Search Obituary, Death and Burial Records by Name
Enter the person’s first name, last name and last known state to prepare an obituary, death, burial, cemetery, memorial and related public-record search.
Find Recent Citizens’ Voice Obituaries and Confirm Funeral Details
Looking for a death notice in The Citizens’ Voice? Start with the newspaper’s dedicated obituary page, search the person’s name and open the full notice. Confirm visitation, funeral and burial arrangements with the handling funeral home before travelling.
If you need a certified death certificate, historic newspaper notice or estate record, use the separate Pennsylvania and Luzerne County resources explained below.
Source review: October 15, 2026. This independent guide does not publish a live copy of the newspaper’s obituary database.
Quick Answer: Which Source Should You Use?
Citizens’ Voice obituaries
Use the newspaper’s dedicated Legacy obituary page to browse names, publish dates, locations and funeral homes.
Handling funeral home
Verify the latest visitation, funeral, cemetery, livestream and family instructions directly with the provider.
Pennsylvania Vital Records
Order a certified death certificate through the Pennsylvania Department of Health rather than the newspaper.
Where to Find Today’s Citizens’ Voice Obituaries
The Citizens’ Voice obituary listings are available through its dedicated Legacy page. It includes name search, publication dates, funeral-home filters and location browsing.
How to Search The Citizens’ Voice by Name
- Open the dedicated obituary page. Start with the newspaper-specific listings rather than a broad nationwide search.
- Select Search by Name. Enter the person’s first and last name.
- Try the surname alone. This can help when the middle name, nickname or spelling differs from what you expect.
- Check the publish-date filter. Look at the days following the expected death date as well as the date itself.
- Use funeral home or location. Narrow the results to a relevant Wyoming Valley community.
- Open the complete obituary. Compare age, relatives, hometown and service information.
- Verify the memorial with the funeral home. Use its current website or public telephone number for final arrangements.
Search Wilkes-Barre and Nearby Wyoming Valley Communities
The Citizens’ Voice covers people connected with more than Wilkes-Barre alone. An obituary may use a hometown, residence, funeral-home town or cemetery location.
Wilkes-Barre area
Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre Township, Plains Township, Hanover Township and nearby communities.
West Side
Kingston, Forty Fort, Edwardsville, Larksville, Luzerne, Swoyersville and West Wyoming.
Back Mountain
Dallas, Shavertown, Trucksville, Harveys Lake and nearby towns.
Greater Pittston
Pittston, West Pittston, Wyoming, Exeter, Duryea and Avoca.
Southern Luzerne County
Hazleton, Mountain Top, Nanticoke, Shickshinny and neighbouring communities.
Nearby county connections
Search Lackawanna and Wyoming County communities when a resident, hospital, funeral home or cemetery is outside Luzerne County.
Verify the Correct Person Before Sharing an Obituary
| Check | Why it helps | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Similar names can appear in nearby towns. | Compare middle initials, nicknames and surnames. |
| Age and dates | Separates recent notices from older ones. | Check death date separately from publication date. |
| Family | Relatives can help establish the right identity. | Compare spouse, children, parents or siblings where published. |
| Community | The family may have ties to multiple towns. | Check residence, former hometown and funeral location. |
| Funeral home | Often holds the most current service information. | Check its own memorial before travelling or paying. |
Confirm Visitation, Funeral and Cemetery Details
Newspaper notices are useful records, but service arrangements may change after publication. The handling funeral home is often the best place to confirm current information.
Visitation
Check the date, start time, end time and whether visitors should go to a funeral home or church.
Funeral or memorial
Confirm venue, time, public or private status, livestream and accessibility needs.
Burial
Check the exact cemetery name, municipality and any separate graveside-service arrangements.
Flowers
Follow the family’s published preferences rather than an unrelated flower-delivery advertisement.
Memorial donations
Use the charity named by the family and verify payment details on the organisation’s own website.
Guestbook
Leave condolences without adding private addresses, medical details or financial information.
How to Submit or Correct a Citizens’ Voice Obituary
The newspaper’s obituary page provides a submission route. Families may also ask their chosen funeral home to help prepare and place a notice.
- Prepare family-approved text. Check spelling, preferred name, dates and family references.
- Gather service information. Include only confirmed public arrangements.
- Open the newspaper’s submission link. Use the link from the dedicated obituary page.
- Check the price and deadline. Publication charges, photo options and deadlines may change.
- Proofread before payment. Verify addresses, dates, donations and names.
- Keep the receipt. Save the confirmation and published obituary URL.
