Finding a specific tribute in a small community isn't always as simple as a quick Google search. Honestly, when you’re looking for Steele County MN obituaries, you’re often dealing with a mix of digital archives, local newspaper paywalls, and funeral home websites that don't always talk to each other. It’s a bit of a scavenger hunt. Whether you're trying to track down a recent service for a friend or you're deep in the weeds of a genealogy project involving the Owatonna area, knowing exactly where to click saves a massive amount of frustration.
Most people start with the big names. They head to the Owatonna People’s Press. It makes sense—it’s been the local record since forever. But here’s the thing: while the People’s Press is the "official" source, the actual meat of the information often lives elsewhere first.
Where the Real Data Lives
Funeral homes are basically the primary sources. Before an obituary ever hits the newspaper or a national site like Legacy, it’s drafted and posted by the directors who are actually working with the families. In Steele County, you’ve got a few heavy hitters.
Brick-Meger Funeral Home on Austin Road in Owatonna is one of the oldest, dating back to 1897. If you're looking for someone like John "Frank" McNulty, who recently passed in early 2026, their "Tribute Wall" is where you’ll find the most personal details—down to the stories about his love for his cats, Gus and Boo. Then there’s Michaelson Funeral Home, which handles a huge volume of services not just in Owatonna, but out in West Concord and Kenyon too.
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If the person lived in the northern part of the county, like Medford, you might actually find their record through the Medford Funeral Home. For those closer to the Blooming Prairie area, you often have to check Worlein-Hoff Funeral Homes. They aren't all under one "Steele County" umbrella, which is why your search can feel disjointed.
The Digital Paper Trail
Legacy.com acts as a massive aggregator for the Owatonna People’s Press. It’s convenient. You can see names like Sue Armstrong or Charles "Chuck" Bultman pop up in a list format. But be careful. These aggregators sometimes miss the "life celebration" details that only appear on the funeral home’s direct site.
- Owatonna People’s Press: Best for official published notices.
- Legacy / GenealogyBank: Best for searching archives back several decades.
- Funeral Home Sites: Best for service times and "Tribute Walls" where friends leave comments.
Steele County MN Obituaries for History Buffs
If you aren't looking for someone who passed away last week, but rather a great-great-uncle from 1912, the search changes entirely. You can't just rely on the latest web scrolls. The Dalby Database is a legendary resource in this part of Minnesota. It was started by John and Jan Dalby and is now hosted via the Owatonna Public Library. It’s basically a gold mine for cemetery records and historical indexes for Steele and Rice counties.
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For even deeper dives, the Steele County Historical Society holds physical records that haven't all been digitized. They worked with FamilySearch to index nearly 30,000 images of obituary files ranging from 1865 to 2006. If the person was a big deal in the local business scene or held a weirdly specific job—like a "Pillsbury Academy" principal or a local pharmacist—those historical archives are your best bet.
Why the Search Fails Sometimes
Sometimes you know someone died in Steele County, but the Steele County MN obituaries search comes up empty. Why? Well, Owatonna is a regional hub. Sometimes people from Blooming Prairie or Medford are taken to hospitals in Rochester or Faribault. If they pass away at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, the obituary might be filed in Olmsted County instead.
It’s also worth checking the Steele County Recorder’s Office at 630 Florence Avenue if you need a legal death certificate rather than just a narrative obituary. They have records for deaths occurring in the county, and statewide records dating back to 1997.
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Practical Steps for Your Search
If you are currently looking for information on a recent passing or trying to piece together a family tree in the Owatonna area, here is how you should actually move forward:
- Check the Funeral Home First: Don't wait for the Sunday paper. Go straight to Brick-Meger, Michaelson, or Worlein. They post "Pending Services" notices that can give you a heads-up 48 hours before the full obituary is written.
- Use Variations: Small town clerks and newspaper editors make mistakes. If "Schmidt" doesn't work, try "Schmit." If the first name is missing, try searching by the husband’s name if it’s a historical record—a common practice in older Owatonna People’s Press editions.
- The Library is Your Friend: The Owatonna Public Library's local history section has microfilm that fills the gaps where the internet fails. If a record is from the mid-20th century, a physical search is often the only way.
- Confirm the Location: If the person lived in Ellendale or Hope, they might be buried in a small township cemetery. Use the Dalby Database to cross-reference burial plots with names, as the cemetery record often exists even if the obituary was never published.
To get the most accurate results, start by identifying the specific township or city within the county. If the death was recent, visit the websites of the three main funeral homes serving Owatonna and Medford directly. For historical research, prioritize the Dalby Database and the Minnesota People Records Search through the Minnesota Historical Society.