Finding a name in the Post Star obituaries Glens Falls section used to be as simple as walking to the end of the driveway and snapping a rubber band. You’d flip to the back pages, maybe with a coffee in hand, and see who in the neighborhood had passed.
Things changed. A lot.
If you’re looking for someone today, you might notice the paper feels a bit thinner or doesn’t show up every morning. That’s because the world of local news in Warren County has shifted toward a "digital-first" reality that trips up even the most tech-savvy locals.
The Print Schedule Confusion
Here is the thing: if you are waiting for a Wednesday paper to check for a Tuesday death notice, you're going to be waiting a while. Since mid-2023, The Post-Star—owned by Lee Enterprises—stopped printing a physical paper every day.
They only print on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Basically, if someone passes away on a Sunday, their full tribute might not hit a physical doorstep until Tuesday. This creates a weird lag for people who rely on the "dead tree" edition. For everyone else, the action happens online at poststar.com or through Legacy.com, where the digital archives are updated constantly.
Why does this matter? Because if you're planning a funeral or trying to notify distant relatives, you've got to coordinate with these specific "big" print days. The Saturday edition is now the "weekend" powerhouse, often packed with the most notices because it has to last until Tuesday.
How to Actually Find Someone
Don't just Google a name and hope for the best. You'll often end up on some third-party scraper site that wants your email address or tries to sell you flowers for a service that happened three years ago.
Honestly, the most direct route is the Post Star recent obituaries portal on Legacy. It’s the official partner. You can filter by:
- Last name (obviously).
- Date range (essential if the name is common like Smith or Miller).
- Keyword (try searching "Queensbury" or "Glens Falls High" if you're unsure of the exact spelling).
If you are a genealogy nerd or just looking for an old family member from the 1920s, the game changes. You won't find those on the main site. You’ll need to head over to NYS Historic Newspapers. They have free archives for The Post-Star covering roughly 1909 to the mid-20th century. For more recent "old" stuff—think the 80s or 90s—GenealogyBank or NewsLibrary are your best bets, though they usually charge a fee.
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Putting a Notice in the Paper: The Cost and the Hurdles
Placing an obituary isn't just about writing a nice story; it's a transaction. And it isn't cheap.
The Post-Star uses an online intake system. You can’t really just walk into the office on Lawrence Street and hand over a handwritten note anymore. Most people work through a funeral home—like Carleton, Baker, or Regan Denny Stafford—who handle the formatting and submission for you.
But if you’re doing it yourself, be ready. A basic death notice might start around $80, but a full obituary with a photo? You’re easily looking at **$250 to $500** depending on the length.
What they require for verification:
- The name and phone number of the funeral home or crematorium.
- A scanned death certificate if you aren't using a funeral director.
- Payment upfront. No pay, no print.
They are strict about this. They have to be. Otherwise, people would play "death pranks," which is a real thing that happened way more often in the old days than you'd think.
The "Death Notice" vs. "Obituary" Distinction
People use these terms interchangeably, but they aren't the same.
A Death Notice is basically a classified ad. It’s short. It says who died, when they died, and when the service is. It’s functional.
An Obituary is the narrative. It’s where you mention they loved the Adirondacks, were a member of the local Elks Lodge, and made the best blueberry muffins in Hudson Falls.
If you’re on a budget, stick to the death notice for the print edition and put the long, beautiful life story on a free site or social media. But for many in Glens Falls, seeing that long story in the physical Tuesday paper is still the gold standard of "making it official."
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Dealing with the Digital Paywall
You've probably hit it. You click a link to read about a friend, and a big "Subscribe Now" box blocks the screen.
Kinda frustrating, right?
The Post-Star allows a few free articles a month, but obituaries are often tucked behind that same meter. Pro tip: Check the funeral home's own website first. Most local funeral homes in the Glens Falls/Queensbury area post the full text of the obituary on their own "Current Services" page for free. You get the same info without the pop-up ads.
Actionable Steps for Finding or Placing Notices:
- To Search: Use the official Legacy.com portal for the Post-Star for anything in the last 20 years. For anything older, hit the Crandall Public Library archives—they have microfilms that are much more reliable than buggy websites.
- To Save Money: Write a short "Death Notice" for the print edition (Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday) to announce the service, but keep the 800-word life story for the online-only version or the funeral home's site.
- Check Deadlines: If you want a notice in the Saturday paper, you usually need it finalized and paid for by Friday afternoon (around 2:30 PM ET).
- Verify the Source: If you see a "Post-Star" obituary on a random social media page, double-check the date. Scammers often repost old obituaries to harvest "likes" or trick people into clicking malicious links.
The landscape of post star obituaries glens falls continues to evolve as the paper leans into its three-day print cycle. Staying updated means checking the E-edition on those "off" days—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—where the news is still happening, even if the printing press is quiet.