Finding a specific life story in a small town can feel like hunting for a needle in a haystack of digital noise. Honestly, if you're looking for Stanwood Camano News obituaries, you aren't just looking for a date or a name. You're looking for a connection to a community that has sat on the edge of the Stillaguamish River for over a century. It's about neighbors. It’s about the person who used to wave from their porch on Camano Island or the farmer who lived out on the flats toward Florence.
The paper itself—the Stanwood Camano News—is a bit of a local legend. It’s been around since 1903, though it’s worn a few different names like the Stanwood Tidings or the Twin City News. Today, it’s the primary record for folks in Stanwood, Camano Island, and even parts of South Skagit County.
Where to Actually Find the Listings
If you need to find an obituary right now, your best bet is usually the digital archives. Most people don't realize that the "official" online home for these notices is often split between the newspaper's direct site and larger platforms.
The paper currently partners with Legacy.com, which is where the most recent entries live. If someone passed away in 2024, 2025, or early 2026, they’ll show up there. You can search by last name, but here is a tip: don’t be too specific with the dates at first. Sometimes the "published date" is a week or two after the actual passing because the paper is a weekly publication.
For the older stuff? That’s where it gets interesting.
The Stanwood Area Historical Society (SAHS) and the CamWood Genealogy Workshop have done the heavy lifting for years. They’ve indexed over 15,000 records. We are talking about handwritten 3x5 cards that were eventually painstakingly typed into spreadsheets. If you are looking for an ancestor from the 1940s or even the 1980s, you’ll want to check the CamWood Obituary Project.
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It’s an incredible resource.
Volunteers have gone page-by-page through old issues of the Stillaguamish Valley News and the East Stanwood Bulletin. If you find a name in their index, they will often mail you a copy of the actual clipping for free, though a small donation to the SAHS is a class move.
How to Place an Obituary in 2026
Maybe you aren't searching; maybe you're the one tasked with writing. It’s a heavy job.
To get an obituary into the Stanwood Camano News, you basically have two routes.
- The Funeral Home Route: This is the easiest. Most local funeral directors in the Stanwood or Mount Vernon area handle the submission for you. They have the templates, they know the deadlines, and they’ll bundle the cost into their final bill.
- The Direct Route: You can submit directly through the paper’s website or their partner portal.
Expect to pay based on length. Unlike a standard news story, obituaries are "paid notices." Usually, there’s a flat fee for the first few inches, and then you pay per line or per inch after that. Adding a photo? That’s almost always an extra charge, but honestly, it’s worth it. A picture of someone smiling at Cama Beach or working in their garden says more than five paragraphs of text ever could.
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Deadlines are tight. Because the paper is a weekly, if you miss the cutoff (typically a few days before the Tuesday print date), you’re waiting another seven days.
The Difference Between a Death Notice and an Obituary
People use these terms interchangeably, but they aren't the same thing.
A death notice is the "just the facts" version. It’s usually short. Name, age, city, and service details. Sometimes families run these just to let the community know when the memorial is happening.
An obituary is the story. It’s the "human-interest" version. It’s where you mention they loved fishing for salmon or that they were the fastest typist at the old high school in 1962. The Stanwood Camano News is known for these longer-form tributes. They reflect the personality of the islands and the valley.
Researching Family History in Snohomish County
If you’re doing genealogy, the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society is another powerhouse. They have a massive collection of death notices from the area.
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Sometimes the Stanwood Camano News didn't catch everything. Maybe the person lived in Stanwood but the family published the obit in the Everett Herald or the Skagit Valley Herald because they worked in Mount Vernon. It happens all the time.
If you hit a brick wall, try these steps:
- Search the Legacy.com portal specifically for Stanwood, WA.
- Check the Washington State Digital Archives.
- Look for the person’s name in the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) to get a firm date first.
- Contact the Eldridge Center at the Stanwood Area Historical Society; they have bound volumes of the newspaper that haven't all been digitized yet.
Why This Paper Still Matters
In a world where local news is shrinking, the Stanwood Camano News remains a vital pulse for the 98292 and 98282 zip codes. When someone passes away here, it’s not just a statistic. It’s the loss of a piece of local history.
Whether you are looking for the passing of a local veteran, a retired teacher from the Stanwood-Camano School District, or a long-time resident of Warm Beach, these records are the final word on their journey.
Practical Next Steps
- For immediate searches: Head to the official Legacy page for the Stanwood Camano News to see notices from the last couple of years.
- For historical research: Visit the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society website or the Stanwood Area Historical Society’s "CamWood" index to find records dating back to the early 1900s.
- For submissions: Contact your funeral director first to see if they handle the placement, or visit the paper’s "Submit an Obituary" portal to check current 2026 rates and deadlines.