Finding a specific life story shouldn't feel like a chore. Honestly, when you're looking for a DeKalb Daily Chronicle obituary, you're usually in a bit of a rush or carrying some heavy emotions. You just want the facts. Maybe you're trying to figure out if the service is at Anderson Funeral Home or if you should head over to Sycamore. Or perhaps you're doing that deep-dive genealogy thing where you're tracing the lineage of the local farmers who built this county.
Whatever the reason, the way we find these records has changed. It's not just about flipping through a physical paper while drinking coffee anymore.
Where to Actually Look
Most people head straight to the main Shaw Local website. That's a solid start. Since the DeKalb Daily Chronicle is part of the Shaw Media family, their digital archives are pretty robust. But here's the thing: if you're looking for someone who passed away recently—like, say, in the last week—Legacy.com is actually where the "live" feed lives.
Take Lawrence Asselborn, who passed away on January 3, 2026. His notice, along with others like Willard "Bill" Clawson of Sycamore, showed up on the Legacy platform almost instantly. If you go to the official Daily Chronicle portal on Legacy, you can filter by "Last 30 days" or even search by a specific name. It's way faster than scrolling through a generic news feed.
The Archive Gap
What happens if the person died in 1985? Or 1920? That's where things get tricky. The digital "recent" archives usually only go back to around 2000 or 2005 on the main newspaper site.
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For the old stuff, you've got to use the big guns:
- GenealogyBank: They have scans that go back quite a ways.
- Newspapers.com: This is the gold standard for anything from 1970 to now.
- DeKalb County Public Library: Don't sleep on this. They have microfilm. Yes, the old-school rolling reels. If you can't find a digital copy, a librarian at the Haish Memorial Library might be your best friend.
How to Submit an Obituary (The Right Way)
If you're the one in charge of writing the notice, it can be overwhelming. You've got to condense a whole life into a few paragraphs. Most local funeral homes in the DeKalb and Sycamore area—think Finch Funeral Home or Butala—will handle the submission for you. They have a direct line to the Chronicle’s newsroom.
But if you’re doing it yourself, you need to know the rules. You can't just call it in. The paper won't accept "he said, she said" over the phone for legal reasons. They need it in writing.
The Submission Details:
You can email the text and a photo to dekalbobits@shawlocal.com. If you’re old school, you can fax it to 815-477-8898. They usually want it by a certain cutoff time if you want it in the next day’s print edition. Oh, and photos? Use a high-resolution JPEG. Nothing looks worse than a pixelated photo from 1994 stretched across a news column.
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Costs and the "Free" Myth
Is it free? Usually, no.
The Chronicle, like most modern papers, charges for a full obituary. They might offer a "Death Notice"—which is just the bare-bones facts (name, age, date of death, service time)—for a lower fee or sometimes for free. But if you want the "Life Story" version where you talk about his love for the Chicago Bears and his 40 years at NIU, you're going to pay by the line or for a flat package fee.
Prices change, but expect to spend a couple hundred dollars if you’re adding a photo and a long narrative.
The Sycamore vs. DeKalb Distinction
Local tip: The DeKalb Daily Chronicle obituary section covers the whole county. Even though the name says "DeKalb," it's the primary record for Sycamore, Cortland, Genoa, and Hinckley too.
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If you are searching for someone from Sycamore, don't be surprised to find them in the Chronicle. While some smaller towns have their own weekly "MidWeek" publications, the Daily Chronicle is the "paper of record." If it didn't appear there, it basically didn't happen in the eyes of the county.
Tracking Down Death Records
Sometimes an obituary isn't enough. If you need a certified copy for legal reasons—like closing a bank account or handling an estate—the newspaper can't help you.
You need the DeKalb County Clerk & Recorder.
- Location: 110 East Sycamore Street, Sycamore, IL.
- Phone: 815-895-7149.
- The Rule: You have to be a relative or have a "financial interest" in the estate to get a certified death certificate. They aren't just handed out to anyone.
Finding the Gems
Some of the best obituaries in the DeKalb area aren't the ones about famous people. They're the ones that capture the local flavor. I remember seeing one recently for a guy who apparently held the record for the most coffee consumed at the Sycamore Lincoln Inn. That's the kind of stuff that makes the DeKalb Daily Chronicle archives so valuable. It’s a snapshot of the community’s soul.
Actionable Next Steps
If you are looking for a record right now, start with the Legacy.com Daily Chronicle page for anyone who passed away after 2005. If you're looking for someone older, check Newspapers.com or head to the Joiner History Center in Sycamore. They have physical records and local experts who know the family trees of DeKalb County better than anyone else. If you're submitting a notice, get it to the email address above before 2:00 PM on weekdays to ensure it hits the next cycle.