Finding a specific name in the Rochester New York obituaries for today can honestly feel like a maze. One minute you're scrolling through a newspaper site, and the next you're clicking through five different funeral home pages trying to find service times for a wake in Greece or Irondequoit. It's frustrating. You just want to pay your respects.
Today, January 18, 2026, the Rochester community is saying goodbye to several notable neighbors. For instance, a graveside service for Bruce Ross is scheduled for 10:00 AM today at the Britton Road Cemetery. Bruce, who passed away on January 12 at age 80, was a longtime resident whose family has suggested donations to Doctors Without Borders in his memory. This is just one of many stories being told through the local death notices right now.
Why checking just one source doesn't work anymore
Kinda funny how we used to just pick up the Democrat and Chronicle and have everything in one place. That's not really the case anymore. Many families in Monroe County are now choosing to post strictly on funeral home websites or through social media platforms. If you only look at the major legacy sites, you're basically missing half the picture.
Take the recent passing of Charlotte Kaminsky on January 17, or Anne Koenigson, who was 98 and passed away just today, January 18. These notices often hit specific funeral home sites—like Brighton Memorial Chapel or Anthony Funeral & Cremation—hours or even days before they appear in a consolidated search engine.
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If you are looking for someone specific, you've gotta check these three spots:
- Local Funeral Home Listings: Places like Miller Funeral Homes, Dreier-Giltner, and Metropolitan Funeral Chapels often have the most "live" info.
- Legacy and Memorial Aggregators: These are great for searching by name across the whole 585 area code.
- The Democrat and Chronicle (D&C) Digital Edition: Still the "gold standard" for formal published notices, but it often has a 24 to 48-hour delay for formatting.
Recent Rochester area notices you might have missed
The last few days have been heavy for many local neighborhoods. Sophie "Suki" Brooks passed away on January 14 at Aaron Manor. She was surrounded by her family, waiting for her "angels to take her home." It’s these small, personal details that make a Rochester obituary more than just a date and a name.
Then there's Elaine Marie Hebert, who was 86 and passed on January 9. Her service details were just finalized through the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home. If you’re trying to keep track of everyone, here’s a quick look at some of the names that have appeared in the Rochester New York obituaries for today and the immediate past week:
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- Raymond A. Watt (Notice posted Jan 16)
- Linda J. Lewis (Passed Jan 15)
- James V. Philippone (Passed Jan 14)
- Janette Avery Nickson (Age 95, a dedicated nurse who passed Jan 9)
- Ricky Simons (Passed Jan 11)
Honestly, it’s a lot to keep up with.
The "Delayed Notice" problem in Monroe County
Have you ever noticed how sometimes a person passes away on a Tuesday, but the obituary doesn't show up until Sunday? That’s usually not a mistake.
Families often wait to publish until they have the venue for the memorial service locked down. In Rochester, especially during the winter months, scheduling at places like White Haven Memorial Park or Holy Sepulchre can get tricky. If you don’t see a name today, check again on Wednesday. Most "Sunday" editions of local papers carry the bulk of the week's notices because that's when the most people are reading.
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How to search like a pro
If you're looking for someone and coming up empty, try searching by the funeral home name first. If you know the person lived in Fairport, check the Keenan or Greenidge sites directly. If they were in the city, check Metropolitan or Joseph E. Hall.
Also, don't forget the "maiden name" factor. Many Rochester natives are listed under their married names, but the digital archives allow you to search for the maiden name in the body of the text. It’s a lifesaver for finding old high school friends from East Ridge or Edison Tech.
Actionable steps for finding a notice today:
- Check the Funeral Home first: Go directly to the "Obituaries" or "Current Services" tab on the specific home's website.
- Use Google News: Instead of a regular search, click the "News" tab and type the person's name plus "Rochester NY." This often pulls up the most recent digital postings.
- Set a Legacy Alert: You can actually set up an email alert for specific last names in the Rochester area so you don't have to manual search every morning.
- Verify the Service Date: Always double-check if the service is "private" or "at the convenience of the family" before heading out to a cemetery or chapel.
Keeping track of our community's history through these notices is a way to stay connected. Whether it's a veteran like Robert "Bob" Remington who passed recently after a battle with dementia, or a teacher who spent 30 years in the Rochester City School District, every entry represents a piece of the city's fabric.
To stay updated on the most current listings, visit the digital obituaries section of the Democrat and Chronicle or the specific "Current Services" pages of the funeral homes located in Brighton, Chili, and Irondequoit. These databases are refreshed multiple times a day as new information becomes available from grieving families and local directors.