Losing someone is heavy. Honestly, the last thing anyone wants to deal with is navigating a website or a newspaper layout when they’re grieving. But when it comes to honoring a life in the South Sound, news tribune obituaries tacoma remains the gold standard. It’s more than just a list of names. It’s a record of the people who built this city—from the longshoremen at the Port of Tacoma to the teachers in the North End.
If you’ve lived in Pierce County for more than five minutes, you know the "TNT." Since the late 1800s, this publication has been the community’s bulletin board. Even though we’re deep into 2026 and everyone is glued to their phones, that printed (or digital) notice in the News Tribune still carries a certain weight. It’s official. It’s the public record.
Finding the Record: Search and Archives
Looking for a specific person? You’ve got a couple of paths depending on how far back you’re digging.
For recent passings—think the last few years—the News Tribune partners with Legacy.com. Basically, if you search for a name on the TNT website, it’s going to kick you over there. It’s convenient. You can read the guestbook, look at photos, and even order flowers directly from the page.
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But what if you’re doing genealogy? That’s where things get interesting.
The Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room is the secret weapon here. They have a massive "Tacoma-Pierce County Obituary Index" that covers everything from 1980 to right now. If you’re looking for something older, like a great-grandfather who passed in the 1940s, they have those records too, but they aren’t always indexed perfectly online. You might actually have to look at microfilm. Yeah, microfilm—those old-school scrolling machines.
- 1980–Present: Full online indexing at the Tacoma Public Library.
- Pre-1980: Partial indexing; usually requires a trip to the Northwest Room.
- Search Tips: Try searching by just the last name and the year of death. Middle initials help, but sometimes the newspaper back in the day only used a first initial and a last name.
The Reality of Costs and Submission
I’m going to be real with you: it isn’t cheap.
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Placing an obituary in a major daily like the News Tribune can cost several hundred dollars. Most people don’t realize that newspapers charge by the line or the column inch. A long, beautiful life story with a high-resolution photo can easily climb toward $500 or more.
If you’re on a tight budget, the paper offers a "Death Notice." It’s basically just the facts: name, age, date of death, and service info. It’s shorter and cheaper, starting around $70.
How to actually submit one
Most folks work through their funeral home. Places like Mountain View Funeral Home or Gaffney Funeral Home handle the submission for you. They’ve done it a thousand times and know the deadlines.
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If you’re doing it yourself, you’ll likely use the paper’s self-service portal. You’ll need:
- The text of the obituary (double-check the spelling of every nephew and niece!).
- A high-quality photo (JPG format is best).
- A credit card.
Why We Still Read Them
There’s a unique "Tacoma-ness" to these entries. You’ll read about someone who worked at the ASARCO smelter for forty years, or a woman who never missed a Puyallup Fair since 1955. These stories are the fabric of the region.
People often complain that "nobody reads the paper anymore," but that’s not true for the obits. It’s often the most-visited section of local news sites. Why? Because we want to know what happened to our neighbors. We want to see if that old coach from Wilson High (now Silas) is still around.
Actionable Steps for Families
If you are currently tasked with writing or finding a notice, here is what you actually need to do:
- Verify the Facts: Before you hit submit, check the birth year. It sounds silly, but grief makes your brain foggy.
- Use the Library: If you are hitting a paywall on genealogy sites, use the Tacoma Public Library’s digital collections first. It’s free with a library card.
- Check the Guestbook: On the Legacy side, guestbooks sometimes stay open for a limited time unless the family pays to keep them "permanent." Check this early if you want to save messages from friends.
- Social Media Sync: Don't just rely on the newspaper. Cross-post the link to the News Tribune obituary on Facebook or community groups like "Tacoma’s Neighborhood" to ensure friends who moved away actually see it.
The news tribune obituaries tacoma section is more than a list of the departed; it's a living archive of South Sound history. Whether you're searching for a long-lost relative or honoring a parent, these records bridge the gap between our past and our present.