To request a correction, contact the publisher or the person who submitted the notice with the URL and approved replacement wording. Changing a newspaper obituary does not amend a government death certificate.
How to Get a Pennsylvania Death Certificate
The Pennsylvania Department of Health issues certified death certificates. For Luzerne County deaths recorded from 1906 onward, use Pennsylvania Vital Records rather than asking the newspaper or Luzerne County Register of Wills for a certified death certificate.
| Item | Current amount | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Certified certificate | $20 each | Same per-copy amount regardless of quantity. |
| Online service charge | $10 additional | Applies through the Commonwealth’s authorised online ordering route. |
| Armed Forces waiver | Possible $20 waiver | Eligibility and documentation rules apply; online service fees are not waived. |
| Historic archive copy | $5 | Non-certified copy of a record held by Pennsylvania State Archives. |
Which certificate do you need?
With medical information
Includes medical details such as cause and manner of death. An insurer, pension programme or other requesting organisation may require it.
Without medical information
Excludes those details and may be suitable for certain financial or property tasks. Pennsylvania offers this version only for deaths after 2019.
Who may order?
Pennsylvania restricts certified death certificates to eligible applicants age 18 or older. Common eligible groups include specified close relatives, estate representatives and people with a documented direct financial interest. Extra documents may be needed for some relationships.
Step-by-step official ordering process
- Open the Pennsylvania death-certificate page. Choose the death certificate service.
- Check eligibility. Review relationship and supporting-document rules.
- Select certificate type. Ask the receiving organisation whether medical information is required.
- Prepare acceptable identification. Follow the state’s current ID instructions.
- Choose online, mail or in person. Compare the additional online service charge.
- Confirm the total and save proof. Keep the application receipt and order reference.
Mailing address
Division of Vital Records
Death Certificate Processing Unit
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
Vital Records telephone: 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516.
Nearby in-person Vital Records office
Scranton State Office Building, Room 112
100 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
Listed hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m., excluding holidays.
How to Find Older Citizens’ Voice and Wilkes-Barre Obituaries
If the notice is missing from recent newspaper listings, use historical newspapers, the Luzerne County Historical Society and Pennsylvania State Archives.
Luzerne County Historical Society
The Society offers obituary and newspaper research for Luzerne County. Staff can search historical notices, specific articles and related collections.
Current research charge: $25 for non-members or $20 for members, per search. Each search includes up to one hour, and the Society asks researchers to allow approximately 4–6 weeks.
Bishop Memorial Library & Archives
The Society’s research library offers local-history collections and appointment-based visits. Its published policy provides free library admission for members and paid admission for other visitors.
49 South Franklin Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Phone: 570-823-6244
Email: library@luzernehistory.org
Visits are by appointment on listed days. Confirm before travelling.
Historical Pennsylvania death certificates
Pennsylvania State Archives currently holds historical death certificates from 1906–1975. Its non-certified archive copy service costs $5 per certificate.
Pennsylvania death records become public after the state’s waiting period. The Archives also provides links to digitised collections, with a free Ancestry Pennsylvania access programme for Pennsylvania residents.
Luzerne County Estate Records Are Not Death Certificates
If you are researching a deceased person’s estate, will or executor, Luzerne County’s Register of Wills provides a separate record service. It does not replace the state Vital Records system for modern certified death certificates.
Estate records from 2004 onward
The Register of Wills provides public access to many current estate records through office terminals and online document platforms. Viewing or downloading some documents can involve fees.
Older estate indexes
Indexes for estates dating from 1875–2004 can be searched through the county’s IQS Infodex resources. Older estate files may require a Records Center retrieval request.
How to search an older estate index
- Open the county Register of Wills page. Find the records-access instructions.
- Select the estate index platform. Choose the appropriate year range.
- Search the deceased person’s surname. Add the first name if needed.
- Check the estate number. Note whether the index indicates a will.
- Request older stored files if necessary. Ask the county Records Center about retrieving a non-digitised estate file.
Luzerne County Register of Wills
153 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Phone: 570-825-1668
Public hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m., except holidays.
Burial Assistance, Veterans Benefits and Cemetery Help
Luzerne County wartime veteran burial allowance
Luzerne County currently lists a $100 burial allowance for qualifying wartime veterans. Requirements include qualifying active military service, honourable discharge and supporting documents.
Useful documents include DD-214, death certificate, proof of residency and, in certain spouse applications, a marriage certificate.
Veterans Affairs: 570-706-3976.
