If you’ve ever tried to hunt down a specific notice in the Roanoke Times obituaries today past 30 days, you know it’s not always as simple as a quick Google search. Usually, people are looking for more than just a name. You might be trying to find service times for a friend at Oakey’s, or maybe you’re the unofficial family historian trying to piece together a lineage that stretches from Vinton out to Salem.
Honestly, the way we consume these records has changed. It used to be about the physical paper on the porch. Now, it’s a digital scramble. In the Star City and the surrounding Roanoke Valley, the Roanoke Times remains the primary "paper of record," but the digital trail can get messy if you don't know where to click.
The 30-Day Window: Why It’s the "Sweet Spot" for Searching
Most folks looking for recent deaths are stuck in that one-month limbo. The funeral hasn't happened yet, or it just did, and you need to find where to send flowers or how to post a tribute.
Within the last 30 days, most obituaries are still "active" on the main hosting platforms. After that 30-day mark, things often move into deeper, sometimes paid, archives. If you are looking for someone like Phyllis Imogene Stanley or Vickie Argabright—both of whom had notices recently in January 2026—you’ll find their records are still very much front-and-center.
But here’s the thing. The Roanoke Times doesn’t just host these themselves. They partner with Legacy.com. This means when you search, you’re often bouncing between the local news site and a massive national database. To see the full list of everyone who has passed in the Roanoke area over the last month, you usually have to filter specifically by "The Roanoke Times" on the Legacy portal.
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Where the Records Live Right Now
If you are looking for someone today, January 18, 2026, you're likely seeing names from the past week like Effie B. Kelley or Gayenelle R. Wakely. These notices aren't just dry data. They are stories. They mention retirements from the federal government, battles with cancer, and long lives spent in places like Vinton or Rockbridge Baths.
Local Funeral Home Feeds
Sometimes the newspaper is actually the second place a notice appears. If you’re striking out on the newspaper site, check the big local players directly.
- Oakey’s Funeral Service: They handle a massive volume of the valley’s services. Their "Obituary Listings" page is often updated faster than the newspaper.
- Lotz Funeral Home: Especially relevant if the person lived in Salem or Vinton.
- Simpson Funeral Home: Another staple for the Peters Creek Road area.
The newspaper often charges by the line. Because of that, families sometimes post a "short version" in the Roanoke Times and the "long version" with all the grandkids' names on the funeral home's own website. It’s a common frustration for genealogists. Always check both.
Navigating the Search Filters
Searching for Roanoke Times obituaries today past 30 days requires a bit of finesse with the filters. Don't just type the name and hope for the best.
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Most people mess up by being too specific. If you’re looking for "Robert Smith," you’re going to get 500 hits. Try searching by the last name only and then narrowing it down by the date range. On the official Legacy/Roanoke Times search page, there is a "Past 30 Days" toggle. Use it.
Also, keep an eye out for "Death Notices" vs. "Obituaries." A death notice is usually a tiny blurb—just the facts. An obituary is the narrative. In the Roanoke area, the Times often prints the death notice for free or a low cost, while the full obituary is a paid placement. If you can't find the big story, look for the tiny notice; it might at least give you the funeral home name so you can go find the full story there.
Why the Roanoke Valley Records are Unique
Roanoke is a hub. People from Botetourt, Craig County, and Floyd often end up in the Roanoke Times because it’s the biggest regional paper.
Common Pitfalls in Local Searches
- The "Maiden Name" Trap: Many older residents in the valley are listed by their married names, but the obituary might only mention the maiden name in the body text. If you can't find a woman you're looking for, try searching for the husband's name. It sounds old-fashioned, but that's how many of these records were indexed for decades.
- Location Confusion: Someone might have lived in Roanoke their whole life but died in a hospital in Richmond or Charlottesville. The obituary will usually still run in the Roanoke Times, but the "location" field in the search might default to where they died, not where they lived.
- Spelling Errors: It happens. "Reid" becomes "Reed." "Coriene" becomes "Corine." If your search is coming up empty, try just the first three letters of the last name followed by an asterisk if the search engine allows wildcards.
Using the Virginia Room and Public Libraries
If you are looking for something that is just outside that 30-day window—maybe 45 or 60 days ago—you might run into a paywall. This is where the Roanoke Public Libraries come in.
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The Virginia Room at the downtown branch is basically the "Holy Grail" for local records. They have an obituary index that is meticulously maintained. While their digital index (like the one for 1951-1954) is famous among researchers, they have access to modern databases like NewsBank that let you read the full text of the Roanoke Times from 1990 to today for free with a library card.
Finding Recent Records Step-by-Step
If you need to find a record from the last month right now, follow this flow:
Go to the Roanoke Times/Legacy landing page first. Use the "Keyword" box for the last name only. Select the "Past 30 Days" filter. If that fails, move to the major funeral home sites (Oakey’s, Lotz, Simpson). These sites are usually not behind any paywall and offer the most "human" details, including photo galleries and guestbooks where people leave memories.
For those doing deep research, GenealogyBank is another option, though it’s a paid service. They digitize the actual newspaper pages, so you see the obituary exactly as it appeared in print, which sometimes includes photos that don't make it into the text-only digital versions.
Actionable Steps for Your Search
To get the most accurate results for recent Roanoke deaths, keep these tips in mind:
- Check the "Today's Obituaries" section specifically if you are looking for service times, as these are often updated in real-time.
- Search for "In Memoriam" notices separately; these are often published on the anniversary of a death and can lead you back to the original obituary.
- Use the "Sort by: Newest" feature on digital archives to avoid wading through years of historical data.
- Verify with the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) if you are trying to confirm a date of death for legal or insurance purposes, though keep in mind there is often a lag of several months for new entries.
- Visit the Roanoke County or City library website to access NewsBank for free if you want to avoid the $2.99-per-article fees often charged by commercial archives.
By sticking to these local resources and understanding the relationship between the newspaper and the funeral homes, you can usually find any notice from the last 30 days in about five minutes of focused searching.