Finding a specific notice in the Lynn Item Live obituaries used to mean getting newsprint ink on your fingers while sipping a coffee at a Lynn diner. Today, it’s mostly digital. But the emotional weight of those listings hasn’t changed a bit. Honestly, in a world where social media posts are gone in a blink, the Daily Item remains the definitive record for the North Shore.
If you’ve lived in Lynn, Saugus, or Swampscott for any length of time, you know that the "Item" is more than just a newspaper. It’s the community's pulse. When someone passes away, people don’t just look for a Facebook post; they look for the official notice in the Daily Item. It’s a tradition that spans generations.
The Reality of Finding Recent Notices
Looking for someone today? Most people head straight to the Lynn Item Live obituaries portal. It’s powered by Legacy.com, which is the industry standard now. You’ll find names like Katie Briggs, a Lynn native who passed away recently at 83, or Vincent J. Lozzi Sr., a retired Lieutenant of the Lynn Fire Department.
The online archives are actually pretty robust. You can search back to 2007 for free on the Itemlive website. This is a lifesaver if you're trying to track down a service date or find where a donation should be sent.
If you're doing genealogy, though, you might need to go deeper. The Lynn Public Library is the secret weapon here. They have an index that starts in July 1995. For anything older, you’re looking at microfilm. It’s tedious, but there’s something special about seeing those old 1940s layouts.
How Much Does a Notice Actually Cost?
Death is expensive. Most people don’t realize that an obituary in the Daily Item is a paid notice, not a news story.
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Basically, the price depends on how much you have to say. A simple death notice—just the facts like the name, age, and funeral home—might start around $50. But if you want a full obituary that tells a life story, you’re looking at a minimum of $175. This usually covers about seven column inches.
If your loved one was a storyteller and you have a lot to say, it’s $25 for every extra inch. Photos are usually included in that rate, and they’ll print them in color if they can. It’s a big chunk of change, but for many families, having that permanent record in the local paper is non-negotiable.
Submission Deadlines and "The Rules"
Life doesn't always happen on a schedule, but the newspaper does. If you want a notice to appear in the Monday edition, you have to have it submitted by Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Daily Item publishes six days a week, but they take Christmas off. Here is the breakdown for the week:
- For Tuesday publication: Submit by Monday at 3 p.m.
- For Wednesday publication: Submit by Tuesday at 3 p.m.
- For Thursday publication: Submit by Wednesday at 3 p.m.
- For Friday publication: Submit by Thursday at 3 p.m.
- For Saturday publication: Submit by Friday at 3 p.m.
Don't write in all caps. The editors will actually change it back to standard casing anyway. They also reserve the right to edit for grammar, though they usually leave the heart of the story alone. You can submit directly through their online ad portal or have your funeral director handle it. Most people let the funeral home do it because they already have the death verification info the paper requires.
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Why Digital Archives Matter Now
Searching for Lynn Item Live obituaries online gives you something the physical paper can't: a guestbook.
When you look at the recent listing for Neil Wilson Dunlop, for example, you’ll see memories shared by friends and family. It’s a digital wake that stays open forever. You can see people sharing photos of "Wedge" or leaving "candles" in his memory.
This digital shift has also made it easier for people who moved away from the North Shore. You might be living in Florida or California, but you can still check the Item every morning to see who has passed. It keeps the "Lynn kid" connection alive, no matter how many miles are in between.
Finding Older Records for Family Trees
If you are hunting for an ancestor from the 1800s or early 1900s, GenealogyBank or the Community History Archives are your best bets. They’ve digitized thousands of pages of the Lynn Daily Evening Item.
Pro tip: Search for the husband's name if you're looking for a woman from that era. It sounds dated (because it is), but back then, a woman was often listed as "Mrs. John Smith" rather than by her own first name.
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Also, look for common misspellings. Typesetting back in the day was a manual job, and mistakes happened constantly. If "Gillespie" doesn't show up, try "Gillespy."
Handling the Logistics
If you’re the one responsible for placing the notice, take a breath. It’s an overwhelming task during a hard time.
- Start with the basics: Full name, age, hometown, and date of death.
- List the family: Use a "survived by" and "predeceased by" format.
- The Service details: Be very clear about the location and time. If it's private, say "services will be private."
- Check the proof: Before you hit "pay," read it out loud. You don’t want to realize you spelled a grandson's name wrong after it’s already gone to print.
The Lynn Item Live obituaries are a vital part of the city's history. Each one is a tiny biography of someone who walked these streets, worked in the shoe factories, or spent summers at Lynn Beach.
To find a specific record today, your first step is visiting the Itemlive obituary search page or the Legacy.com affiliate site. For those needing to place a new notice, contact the Daily Item directly at 781-593-7700 or use their ad portal. If the person passed away several years ago, reach out to the Lynn Public Library reference desk for help with their microfilm collection.