Finding a specific tribute in the Shelbyville TN Times Gazette obituaries used to be as simple as walking to the end of the driveway and snapping the rubber band off the morning paper. Nowadays? It’s a bit of a maze. If you’re looking for a relative from 1950 or trying to find service times for a friend who passed away yesterday, the process has changed. Between ownership shifts and the digital jump, what worked a few years ago might lead you to a dead link today.
Honestly, local news in Bedford County has had a wild ride lately. The Times-Gazette—or the "T-G" as everyone around here calls it—actually shut down for a minute in 2023. It was a scary time for local history. Thankfully, Richardson Media Group stepped in to save it, meaning the record of our lives (and our losses) didn't just vanish into the ether.
Why the T-G Records Still Matter
Obituaries aren't just death notices. They are the final story of a neighbor. In a place like Shelbyville, where the Walking Horse tradition and deep agricultural roots define families for generations, these records are the primary source for genealogy.
When you search for Shelbyville TN Times Gazette obituaries, you aren't just looking for a date. You're looking for the mention of the family farm in Unionville or the years someone spent working at the old pencil mill.
The Digital vs. Print Divide
Most people expect to find everything on the Times-Gazette website for free. While recent notices like those for Patsy Morton Throneberry or Terry Lynn Helton (who both passed in early 2026) are usually indexed quickly, older records are a different beast.
If you're hunting for someone from the early 2000s, the official newspaper site might not be your best bet.
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- Recent Records (2024-2026): Head directly to the Times-Gazette website or Legacy.com.
- Archival Records (1874-1999): You’ll likely need the Tennessee State Library and Archives or specialized genealogy sites.
- The "Gap" Years: There’s a tricky period around the mid-2000s where records are scattered across various third-party databases.
Finding Recent Shelbyville Obituaries Without the Headache
If you need info now for a service at Doak-Howell Funeral Home or Feldhaus-Gowen-Smith, the T-G website has a dedicated "Records" section. But here is the thing: sometimes the obituary doesn't hit the newspaper site the same hour it hits the funeral home's Facebook page.
I’ve seen folks get frustrated because a name isn't showing up in the search bar. Pro tip? Search by last name only. Digital search engines in local news are notoriously picky. If you type "William 'Billy' Smith" and the paper filed it as "William Smith," you might get zero results.
Common Funeral Home Partners
Most local directors work closely with the T-G to ensure notices are published. You'll frequently see listings from:
- Doak-Howell Funeral Home & Cremation Services (Shelbyville)
- Nelson & Sons Memorial Chapel (Lipscomb St.)
- Feldhaus-Gowen-Smith Memorial Chapel (Union St.)
If the paper is between print cycles (they aren't a daily daily anymore, they publish specific days), the funeral home’s own "Tribute Wall" is usually the fastest way to find visitation hours.
How to Submit an Obituary in 2026
Putting an obituary in the paper isn't as cheap as it used to be. It’s basically a paid advertisement now. In 2025 and 2026, the baseline price for a standard notice in the Shelbyville TN Times Gazette obituaries section usually starts around $40-$50, but that price climbs fast if you want a photo or a longer "life story" format.
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To get a notice published, you generally have two routes.
Route A: The Funeral Home. This is what most people do. The director handles the formatting and sends it to the T-G office on Elm Street. It’s easier, but they might add a small administrative fee.
Route B: Direct Submission. You can email the news department directly. Since Richardson Media Group took over, the contact is often routed through their central editorial team. You’ll want to reach out to their office at 411 Elm St. or call (931) 684-1200.
Don't wait until the last minute. Newspapers have "hard" deadlines. If the service is Saturday and you send the text Thursday afternoon, you might miss the print window.
The Genealogical Goldmine
For the history buffs, the T-G is the "Paper of Record" for Bedford County. The current version of the paper was formed in 1948 when the Bedford County Times (founded 1886) and the Shelbyville Gazette (founded 1874) merged.
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This means if your great-grandfather lived in Shelbyville, his life is recorded somewhere in those archives.
Important Note: A lot of people think everything is online. It isn't. The Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) has the Times-Gazette on microfilm, but you often have to go to Nashville or hire a researcher to look it up.
| Period | Where to Look |
|---|---|
| 1874 - 1920 | Chronicling America (Library of Congress) or TSLA |
| 1921 - 2010 | GenealogyBank or Newspapers.com (Paid) |
| 2011 - 2023 | Legacy.com or T-G website archives |
| 2024 - Present | Richardson Media Group / T-G Official Site |
Navigating the 2023 "Blackout" Period
There is a weird gap in Shelbyville TN Times Gazette obituaries from mid-2023. When Holler Media shuttered the paper before Apex and then Richardson bought it, some notices simply weren't published in the traditional way.
If you are looking for someone who passed in July or August of 2023, you might find a total vacuum in the T-G archives. In that case, you must check the funeral home sites directly or look at the Tennessean in Nashville, as many families shifted their notices there during the T-G’s brief hiatus.
Actionable Steps for Your Search
If you are currently looking for a specific person or trying to place a notice, here is the most efficient way to handle it:
- Check the Funeral Home Site First: Before paying for an archive search, look at the websites for Doak-Howell or Feldhaus-Gowen-Smith. They keep their own digital archives for years, and they are free to access.
- Use Precise Dates on Legacy: If searching via Legacy.com, don't just search "Shelbyville." Use the "Within 50 miles" filter and include the year. Sometimes the system misses the "Shelbyville" tag if the person actually lived in Wartrace or Bell Buckle.
- Verify the Print Schedule: If you are placing a notice, ask exactly which days the paper hits the stands. In 2026, the print frequency may vary, and you want to ensure the notice appears before the funeral, not after.
- Contact the Archives: For anything older than 20 years, skip Google. Contact the Bedford County Historical Society or the Shelbyville-Bedford County Public Library. They have local experts who know the "unlisted" ways to find these records.
Managing the details of a passing is stressful enough. By knowing that the Shelbyville TN Times Gazette obituaries are now managed under the Richardson Media Group umbrella and checking funeral home sites as a primary backup, you can save yourself hours of circular searching. If the online search fails, a quick call to the Elm Street office is usually the best way to clear up any confusion.