You’re looking for a name. Maybe it’s a neighbor you haven’t seen in a while, or perhaps it's a relative who stayed in the Alle-Kiski Valley while you moved away. You pull up the obits valley news dispatch page, and suddenly, you’re looking at more than just names and dates. You’re looking at the history of Tarentum, New Kensington, and Lower Burrell written in real-time.
People often think obituaries are just "death notices." They aren't. Honestly, in a place like the AK Valley, they’re the final word on a life lived.
Finding the Recent Obits Valley News Dispatch Records
Most folks start their search on the TribLive website. Since the Valley News Dispatch is part of the Trib Total Media family, you’ll find the digital records lumped in with the broader Tribune-Review archives. It can be kinda confusing if you aren't used to their layout.
Basically, as of early 2026, the print schedule for the Valley News Dispatch has shifted to three days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If you’re looking for a physical copy of an obituary, those are your days. But the digital version? That’s updated 24/7.
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- The Search Bar is Your Friend: Don't just type the name. If the person had a common name like "Bill George" (a common name in the area, actually), add the town name or "AK Valley" to narrow it down.
- Legacy.com Integration: The Trib uses Legacy to host their guestbooks. This is where you go to leave a "light a candle" message or share a photo of that one summer at the Jersey Shore.
- Check the Dates: If a death happens on a Sunday, the obituary might not actually hit the digital feed until late Monday or Tuesday morning. There’s always a lag for verification.
The Cost of Saying Goodbye
It’s a bit of a shocker for some, but placing an obituary isn’t free. Not by a long shot. While a basic death notice (just the essentials: name, date, funeral home) might be relatively inexpensive, a full-length life story in the obits valley news dispatch section can run you several hundred dollars.
Prices usually start around $30 for the most bare-bones digital posting, but for a standard print and digital package, you’re often looking at a much higher starting point. Families often get blindsided by the "per line" or "per inch" charges. Most local funeral homes, like Duster Funeral & Cremation Services in Tarentum or Curran Funeral Homes, usually handle the submission for you. They’ve got the templates ready to go.
Why the Archives Matter More Than You Think
Genealogy is huge in Western PA. If you’re trying to find a great-uncle who worked at Allegheny Ludlum in the 50s, those archives are gold. You’ve got a few ways to dig into the past:
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- GenealogyBank: They have a pretty solid partnership with the paper for historical records.
- Local Libraries: The Tarentum and New Kensington libraries often have microfilm or digital access that goes back decades.
- The Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive: A great resource if you're looking for stuff from the early 1900s before the paper took its current form.
One weird thing people get wrong is assuming every death gets an obituary. It’s actually totally optional. In Pennsylvania, you need a death certificate for legal reasons, but a newspaper write-up is a choice. If you can't find someone, it might just be that the family decided to keep things private.
The Shift to Digital in 2026
We've seen a massive shift in how the AK Valley handles these notices. With the print edition of the Valley News Dispatch moving to a three-day schedule, the Saturday "Enhanced Edition" has become the big one. It’s where you’ll see the most photos and the longer, more narrative tributes.
Honestly, the "eTrib" (the digital replica) is probably the most reliable way to see exactly how the obit looked in the paper without having to track down a physical copy at a Giant Eagle.
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Real Examples of the "Voice"
The Valley News Dispatch has a way of capturing the local flavor. You’ll see mentions of the "Burrell Bucs" or "Eureka Fire Hall." These aren't just details; they are the identifiers of the community. When John "Butch" Liput Jr., the long-time "Voice of the Burrell Bucs," passed away, his obituary wasn't just a list of survivors—it was a history lesson on local sports.
That’s what makes the obits valley news dispatch unique. It’s a very specific, local language.
How to Submit an Obituary Yourself
If you aren't using a funeral home, you can contact the Trib's obituary desk directly.
- Email: postanobit@legacy.com
- Phone: 888-823-8554
- Deadline: Usually, you need the text in by 4 PM the day before you want it to run. For a Tuesday paper, you better have it ready by Monday afternoon.
Actionable Next Steps:
- If you're searching for a recent record, go to the TribLive Valley News Dispatch section first.
- Check the guestbook on Legacy.com to see if funeral service times have changed; sometimes they update there before the main article.
- If you're doing family research, skip the general Google search and go straight to GenealogyBank or the Penn State Newspaper Archives for better accuracy on older names.