Pennsylvania burial and cremation payment assistance
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services provides burial and cremation payments for some eligible individuals, including certain people who were receiving SSI or qualifying cash assistance before death.
Eligibility is assessed by the local County Assistance Office. The funeral director must be appropriately registered with DHS.
Federal VA burial benefits
Eligible families may qualify for military funeral honours, burial allowances, a headstone or marker, a burial flag or national cemetery benefits.
Gather discharge papers and confirm the particular benefit’s requirements before assuming costs will be covered.
Find the actual cemetery
Use the published funeral-home memorial for the cemetery name, then contact the cemetery office for grave location, visiting access and burial records. A memorial website alone may not confirm the grave’s location.
For older burials, try the Historical Society’s newspaper and local records collections.
Check Funeral Provider Licensing and Your Price Rights
Verify a Pennsylvania funeral professional
Pennsylvania’s professional licensing system, PALS, allows searches of licensed professionals and facilities, including funeral directors, and offers disciplinary information.
Open PALS, choose Person Search or Facility Search, enter the exact business or professional name and compare the result.
Ask for funeral prices
Under the Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule, providers must give price information by telephone when asked and provide a General Price List during applicable in-person discussions.
Families generally have the right to choose individual goods and services instead of unwanted packages.
What to Do After You Find the Obituary
- Save the original newspaper notice and the funeral-home memorial URL.
- Confirm the deceased person’s identity before notifying others.
- Check service and cemetery addresses separately.
- Ask the funeral director whether the death was reported to Social Security.
- Check which institutions require certified death certificates.
- Keep government records, estate documents, invoices and receipts secure.
- Review veterans or public assistance only when eligibility may apply.
For related tasks, see the after-death notification checklist.
Related Guides
Obituary Search Guide
Find notices using names, dates, newspapers, funeral homes and cemetery clues.
Death Certificate & Vital Records Guide
Understand when official certified records are required.
How We Verify Obituaries
Learn how primary sources and government records are checked.
Veterans Burial Benefits
Find burial, cemetery, marker and survivor-benefit starting points.
Citizens’ Voice Recent Obituary FAQs
Where can I find Citizens’ Voice recent obituaries?
Use The Citizens’ Voice obituary listings on Legacy. Browse by publication date or search the person’s name, then open the complete obituary.
How can I find today’s Citizens’ Voice death notices?
Open the newspaper’s dedicated Today obituary page. If a notice is missing, search by name and check nearby publication dates or the handling funeral home’s website.
Which Pennsylvania area does The Citizens’ Voice cover?
The newspaper serves the Wilkes-Barre and Wyoming Valley area of northeastern Pennsylvania, including many communities in Luzerne County and nearby counties.
How can I find an older Citizens’ Voice obituary?
Search newspaper archives and contact the Luzerne County Historical Society for older obituary research. Provide a name, approximate death or publication date and community.
How much does a Pennsylvania death certificate cost?
Pennsylvania currently charges $20 for each certified death certificate. Authorised online ordering also carries a $10 service fee.
Who can request a Pennsylvania death certificate?
Eligible applicants include specified family members, estate representatives and others who provide documented qualifying interests. Applicants must meet the state’s age, ID and documentation rules.
Can I obtain a death certificate near Wilkes-Barre?
Pennsylvania has a Vital Records public office in Scranton at 100 Lackawanna Avenue, Room 112. Check current office hours and service requirements before travelling.
Does Luzerne County provide veterans burial assistance?
Luzerne County currently lists a $100 burial allowance for qualifying wartime veterans. Service, discharge and documentation requirements apply.
How can I check whether a funeral director is licensed in Pennsylvania?
Use the Pennsylvania Licensing System, PALS. Search by professional or facility name and review the licence status and any available disciplinary information.
Can a newspaper obituary replace a death certificate?
No. An obituary is a public notice, while a certified death certificate is issued by the government and may be needed for legal, financial, estate and benefit matters.
Official and Primary Sources
Before You Share, Travel or Pay
- Confirm the correct person, dates, hometown and funeral home.
- Use the handling funeral home’s latest memorial for service details.
- Verify cemetery locations before travelling.
- Use Pennsylvania Vital Records for certified death certificates.
- Check burial benefits and funeral-price protections where relevant.
- Keep sensitive family and financial information out of public guestbooks.
RecentObituaries.info is an independent informational guide. It is not The Citizens’ Voice, Legacy, Luzerne County, a funeral home or the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Always verify final information with the organisation responsible for the notice, service or record.