Losing someone is heavy. It's a mess of paperwork, phone calls, and grief that doesn't quite fit into a schedule. When you're trying to track down a notice or share a life story in Northwest Ohio, The Courier Findlay obituaries usually end up being the first place you look. But honestly, the way people search for these records has changed so much that if you're just looking at the daily paper, you’re probably missing half the story.
I’ve spent a lot of time digging through archives—both digital and the kind that leave ink on your thumbs. Most folks think an obituary is just a tiny box in a newspaper. In Findlay, it’s actually a massive community record that’s been running since the 1830s. Whether you're a genealogy buff or just trying to find service times for a friend, here is how the system actually works in 2026.
Finding the Records Without the Headache
If you’re looking for someone who passed away recently, like in the last few days, you've basically got two main paths. The first is the official "Today's Obituaries" section on the newspaper’s website. It’s updated constantly.
But here’s the thing: most of the "meat" of the digital record lives on Legacy.com now. The Courier partners with them to host the long-term stuff. This is where you’ll find the guestbooks. People leave memories there—stories about old fishing trips or how someone always made the best buckeyes—that never make it into the print version because space is expensive.
Quick tips for your search:
- Check the funeral home site first. Seriously. Places like Coldren-Crates or Hufford Family Funeral Home often post the full text before the newspaper's deadline even hits.
- Use the middle name. Findlay has a lot of families with the same last names. If you’re searching for a "Smith" or a "Miller," you’re going to get a hundred hits.
- The "Findlay-Hancock County Public Library" is a goldmine. If the person died twenty years ago, don't bother with the newspaper's website. Go to the library's digital archives. They have scans of the paper dating back to the 1800s.
The Cost of Saying Goodbye
Let's be real: running a paid obituary isn't cheap. It starts around $75 for the basics in The Courier, but it scales up fast depending on how many words you use and if you want a photo.
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Most people don't realize there’s a difference between a "Death Notice" and an "Obituary." A death notice is basically just the facts. Name, age, date of death, and service info. It’s short. An obituary is the life story.
Sometimes the newspaper writes an "Editorial Obituary." These are free, but they only do them for people who had a huge public impact—think former mayors or well-known artists. For everyone else, it’s a paid service. If you're on a budget, keep the newspaper version short and put the long, beautiful story on a free memorial site or social media.
Why the Archives Actually Matter
History is weirdly fragile. The Courier (which used to be the Republican-Courier back in the day) has been the "paper of record" for Hancock County for nearly two centuries. When you look at The Courier Findlay obituaries from 1901 or 1945, you aren't just seeing names. You’re seeing the history of the town. You see which factories were hiring, which wars were taking sons away, and how the community pulled together.
If you’re doing genealogy, the local library’s "Advantage Preservation" site is where the magic happens. You can search by decade. Want to see what was happening in 1920? It’s all there.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting too long to submit. The Courier has strict daily deadlines. If you miss the cutoff, that notice isn't going in until the next day, which can be a disaster if the service is happening soon.
- Forgetting the "Out-of-Town" relatives. If your loved one lived in Findlay but grew up in Fostoria or Tiffin, you might want to look at sister papers like the Review Times or the Advertiser-Tribune.
- Typos. Once it’s in print, it’s permanent. Double-check the spelling of the grandkids' names. Trust me.
Actionable Steps for Today
If you need to find an obituary right now, go to the official Courier website and look under the "News" tab for the obituary category. For anything older than a few months, pivot to the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library’s digital archive or GenealogyBank.
If you're the one writing the notice, call your funeral director first. They usually handle the submission to the paper as part of their service package, which saves you a massive headache during a time when you probably shouldn't be worrying about word counts and credit card forms. Make sure you ask for a proof of the text before it goes live to catch any last-minute errors.