Losing someone sucks. There is no sugarcoating it. When you’re trying to track down information about a recent passing in the Pikes Peak region, you’re usually doing it while dealing with a fog of grief or the frantic stress of planning a service. Most people head straight to Google and type in colorado springs gazette obituaries past 30 days hoping for a simple list. Honestly, it’s not always as straightforward as you’d think it would be in 2026.
The Gazette has been the paper of record for El Paso County since the 1870s. It’s an institution. But the way we consume death notices has changed. It’s transitioned from ink-stained fingers at the breakfast table to scrolling through digital databases that sometimes feel like they’re designed by robots. If you’re looking for a neighbor, a veteran from the Academy, or a long-lost friend, you need to know where the data actually lives.
Searching for a name isn’t just about the date of death. It’s about the story.
Why the Gazette remains the gold standard for El Paso County
People ask why they should bother with the Gazette when Facebook exists. Well, because "official" matters. When a family places an obituary in the Colorado Springs Gazette, it’s a verified record. These notices often serve legal purposes, but more importantly, they are the community's way of saying this person was here. The past 30 days are the most critical window. This is when the viewing times are posted. It’s when you find out if the memorial is happening at Shove Memorial Chapel or a small private home in Manitou Springs. In a city with a massive military presence like ours—home to Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy—the obituaries often read like a history of American service. You’ll see mentions of Bronze Stars and deployments mixed with notes about a favorite fishing spot at Eleven Mile Reservoir.
The digital archive for the colorado springs gazette obituaries past 30 days is usually hosted through Legacy.com, which is the backend provider for most major American newspapers. This is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the search tools are robust. On the other, it can feel a little commercialized with "send flowers" buttons popping up everywhere.
How to actually find who you’re looking for
Don't just type a name and pray.
The search interface for the Gazette's recent death notices allows for filtering by date ranges. If you select the "Past 30 Days" filter, you’re narrowing the noise. This is helpful because Colorado Springs is a transient city. People move here for the mountains, stay for a decade, and then pass away. Sometimes the obituary is published here and in their original hometown in the Midwest.
The nuance of the search
Sometimes a name won't pop up immediately. Why? Because there’s a lag. A family might wait two weeks after a passing to publish the notice so they can finalize funeral arrangements. If you don't see someone who passed away three days ago, don't panic. They might just be "pending."
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Also, check the spelling. Seriously. People misspell names in the heat of grief all the time. Try searching by just the last name and "Colorado Springs" if the full name isn't hitting.
It's also worth noting that not everyone buys a full obituary. They are expensive. A few hundred words can cost a small fortune. Some families opt for a "Death Notice," which is a bare-bones listing of the name, age, and date of death. These are often grouped differently in the Gazette’s layout than the long-form stories with photos.
The military connection in local obituaries
You can’t talk about Colorado Springs without talking about the military. When you browse the colorado springs gazette obituaries past 30 days, you’ll notice a high percentage of notices mentioning Pikes Peak National Cemetery.
This cemetery, located southeast of the city, has changed the ritual of death in our town. Many obituaries for veterans will list a "staged" time for the service. If you’re reading a notice for a veteran, look for the "Staging Area" instructions. It’s a specific quirk of how we honor people here. Missing that detail means you might miss the honors ceremony entirely.
The "Past 30 Days" Window and Grief Support
The Gazette doesn’t just list names. They often link to guestbooks. For the first 30 days, these guestbooks are usually the most active. It’s where high school friends from Palmer or Coronado High post old photos.
If you’re looking at these records to offer support, remember that the "30-day mark" is often when the initial wave of support fades for the family. Everyone shows up the first week. By week four, the house is quiet. Using the obituary database to find a family's preferred charity—often the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region or Care and Share—is a way to show you’re still thinking of them after the flowers have wilted.
Navigating the Gazette's paywall and digital hurdles
Let’s be real: local journalism is struggling, and the Gazette uses a paywall. Sometimes, clicking an obituary link from a search engine will trigger a pop-up asking for a subscription.
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It's frustrating. You just want to know when the service is.
Pro tip: Most obituaries are actually outside the main news paywall if you access them directly through the "Obituaries" tab on the Gazette’s website or via the Legacy.com portal. If you get blocked, try clearing your browser cookies or opening the link in an incognito window. Usually, the "public service" nature of death notices means they want them to be accessible, but the website coding can be aggressive.
Beyond the Gazette: Other places to look
While the Gazette is the "official" spot, it’s not the only spot. Sometimes families choose not to pay the Gazette’s rates.
- Funeral Home Websites: In the Springs, names like Swan-Law, Cappadona, and Angelus are staples. Their websites often have the full obituary posted for free before it ever hits the paper.
- The Independent: For a different segment of the community, the Indy (though its format has changed over the years) sometimes carries mentions or memorials.
- Social Media: Dedicated "Colorado Springs Memories" groups on Facebook often share Gazette clippings.
Making sense of the data
When you're looking at the colorado springs gazette obituaries past 30 days, you're looking at a snapshot of the city's soul. You’ll see the founders of local businesses, the teachers who taught at School District 11 for forty years, and the young hikers who lost their lives on the 14ers.
It’s a lot to take in.
If you are researching for genealogical purposes, the 30-day window is just the start. The Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) maintains an incredible obituary index that goes back decades. If you miss the 30-day window on the Gazette’s active site, the PPLD Special Collections at the Penrose Library is your next stop. They have microfilm and digital databases that fill in the gaps that the modern web misses.
Actionable steps for your search
If you are looking for someone specific right now, follow this sequence:
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1. Use the Exact Date Range
On the Gazette/Legacy search page, don't just type the name. Set the dropdown filter to "Last 30 Days." This eliminates people with similar names who passed away years ago.
2. Check for Maiden Names
In our community, many women are listed with their maiden names in parentheses. If a search for "Jane Smith" fails, try the maiden name you remember from college.
3. Look for "Celebration of Life" Keywords
Colorado Springs is a casual town. Many people skip the traditional funeral for a "Celebration of Life" at a local park or brewery. Search the text of the obituary for keywords like "brewery," "park," or "open house" if you can't find a church service time.
4. Save the Digital Copy
Newspaper websites change. Links break. If you find a notice you want to keep, print it to a PDF or take a high-quality screenshot. Don't rely on the URL being there in six months.
5. Verify with the Funeral Home
If the obituary in the Gazette lists a service time that seems weird (like a Monday at 10:00 AM), cross-reference it with the funeral home’s direct website. Typos happen in the composing room, and the funeral home’s site is usually the most "live" version of the schedule.
The Gazette has seen this city grow from a small resort town to a sprawling metropolis. Its obituaries remain the final word on the lives lived in the shadow of the mountain. Whether you're a local or searching from across the country, these records are the bridge between the past and the present. Keep your search terms broad if you hit a wall, and always check the local funeral home sites for the most immediate updates.
Historical Context Note: For those doing deep-dive research, remember that the "Gazette-Telegraph" (as it was formerly known) has archives that are partially digitized but often require a library card for full access through the PPLD's "Regional History" database. This is the best way to find notices that have aged out of the "Past 30 Days" window.
Legal and Privacy: Obituaries are public records once published. However, if you are looking for information on a death that occurred within the last 48 hours, it likely hasn't been processed by the newspaper yet. Contacting the El Paso County Coroner’s office is only necessary for official business; for public notices, patience is usually required while the family coordinates with the Gazette's advertising department.