking for obituaries for Vicksburg MS, you’re probably either trying to track down a service time for a friend or doing the deep-dive work of genealogy. Both require different maps.
Where the Recent Records Actually Live
In the Hill City, the "big three" funeral homes handle the lion's share of arrangements. This is where you go for the most immediate, up-to-the-minute details.
Glenwood Funeral Homes is a massive presence here. They don't just cover Vicksburg; they have branches in Rolling Fork and Port Gibson too. If you’re looking for someone who passed away in the last 48 hours, their website is usually updated faster than the local news. Just this week, they’ve posted notices for residents like Charlotte Hill and Lee Newman, Jr. They include "Tribute Walls" where people leave digital flowers, which is honestly a nice touch if you can’t make it to the service.
Then there is Fisher-Riles Funeral Home. They have two main locations—one on Cherry Street and one on Indiana Avenue. They tend to handle many of the long-standing Vicksburg families. Because they are local-run, their obituaries often read a bit more like a story than a dry list of survivors.
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For the African American community, W.H. Jefferson Funeral Home and Lakeview Memorial are essential stops. W.H. Jefferson is actually the oldest black-owned business in Mississippi, and their records are a goldmine of local history. If you're looking for Julian Dexter Johnson or Elizabeth Irene Williams right now, Lakeview is where those arrangements are currently listed.
The Digital vs. Paper Divide
The Vicksburg Post used to be the only game in town. It’s still a vital resource, but the way they gate their content can be tricky.
- The Vicksburg Post: Good for formal, permanent records.
- Vicksburg Daily News: This is a newer, digital-first outlet. They often get "Breaking News" death notices up faster because they don't wait for a print cycle.
- Legacy.com: Basically a giant vacuum that sucks up obituaries from all over. It’s a good backup, but it sometimes lags by a day or two.
Why Vicksburg Obituaries Are Different
Vicksburg isn't just another town. It’s a place where "who your people are" actually matters to the folks you meet at the grocery store. Because of this, obituaries here tend to be incredibly detailed. You’ll see mentions of the Old Court House Museum, memberships in the Knights of Columbus, or decades spent working at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
If you’re doing genealogy, these details are your best friend. A Vicksburg obituary from 1950 might mention a burial in Cedar Hill Cemetery, which is one of the oldest and largest in the country.
Pro Tip: If you can’t find a recent obituary, check the "Vicksburg Daily News" Facebook page. The comments section is often where the community shares the "real" info—who is bringing food to the family, or if a service has been moved due to weather. It’s sort of the digital version of a front porch conversation.
Digging into the Archives
If you are looking for someone who passed away decades ago, the internet only goes so far. You'll eventually hit a wall.
The Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library on Veto Street is the secret weapon here. They have microfilm of the Vicksburg Post and its predecessors going back to the 1800s. If you aren't local, you can sometimes call and ask a librarian to look something up, though they’re busy, so be nice.
The City of Vicksburg also maintains a Tombstone Database. It’s not an obituary, but it’s the next best thing. It lists interments at Cedar Hill, and if you find a name there, it often gives you the exact date of death you need to then go find the newspaper write-up.
Real Examples of Recent Listings
To give you an idea of the current landscape, here are a few residents who have had recent notices:
- Lonnie Grady "Buddy" Hollowell: Services were just held at Glenwood with burial at Greenlawn Gardens.
- Theresa Marie Wallace Tillman: A long-time resident whose service was recently detailed in the local digital news.
- Wayne Michael Pitre: His life story was recently shared, highlighting the deep community roots typical of Vicksburg notices.
How to Write a Vicksburg Obituary That Matters
If you’re the one tasked with writing a notice for a loved one, don't just follow a template. Vicksburg is a "story" town.
- Mention the neighborhood: Did they grow up in Fostoria? Live out in Oak Ridge?
- Include the work: Did they work at the "waterways" (ERDC) or the casino?
- The Church: This is the Bible Belt. Whether it’s St. Paul Catholic Church or Travelers Rest Baptist, the church home is a huge part of the identity here.
- The Cemetery: Be specific. Cedar Hill has many "Divisions." Mentioning if they are in "Soldiers Rest" or a specific family plot helps people find them later.
Actionable Steps for Your Search
If you are looking for obituaries for Vicksburg MS right now, follow this sequence:
First, check the websites for Glenwood Funeral Home and Fisher-Riles. These are the most likely spots for a death that happened in the last 72 hours.
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Second, scan the Vicksburg Daily News website. They often post the full text of obituaries for free, whereas the Vicksburg Post might require a subscription to see the archives.
Third, if it’s an older record, use the City of Vicksburg’s online cemetery search. This will give you the date of death, which makes searching newspaper archives ten times easier.
Lastly, if you’re still stuck, look for the "Vicksburg, Mississippi Memoirs" or "Vicksburg Mississippi History" groups on social media. The local hobbyist historians there have often clipped and scanned thousands of old obituaries that aren't yet in official databases.