You know that sinking feeling. You hear a rumor that a former neighbor or an old high school teacher passed away, and you immediately head to Google. You type in midland reporter telegram obituaries midland texas, expecting a quick answer. But instead of a clear list, you're hit with paywalls, confusing archives, and those weird third-party sites that look like they haven't been updated since 2004.
Honestly, finding a recent death notice in the Tall City can be a bit of a headache if you don't know the "insider" shortcuts.
The Midland Reporter-Telegram has been the heartbeat of the Permian Basin since it was formed by a merger back in 1929. Because it’s a Hearst publication, it’s got deep roots, but it also has a digital layout that can feel like a maze. If you’re looking for someone who just passed or trying to dig up family history from the 1980s, the path is actually different for each.
The Digital Hunt for Midland Reporter Telegram Obituaries Midland Texas
If you need a name from this week, your first stop is usually MRT.com. Most people click around the homepage and get lost. The "secret" is that the newspaper officially partners with Legacy.com to host its digital archives.
Basically, the most recent notices—the ones with the service times for Nalley-Pickle & Welch or Ellis Funeral Home—show up there first. But there is a catch. Sometimes there's a lag between the physical paper being printed and the digital upload. If you’re in a rush to find out when a viewing starts at Lewallen-Garcia-Pipkin, the "e-edition" (the digital replica of the actual paper) is often more reliable than the standard website search bar.
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Search tips that actually work:
- Use Quotes: If you're looking for John Smith, type "John Smith" in quotes. Otherwise, you'll get every John and every Smith in Midland County.
- The Maiden Name Trick: For female relatives, search the husband’s name too. Older records in the Reporter-Telegram archives often listed women as "Mrs. [Husband's Name]."
- Check the Date Range: Legacy’s default search is often set to the last 30 days. If the person passed away six weeks ago, they’ll disappear from your results unless you manually change that filter.
Archives and the "Old School" Method
What if you're doing genealogy? Maybe you're looking for a great-uncle who worked the oil fields in the 60s. That’s a whole different ballgame.
The online archives at NewsBank and GenealogyBank are great, but they usually only go back to the early 2000s or late 90s. If you need anything older than that, you have to go analog. The Midland County Public Library (the downtown branch on West Missouri Ave) is the gold mine here. They have microfilm records of the Midland Reporter-Telegram that stretch back decades.
It’s sort of a rite of passage for Midlanders to sit in front of those glowing screens, scrolling through graining black-and-white pages to find a birth announcement or a 1950s obituary.
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What it Costs to Place a Notice
If you're on the other side of the process—having to actually publish an obituary—it's good to know the numbers. The Reporter-Telegram isn't exactly cheap, but they are the "official" record of the city.
- Death Notices: These are usually free. They are the bare-bones basics: name, age, date of death, and funeral home. They don’t include a photo or a life story.
- Full Obituaries: These are paid. Pricing starts around $150 and goes up based on length and whether you include a photo.
- Deadlines: This is where people get stuck. If you want a notice in the next day’s paper, you typically have to have it submitted by 2:00 PM.
The newspaper switched to a five-day printing schedule a few years back (they don't print on Sundays or Mondays anymore), which can make timing a funeral announcement tricky. If someone passes on a Saturday, their full story might not hit the physical doorsteps until Tuesday.
Common Misconceptions About Local Obits
People often think that every death in Midland automatically ends up in the paper. It doesn't.
Families have to choose to pay for it. With the rise of social media, many families just post a tribute on Facebook or use the funeral home's website. If you can't find midland reporter telegram obituaries midland texas for someone you know lived there, check the websites of local funeral homes directly.
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Places like American Heritage or Avalos-Sanchez & Thomas often have the full tribute on their own site days before it (or if it ever) appears in the Reporter-Telegram.
Moving Forward with Your Search
If you’re stuck, don’t just keep refreshing the same Google page.
First, try searching Legacy.com specifically for the Midland Reporter-Telegram affiliate. If that fails, head to the funeral home’s "Recent Services" page. For anything more than 20 years old, your best bet is calling the Midland County Public Library and asking for the reference desk. They can often do a quick search of their internal indexes while you're on the phone, saving you a trip downtown.
Persistence is key. Sometimes a name is misspelled in the original print, or a middle name was used instead of a first name. Try three different variations before you give up on finding that piece of history.