Finding information about someone who recently passed in a small town can feel like a maze if you don't know the local rhythm. In Perry County, the community is tight. When it comes to new lexington ohio obituaries, the digital trail often starts at a few very specific, long-standing family businesses. It isn't just about a name and a date. It is about a life story woven into the fabric of the foothills.
Sometimes you're looking for a service time for a friend. Other times, you're doing genealogy. Honestly, the way small towns like New Lexington handle death is surprisingly personal compared to the big-city papers where everything feels like a transaction.
Where the Stories Live
In New Lexington, there are two primary gatekeepers for these records: Roberts-Winegardner Funeral Home and Chute-Wiley Funeral Home. These aren't just businesses. They are local institutions.
Chute-Wiley, for instance, has been around since 1874. That’s a long time. When you look at their recent listings, you see names like Carolyn Sue "Carol" Kunkler, who passed in early January 2026. Her obituary mentions her "grandbabies" being her pride and joy. That’s the kind of detail that makes a local obituary human. It isn't just "survived by." It's "she was always so strong for others."
Roberts-Winegardner on Mill Street is the other major hub. They recently handled services for Shirley Bryant of Junction City and Carl Stickdorn, Sr., both of whom passed in late 2025 and early 2026. If you are searching for someone in this area, checking both of these websites is basically mandatory because families tend to have deep-seated loyalties to one home or the other.
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The Paper of Record
The Perry County Tribune is still the big name for printed news in the area. While a lot of people check Legacy.com, the Tribune often carries the more localized "death notices" that might not make it to the big national aggregators immediately.
You've probably noticed that Legacy often pulls from various sources, but if you want the "official" version that the family actually proofread and paid for, the funeral home site is usually the gold standard.
Why Small Town Obituaries are Different
In a place like New Lexington, obituaries often read like a history of the county. Take Joseph Thomas Quinn, who passed in late 2025. His obituary mentions he was part of the 1954 Saint Aloysius State Championship Basketball team.
Think about that.
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That’s a detail from over 70 years ago that still holds weight in a new lexington ohio obituaries search. It shows how the community remembers its own. You’ll see mentions of St. Rose Catholic Church or the New Lexington Elks Lodge 509. These memberships define a person's social footprint in Perry County.
How to Find What You’re Looking For
If you are struggling to find a specific record, here is the reality of how the system works:
- Check the Funeral Home First: Don't just Google "New Lexington obits." Go directly to the Chute-Wiley or Roberts-Winegardner websites. They update their "Recent Listings" usually within 24 hours of a passing.
- The Zanesville Connection: Because New Lexington is near Zanesville, many locals are treated at Genesis Hospital or Genesis Hospice (The Morrison House). Consequently, some obituaries appear in the Zanesville Times Recorder instead of, or in addition to, the Perry County papers.
- Social Media Crowdsourcing: There are local Facebook groups like "You know you're from New Lex if..." where news travels faster than the digital ink can dry. If a service hasn't been posted yet, a quick search there often reveals the local word-of-mouth.
Digging into the Past
For those doing family research, the New Lexington Cemetery on Swigart Street is the final resting place for many names you’ll see in historical records. If you are looking for new lexington ohio obituaries from the 1900s, the Perry County District Library is your best bet. They have microfilm for the old papers that haven't been fully digitized by sites like Ancestry or Find A Grave.
A Note on Accuracy
It's easy to get confused when names repeat. In a town this size, there are often multiple people with the same last name—think of the Fincks, the Funks, or the Dodsons. Always verify the middle initial and the parents' names.
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For instance, Robert "Bob" Anthony Gable was a well-known painter and veteran who passed at age 95 in 2025. His life was distinct from other Gables in the area, but without that middle name, a researcher might get lost in the family tree.
Practical Steps for Researchers
If you need to find an obituary right now, your first move should be visiting the official site of the funeral home handling the arrangements. This ensures you have the correct viewing hours and memorial donation information.
For historical searches, contact the Perry County Historical Society. They have volunteers who know these families better than any algorithm ever could. Sometimes, the most accurate "obituary" is a clipping in a local's scrapbook that was never scanned.
To find the most recent records, visit the Chute-Wiley or Roberts-Winegardner websites and sign up for their email notification lists. This is the most reliable way to stay informed about local passings without having to manually check every day.