Losing someone is heavy. It's a weight that doesn't just sit in your chest; it spills over into your to-do list, which is the last thing anyone wants to deal with while grieving. If you're looking for sun news obituaries myrtle beach south carolina, you’re likely trying to honor a life or find details for a service. Honestly, the process is a bit different than it used to be. The days of just tossing a few bucks at a counter and seeing a photo in the next morning's paper are mostly gone.
Everything is digital-first now.
The Sun News, which has been around since the 1930s back when it was just a weekly paper, is the primary record-keeper for the Grand Strand. But here is the thing: they don't actually manage the online "wall" of memories themselves. They partner with Legacy.com. If you go to the main Sun News website, you'll see a tiny link for "Obituaries," which kicks you over to a different database. That’s where the confusion usually starts.
How to Find Sun News Obituaries Myrtle Beach South Carolina
If you are hunting for a specific notice, don't just search the person's name on Google and hope for the best. You'll get hit with a dozen "people search" sites trying to sell you a background check.
Instead, head straight to the Sun News Memorials page on Legacy. For example, recent listings from early January 2026 include names like Loretta Blake and Janice Cooney. Most of these entries are posted about 24 to 48 hours after a funeral home sends the info over.
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Why the Search Fails
Sometimes you can't find a name. It’s frustrating.
Usually, it's because of a "publication delay." If a person passed away on a Monday, the obituary might not appear in the digital Sun News feed until Wednesday or Thursday. Also, some families choose to only post via the funeral home’s website to save on costs. If they didn't pay the fee to the Sun News, it won't be there. Period.
Searching the Archives
Looking for someone who passed away in the 90s or early 2000s? That's a different beast.
- GenealogyBank: They have digitized records for The Sun News going back decades. It's a paid service, but it's the most thorough.
- Horry County Memorial Library: The main branch in Conway has microfilm. Yes, microfilm. It’s old school, but it’s the only way to see the "original" print layout from 50 years ago.
- Library of Congress: They keep records of the Sun-News (and its predecessor, the Myrtle Beach Sun) starting from 1961.
The Cost of Saying Goodbye
Let’s talk money. It isn't cheap to post an obituary in Myrtle Beach.
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A standard obituary in Sun News obituaries myrtle beach south carolina usually starts around $177.50. That’s basically the "entry fee." If you want to add a photo—which most people do—or if the person had a long, storied life that requires more than a few paragraphs, that price climbs fast.
I’ve seen families end up with a $500 bill just for a Sunday print run.
You've got a few options to keep it manageable:
- The "Mini" Obits: Some versions allow just 5 lines of text for a lower flat rate.
- Funeral Home Packages: Places like Goldfinch Funeral Home or McMillan-Small often bundle the Sun News listing into their total service fee. It’s often cheaper (and less of a headache) to let them handle the upload.
- Online Only: You can technically skip the print edition and just do a digital memorial, though most locals still want to see that name in the physical paper.
What Most People Forget to Include
Writing these things is hard. You're exhausted. You're sad. But mistakes in an obituary are a nightmare to fix once they hit the press.
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Verified facts are non-negotiable. I can't tell you how many times people misspell the names of the grandkids or forget to mention a sibling. Or worse, they get the time of the service at the church in Murrells Inlet wrong, and then fifty people show up an hour late.
Basically, you need a second pair of eyes. Ask a friend who isn't "in the thick of it" to proofread the dates. Make sure the donation link—if you're asking for money for the Grand Strand Humane Society or a local church—actually works.
Local Impact and the "New" Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach has changed. We used to be a small town where everyone knew who passed away by checking the mailbox. Now, with the population boom in Carolina Forest and the retirement influx from up North, the obituaries section is a massive, daily document.
It’s not just "local" news anymore. You'll see people who lived here for three years after moving from Jersey, right next to families who have been in Horry County since the Revolutionary War. The Sun News tries to bridge that gap, but the sheer volume of notices means that the "personal touch" of the local editor has mostly been replaced by automated submission forms.
Actionable Next Steps
If you need to place or find an obituary right now, here is exactly what to do:
- To Search: Go to the Legacy.com "Sun News" portal directly. Use the "Last Name" filter and set the date range to "Past 30 Days" to avoid clutter.
- To Submit: Don't call the newsroom. They’ll just give you a 1-800 number. Call (855) 200-8547 or email mcclatchysupport@obituaries.com. This is the direct line for McClatchy, the parent company of the Sun News.
- Check Deadlines: For a print notice to appear in the Sunday paper, you generally need to have the text finalized and paid for by Friday afternoon.
- Gather Your Records: Before you start the form, have the name of the funeral home ready. The Sun News will verify the passing with them before they allow anything to go live. It prevents "prank" obituaries, which, believe it or not, actually happen.
The most important thing is to take a breath. The obituary is a tribute, but it’s not the person. If there’s a typo or if it doesn’t look perfect the first time it populates online, it can be edited. Focus on the service and the family; the paper trail will follow.