You’re looking for someone. Maybe it’s an old friend from Pontiac or a relative who lived out their years in Royal Oak. You head to Google, type in oakland press obits, and suddenly you’re staring at a wall of paywalls, Legacy.com links, and confusing archive dates. It’s frustrating.
Most people think finding a death notice in a local paper like The Oakland Press is a straight shot. It isn't. Not anymore. Between the newspaper’s move from Pontiac to Troy and the way digital archives are sliced up between different paid services, finding a simple "Rest in Peace" message can feel like a part-time job.
Honestly, the way we track our history in Oakland County has changed fundamentally. If you're searching for a record from 1985, you aren't going to find it in the same place as a notice from last Tuesday. That’s just the reality of modern local journalism.
The Archive Maze: Where the Bodies (of Work) Are Buried
The Oakland Press has been around since 1844, though back then it was the Pontiac Gazette. Over nearly two centuries, it has swallowed up other local papers and changed its name more times than a witness in protection. This matters because if you're doing genealogy, "Oakland Press" only gets you so far back. Before 1972, you’re looking for the Pontiac Press.
Here’s the breakdown of where to actually look, because it's not all in one spot:
- 1844 to 2007: This is the "Microfilm Era." Most of this is physically housed at the Pontiac Public Library or the archives at Oakland University. If you want a digital shortcut, GenealogyBank has a massive chunk of these records, but they’ll ask for a subscription.
- 1999 to 2006: The Waterford Genealogical Society actually did the heavy lifting here. They scanned clippings specifically for these years. If you strike out on the main site, the Waterford Township Public Library is your best bet for these specific "gap years."
- 2007 to Present: This is the Legacy.com era. The Oakland Press, like most MediaNews Group papers, offloads its daily obituaries to Legacy’s platform.
It’s kinda weird when you think about it. Our local history is basically rented out to third-party tech companies. You’ve got to navigate their filters, which—let’s be real—are mostly designed to sell you flowers or "memory candles" while you're just trying to find a funeral time.
Why Searching for Oakland Press Obits is Tricky
You’d think a name search would be enough. It’s not.
Spelling errors in the original print are more common than editors like to admit. In the old days, a name whispered over a grainy phone line to a tired clerk often ended up misspelled in the morning edition. If you can’t find a record for "Smyth," try "Smith." If you’re looking for a woman, you might have to search for "Mrs. John Doe" if she passed away before the mid-70s. That’s just how the culture was recorded back then.
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Also, the "Current" section of the oakland press obits only stays "current" for a few weeks on the main landing page. After that, it gets sucked into the deep archive. If you don't have a specific date of death, you’re going to spend a lot of time clicking "Next Page."
The Cost of Saying Goodbye
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the price.
Placing an obituary in The Oakland Press isn't cheap. In 2026, a basic notice with a small photo can easily run several hundred dollars. Because of this, many families are opting for "Death Notices"—the bare-bones version that just lists the name and funeral date—rather than a full "Obituary" that tells a life story.
If you’re searching for someone and can’t find a long, flowery article, don’t assume they didn't have one. They might just have a three-line notice because the family couldn't justify the $600 price tag for a print paragraph.
Pro Tip: Check the local funeral home websites first. Most funeral homes in Oakland County (like A.J. Desmond & Sons or Lynch & Sons) post the full obituary on their own sites for free. These are often more detailed than what ends up in the Press anyway.
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Genealogy and the "Hidden" Records
If you’re a serious researcher, you know that the oakland press obits are just the tip of the iceberg. The Oakland County Clerk’s Office in Pontiac keeps the actual death certificates. While an obit tells you who someone loved and what they did for a living, the death certificate tells you the medical "why."
You can actually search marriage and death records via the Oakland County Government website. They have records dating back to 1867. It’s a bit more "sterile" than a newspaper tribute, but it’s the legal truth.
Actionable Steps for Your Search
If you're stuck, here is exactly what you should do next to find that record:
- Narrow the Date: Use the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) first to get a concrete death date. This prevents you from searching 365 days of archives.
- Use Search Operators: When using the Oakland Press site or Legacy, put the name in quotes (e.g., "Robert J. Miller"). This forces the engine to look for that exact string rather than every "Robert" and every "Miller" in Michigan.
- Call the Library: If you are looking for something pre-2000 and don't want to pay for a subscription service, call the Pontiac Public Library. The librarians there are local heroes who actually know how to run the microfilm machines.
- Check the "Sister" Papers: Sometimes an obit was placed in The Macomb Daily or The Detroit News instead, even if the person lived in Oakland County. Many families cross-post to reach more people.
Finding a piece of someone's legacy shouldn't be this hard, but with a little bit of tactical searching, you can usually dig up what you need. Start with the funeral home, move to the newspaper's digital archive, and save the microfilm for the heavy-duty family history projects.
To move forward with your search, your next move should be to check the Oakland County Clerk's online genealogy service to verify the exact date of death before you spend money on newspaper archive access. This ensures you’re looking in the right month and year, saving you hours of digital digging.