Finding a specific person in the Martinsville Bulletin obituaries Virginia section used to be as simple as picking up the paper from your porch. You’d flip to the back, scan the names, and you were done. But honestly? Things have changed. If you’ve tried to look up a friend or a distant relative lately, you’ve probably noticed that the "old way" of doing things—waiting for the daily paper—doesn't really work anymore.
The Martinsville Bulletin, which has been the heartbeat of Henry County since 1889, isn't even a daily paper in the traditional sense. Since 2023, they moved to a three-day-a-week print schedule (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). If someone passes away on a Sunday, you might be waiting a bit to see that ink on paper.
Because of that shift, most of the "real" action has moved online. But even that is split across three or four different websites. It’s enough to make your head spin when you’re already dealing with the heavy lifting of grief.
Where the Obituaries Actually Live in 2026
If you’re looking for a recent notice, don't just stare at the mailbox. You basically have two main digital "hubs" for Martinsville Bulletin obituaries Virginia.
First, there is the official Martinsville Bulletin website itself, which is owned by Lee Enterprises. They’ve partnered with Legacy.com for years. This is usually where the full, flowery life stories are posted. You’ll see names like Nicki Shreves or Carl Ferguson—recent entries that show up almost instantly after the family approves the draft.
But there is a second place people forget: the funeral homes. In Martinsville and Collinsville, the big players like Norris Funeral Services, Collins-McKee-Stone, and Hines Funeral Services often post the obituary on their own websites hours (or even days) before it hits the Bulletin’s digital feed.
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Expert Tip: If you can’t find a name on the Bulletin's site, search the Norris Funeral Services obituary page directly. They handle a huge chunk of the local volume, and their "Tribute Wall" is often more interactive than the newspaper's guestbook.
The Cost of Saying Goodbye
Let's talk about something most people get wrong: the price. People often think obituaries are a free public service provided by the city. Nope. Not even close.
In Martinsville, publishing a full obituary is a significant expense. The Bulletin’s pricing usually starts around $90 to $125 for a basic entry, but that price climbs fast. If you want a photo—and who doesn't?—you’re looking at extra lines. If the life story is long, you could easily end up paying $300 or more.
There is a cheaper way, though. Most local folks don’t realize they can opt for a "Death Notice" instead. It’s basically just the bare bones: name, date of death, and service time. It usually runs a flat rate (often around $55), which is way easier on the wallet if you’re already drowning in funeral costs.
Why the Archive is a Goldmine for Genealogists
If you aren't looking for someone who just passed, but rather an ancestor from the furniture-making heyday of the 1940s, you’re in luck. The Martinsville Bulletin obituaries Virginia archives are actually pretty well-preserved.
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The paper was once known as The Henry Bulletin. If you’re digging into family history, you shouldn't just stick to Google. You’ve got to go to:
- Ancestry.com: They have a massive digitized collection of the Bulletin.
- The Blue Ridge Regional Library: The Martinsville branch has microfilm that goes back way further than the internet does.
- Newspapers.com: This is the best bet for finding those weird, specific details—like who attended the 1955 funeral of a local furniture tycoon.
It’s kinda fascinating to see the shift in tone. In the 1920s, obituaries in Henry County were incredibly flowery. They’d talk about a person’s "noble spirit" and "Christian fortitude." Today? They’re much more practical, focusing on career achievements and the names of the grandkids.
How to Post an Obituary Without Losing Your Mind
If you are the one tasked with writing one of these, take a breath. It’s a lot. Most of the time, the funeral director will handle the submission for you. They have a direct line to the Bulletin’s obit desk.
However, if you're doing it yourself, the deadline is usually 3:00 PM on the day before the paper prints. Since they don't print on Wednesdays or Fridays, you have to plan ahead. If you miss that Tuesday afternoon cutoff, your loved one’s notice might not see physical paper until Thursday.
When you write it, keep these things in mind:
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- Verification is mandatory. The paper won't just take your word for it. They need a death certificate or a call from the crematory/funeral home to prove it’s real.
- Watch the word count. Every line costs money. Use "preceded in death by" instead of "he was preceded in death by his mother, his father, and his brother." It adds up.
- The Guestbook is Permanent. When you pay for a Bulletin obit through Legacy, that digital guestbook stays up. It’s a nice place for out-of-town relatives to leave notes.
The Future of Local Memory
It’s sort of sad, but the days of the big, bulky Sunday paper with three pages of obituaries are over. The Martinsville Bulletin is smaller now. Most people read the news on their phones while grabbing coffee at Daily Grind.
But the Martinsville Bulletin obituaries Virginia still matter because they are the final record of a life lived in this specific corner of the South. Whether it’s a NASCAR fan who never missed a race at the Speedway or a grandmother who worked thirty years at the Bassett furniture factory, these notices are the only place those stories get saved for the long haul.
If you're struggling to find a record from the last few weeks, your best bet is to check the Dignity Memorial portal or the Legacy search tool specifically filtered for Martinsville, VA. It catches the entries that sometimes slip through the cracks of the main newspaper site's search bar.
Practical Next Steps
If you need to find an obituary right now, start by searching the funeral home's name rather than the newspaper. If you are trying to find an older record for a genealogy project, head to the Blue Ridge Regional Library’s website to see their index of the Bulletin's microfilm. It saves you hours of aimless scrolling. For those looking to post a notice, ask your funeral director for the "Death Notice" rate first to see if it meets your needs before committing to a full-length obituary.