Finding a specific notice in the sea of Wilkes Barre PA obituaries can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack—if that haystack was spread across three different websites, two physical newspapers, and a dozen funeral home pages. Honestly, people think a quick Google search solves everything. It doesn't.
Luzerne County is unique. We have a deep-rooted sense of community that spans generations, which means the way we record the passing of our neighbors is often a mix of high-tech digital archives and "old school" print traditions. If you’re looking for someone right now, or trying to piece together a family tree from the 1940s, you’ve got to know where the actual data lives.
Where the Real Data Lives: The Big Two
In the Wyoming Valley, we basically have two primary sources for local news: the Times Leader and The Citizens' Voice. They both carry obituaries, but they don’t always carry the same ones.
Families usually choose one based on tradition or reach. If you only check one, you might miss the very person you’re looking for. The Times Leader has been around since the late 1800s. Their archives, often accessed through portals like Legacy.com or GenealogyBank, are massive. For example, recent entries from mid-January 2026 include names like Ann Dougher and Richard Emmert. If you’re looking for them, you’ll find detailed service times for St. Nicholas-St. Mary Parish or burials at Harveys Lake.
Then there’s The Citizens' Voice. They serve a huge portion of the Wilkes-Barre and Kingston crowd. They’ve recently featured notices for people like Takiyah M. Condry, who was a corrections officer at SCI Dallas. These aren't just names; they are stories of people who shaped the local workforce and neighborhoods.
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Why the "Digital Gap" Matters
Here is a weird thing: not every obituary makes it to the newspaper.
It's expensive.
Sometimes, a family will only post a notice on a funeral home’s website. If you are searching for Wilkes Barre PA obituaries and coming up empty on the newspaper sites, you have to go straight to the source. Local staples like Kniffen O’Malley Leffler, Jendrzejewski Funeral Home, or Mamary-Durkin keep their own digital registries.
These sites are often more "alive" than the newspaper archives. You’ll find tribute walls where people post photos of 1970s block parties or leave "candles" for people like Maureen Theresa Lynn or Elizabeth "Betty Jane" Marsh.
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Navigating the History of Luzerne County
If you’re doing genealogy, the search gets way more complicated than just checking a 2026 feed.
Luzerne County records are a bit of a labyrinth. For stuff between 1893 and 1905, you actually have to look at the Register of Deaths in the county courthouse or hope the Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society has indexed them. They’re an affiliate library for FamilySearch, which is basically the gold standard for this kind of work.
The Luzerne County Historical Society on South Franklin Street is another heavy hitter. They have microfilm for local papers going back to the early 1800s. If you need a copy of an obit from 1922, they’ll charge you about $25 for an hour of research. It’s a slow process—takes about 4 to 6 weeks—but they find things Google can't.
Common Misconceptions About Death Records
- The Coroner has everything: Nope. The Luzerne County Coroner’s office only releases the "cause and manner" of death. They aren't a library of obituaries.
- Death Certificates are public: Kinda, but not really. In Pennsylvania, you usually need to be a legal representative or a direct relative (spouse, parent, sibling) to get a certified copy of a death certificate from the Division of Vital Records.
- Search engines are perfect: Google often misses the "pending arrangements" updates. You might see a name on Monday with no service info, but by Wednesday, the funeral home has added the details and Google hasn't re-indexed the page yet.
What Really Happened with the Archives?
A lot of people get frustrated when they can't find a record from the 1970s. During that era, many local papers were changing hands or merging. Some records were lost or never digitized.
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If you're looking for someone who lived in Wilkes-Barre but died elsewhere, like in the Poconos or down in Philly, the obit might be in those regional papers instead. People often forget to check the Weekender or the Scranton Times-Tribune, which frequently overlap with Wilkes-Barre coverage.
Actionable Tips for Your Search
If you are currently looking for information on a recent passing in Wilkes-Barre, follow this sequence to save yourself time:
- Check Legacy.com first: It aggregates from both major Wilkes-Barre newspapers. If it’s there, this is the fastest way to find it.
- Search the "Big Three" funeral homes: Check Kniffen O'Malley, E. Blake Collins, and McLaughlin’s. These three handle a massive volume of local services.
- Use Facebook Groups: Specifically, "You grew up in Wilkes-Barre" groups. Local residents often post screenshots of the print obituaries before they even hit the web.
- Visit the Bishop Memorial Library: If the person died before 1950, this is your only reliable bet for finding a printed notice.
- Check Social Security Death Index (SSDI): If you just need a date of death to narrow down your search, this is a free starting point.
Next Steps for Historical Researchers
If you are stuck on a 19th-century record, contact the Northeast Pennsylvania Genealogical Society. They are located at the Hanover Green Cemetery in Hanover Township. They have access to records that aren't on Ancestry.com, specifically church records from the various ethnic parishes (Polish, Irish, Italian) that defined Wilkes-Barre's history. These parish records often contain more personal details than a standard newspaper obituary ever would.