Finding a name in the Rome News Tribune death notices used to be a morning ritual for many in Northwest Georgia. You’d grab a coffee, flip to the back pages, and see who had passed. Honestly, things have changed a bit with the internet, but the core of it—the way this community honors its own—is still very much rooted in those columns.
It’s about more than just a date and a time for a service. It's about a life lived in Floyd County.
Whether you're looking for a friend from years ago or trying to figure out where to send flowers for a colleague, navigating the Rome News Tribune death notices can be a bit of a maze if you don't know where to look. Most people just Google it and hope for the best. But there's a trick to finding the actual details without getting lost in a sea of pop-up ads and generic memorial sites.
Where the Notices Actually Live Now
If you are looking for someone today, January 15, 2026, you basically have two paths. You can go to the physical paper, which is still a staple for many families in Rome. Or, you can go digital. The Rome News-Tribune partners with Legacy.com, which is where the vast majority of their "live" death notices end up.
Kinda weirdly, the digital version often feels more "permanent" than the newsprint, even though old-timers will tell you nothing beats a clipping.
When you search for Rome News Tribune death notices, you'll often see names like Wilson Hughdon "Don" Barnette or Norma Sheffield Braden popping up in recent results. These aren't just names; they are the records of people who shaped Rome. Don Barnette, for instance, passed away just a few days ago on January 11. His notice, like many others, gives you the specifics: he was 80, he was at home, and he was surrounded by family.
That’s the kind of detail you get here. It isn't just "so-and-so died." It's "so-and-so was a member of Garden Lakes Baptist Church" or "they were a veteran of the Korean War."
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How to Find Recent Listings
- The Official Site: Head to the Rome News-Tribune website. Look for the "Obituaries" tab. It’s usually near the top or buried in a "Life" or "Local" menu.
- Legacy’s Rome Portal: Because of their partnership, searching directly on Legacy for "Rome, GA" often yields faster results than the newspaper's own internal search engine, which can be a bit clunky.
- Social Media: Local funeral homes like Henderson & Sons or Daniel’s Funeral Home often post death notices to their Facebook pages the minute they are finalized.
The Difference Between a Death Notice and an Obituary
People use these terms interchangeably. They shouldn't.
A death notice is basically a classified ad. It’s short. It gives the name, the date of death, and maybe the funeral time. It’s functional. Families pay for these by the line, so they are usually pretty brief.
An obituary, on the other hand, is the story. It’s where you find out that Elna Ruth Avery Payne was born in Floyd County in 1939. You learn about the grandkids. You learn about the hobbies. In the Rome News-Tribune, these are often longer and can get quite expensive to print, which is why you see more of the "full" stories online than in the physical paper.
Sometimes the newspaper writes an Editorial Obituary. This is rare. These are written by staff reporters for people who were major community figures—think a former mayor or a local legend. You don't pay for these; the paper decides to write them because the person’s life was "news."
Submission: How Much Does It Cost?
If you’re the one having to place a notice, it can be a bit of a sticker shock.
Base prices for a death notice in the Rome News Tribune usually start around $45, but that’s for something very basic. If you want a photo (which you probably do), or if you want to list every single niece and nephew, that price climbs fast. It’s not uncommon for a full obituary to run several hundred dollars.
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Most local funeral homes in Rome—like Smith & Miller or Good Shepherd—will handle the submission for you. Honestly, let them do it. They know the deadlines (which vary) and they have the direct line to the "Obit Desk." If you try to do it yourself via email, you might miss the print cutoff for the next morning.
Digging into the Past: The Archives
If you are doing genealogy, the Rome News Tribune death notices are a gold mine. The paper has been around in some form since the mid-1800s.
"Learning how to navigate these archives can unlock a wealth of historical information from newspapers all over the country." — GenealogyBank
You can find scans of the paper going back to 1951 on sites like OldNews.com or GenealogyBank. If you're looking for something even older—like the Rome Courier from the 1860s—you might need to visit the Sarah Hightower Regional Library in person to look at microfilm. There is something incredibly grounding about seeing a death notice from 100 years ago printed right next to an ad for 5-cent coffee.
Common Search Issues
- Misspellings: Names were often misspelled in the old days. Try searching with just a last name and a year.
- Initials: A lot of men were listed as "J.W. Smith" rather than "John William."
- Married Names: Searching for a female relative? You might have to search for "Mrs. [Husband's Name]" if she passed away before the 1970s.
Why We Still Read Them
In a town like Rome, everybody is sort of connected. You might see a notice for Jacob Norman Trapp or Emily Elisabeth Riggins Wright Itson and realize you went to high school with their cousin. The death notices are the social fabric of the city.
They provide a sense of closure that a Facebook post just doesn't. When a name appears in the Rome News Tribune, it’s official. It’s part of the public record of Floyd County forever.
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Actionable Steps for Locating a Notice
If you need to find a specific notice right now, follow this sequence to save time.
First, check the Henderson & Sons or Daniel’s Funeral Home website directly. Local funeral homes almost always post the full text for free on their own "Current Services" page before it even hits the newspaper.
Second, use the Legacy.com search filter specifically for "Rome News-Tribune." This avoids general "Rome" results from Italy or New York.
Third, if the death was more than a week ago, use the "Archive" function on the newspaper's site. Be aware that some of these features are behind a paywall, though many libraries provide free access to digital archives if you have a local library card.
To verify a death for legal or insurance purposes, don't rely on the newspaper text alone. You’ll need a certified death certificate from the Floyd County Health Department or the funeral director.
Lastly, if you're writing a notice for a loved one, keep the "in lieu of flowers" section clear. Whether it’s a donation to a local animal shelter or a specific church, provide a website link in the digital version so people can actually click and give.