Finding Selma Funeral Home obituaries used to be a pretty straightforward task. You’d drive down Highway 22 in Valley Grande, see the sign for the funeral home and Pineview Memory Gardens, and you knew exactly where to go for information. But honestly, if you've tried looking for them lately, you might have noticed things feel a little... different.
The building is still there, but the way we access records has shifted. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not just "the internet changing everything." It’s actually because of a major business merger that happened recently right here in Dallas County.
Where did the obituaries go?
Back in late 2024, a big change hit the local funeral industry. Lawrence Brown-Service Funeral Home—a name most of us in Selma know well—officially acquired Selma Funeral Home and Pineview Memory Gardens. This wasn't just a name change on a piece of paper; it was a full-scale consolidation of their operations.
Basically, what this means for you is that if you're hunting for Selma Funeral Home obituaries for a service that happened recently, you won't find them under the old "Selma Funeral Home" website anymore. Most of those records have been migrated over to the Lawrence Brown-Service system. The Valley Grande location is now often referred to as "Lawrence at Pineview."
🔗 Read more: How Much Did Trump Add to the National Debt Explained (Simply)
It’s kinda confusing for families. You might be searching for a friend or relative you know was handled at the Valley Grande chapel, yet their name is popping up on a completely different business's website on Citizens Parkway. Don't worry, you're not lost. The records are still there; they’ve just moved house.
How to find a specific obituary today
If you need to find someone, your best bet is to check the unified database. Since the merger, the "Lawrence Brown-Service Funeral Home" website has become the primary digital hub for these records.
- Search by the New Name: Look for "Lawrence at Pineview" or "Lawrence Brown-Service" instead of the old standalone Selma Funeral Home title.
- Legacy and Tribute Sites: A lot of the older records from the 2010s and early 2020s are still indexed on sites like Legacy.com and Tribute Archive.
- Local News Archives: Don't forget the Selma Times-Journal. Even as digital records move around, the printed (or archived) local paper remains a rock-solid source for Dallas County history.
It’s worth noting that the Valley Grande building is still used for services. So, you might see an obituary that says "Services will be held at Selma Funeral Home," but the digital record is hosted by Lawrence. It’s a bit of a "two locations, one office" situation.
💡 You might also like: The Galveston Hurricane 1900 Orphanage Story Is More Tragic Than You Realized
The "Two Selmas" Problem
One thing that trips people up all the time is that there’s another Selma. Selma, California.
I’ve seen people spend twenty minutes looking for a local Dallas County obituary only to realize they’re reading about someone from a town near Fresno. If you see a name like "Thomas-Marcom Funeral Home," you’ve accidentally hopped over to the West Coast.
To keep your search accurate, always add "Alabama" or "Valley Grande" to your search query. It sounds like a small detail, but it saves a lot of frustration when you're already dealing with the stress of a loss.
📖 Related: Why the Air France Crash Toronto Miracle Still Changes How We Fly
Why obituary records matter for Selma families
Obituaries in a place like Selma are more than just death notices. They are historical records of the families that built this community. When you look through the archives of the Selma Funeral Home, you see the names of farmers, veterans, teachers, and business owners who shaped the Black Belt.
Take someone like Claude Chambers Strother, Jr., who passed in early 2026. His obituary doesn't just list a date; it mentions the family cattle business and his love for dancing at the beach. These details are the "soul" of our local records.
When businesses merge, there’s always a fear that these stories will get lost in the shuffle of a new database. Fortunately, the staff at Lawrence-Brown has been pretty vocal about maintaining the legacy of the Pineview and Selma Funeral Home brands. They know that for many families, the Highway 22 location is where their parents and grandparents are buried, and they respect that history.
Practical Steps for Finding Information Now
If you are looking for a specific record or need to post a notice, here is what you actually need to do:
- For recent deaths (2025-2026): Go directly to the Lawrence Brown-Service Funeral Home website. They handle the digital listings for the Valley Grande location now.
- For genealogy or old records: Use the Selma Public Library’s digital archives. They have microfilmed and digitized many local records that predate the internet era of funeral homes.
- If you're visiting: Remember that the business office is no longer in Valley Grande. If you need to pick up copies of a death certificate or handle paperwork, you’ll likely need to head to the main Lawrence office on Citizens Parkway in Selma proper.
- Check the map: If the address says 5171 AL-22, that’s the Valley Grande chapel (formerly Selma Funeral Home). If it says 2900 Citizens Pkwy, that’s the main office.
Finding Selma Funeral Home obituaries is still very possible, you just have to know which door to knock on. Things are a bit more centralized now, which—while a change for the community—actually makes the records easier to find once you know the new system.