Search Obituary, Death and Burial Records by Name
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Find Charleston WV Obituaries, Funeral Notices and Official Death Records
Looking for recent Charleston, West Virginia obituaries? Start with the Charleston Gazette-Mail or a local funeral home’s obituary page. Search by name, check the correct person and confirm service information before travelling.
This guide also explains death certificates, historical Charleston newspapers, cemetery searches, burial assistance and West Virginia veteran benefits.
Reviewed October 15, 2026 • Independent information guide • No live death database is hosted on this page.
Where to Find Recent Charleston WV Obituaries
Today’s newspaper notices
Use the Charleston Gazette-Mail obituary pages to check recently published death notices and memorial announcements.
Search a specific person
Enter the first and last name. Filter by publish date, location and funeral home if needed.
Find funeral details
Check the original memorial on the funeral home’s website for visitation, funeral times, livestreams and burial information.
Get a certified death record
West Virginia Vital Registration provides certified death certificates through its Charleston office and other ordering methods.
How to Search Charleston WV Obituaries by Name
The Charleston Gazette-Mail has newspaper-specific obituary pages with name and date filters. Start there when you know the person was likely included in the newspaper.
Charleston Gazette-Mail browse
Search by first and last name
Charleston WV Funeral Homes With Obituary Information
Funeral-home memorials are useful for current arrangements. The examples below are local first-party sources or providers represented in the Charleston Gazette-Mail obituary directory.
Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home & Crematorium
1118 Virginia Street East
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-342-8135
The official website publishes recent obituaries and offers funeral, cremation, preplanning and veteran services.
Snodgrass Funeral Home
South Charleston area
Its official website provides an obituary listing and an older-obituary request option.
Some memorials include livestream or tribute-video links. Not every service has a livestream.
Other Kanawha Valley providers
Charleston Gazette-Mail listings also identify providers such as Gatens-Harding, Keller Funeral Home in Dunbar, Leonard Johnson Funeral Home in Marmet and Bartlett-Nichols Funeral Home.
Use the individual notice to identify the correct provider before travelling.
Search Charleston and Nearby Kanawha Valley Communities
Notices may appear under the person’s hometown, last residence, hospital location, funeral-home town or newspaper coverage area.
Charleston area
Charleston, South Charleston, Dunbar and Kanawha City.
Western Kanawha Valley
St. Albans, Nitro, Cross Lanes, Institute and nearby communities.
Eastern Kanawha Valley
Marmet, Belle, Cedar Grove, Chesapeake and other eastern Kanawha communities.
Northern communities
Sissonville, Elkview and Clendenin.
Nearby Putnam County
Hurricane, Scott Depot, Teays Valley, Winfield and Poca.
Other nearby counties
Boone, Fayette, Clay and Putnam County towns may also appear in Charleston-area obituary searches.
How to Confirm You Found the Correct Person
| Compare | Why it helps | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Common names may have several matches. | Check initials, maiden names and alternate surnames. |
| Age and dates | Distinguishes a recent death from an older notice. | Read the obituary’s actual dates. |
| Relatives | Family relationships can support identification. | Compare only information the family made public. |
| Community | The person may be connected to multiple towns. | Check hometown, residence and funeral-home city. |
| Funeral provider | Provides a first-party memorial and contact source. | Verify details through the original provider. |
Find Visitation, Funeral, Livestream and Cemetery Details
Visitation
Check opening and closing times, venue and whether the visitation is public.
Funeral or memorial
Confirm the date, exact address and service time. Check any updated instructions.
Graveside service
Find the cemetery name and separate burial schedule if it has been published.
Flowers
Follow the family’s stated preference and verify the delivery address.
Memorial donations
Use the named charity’s official website before entering financial information.
Livestream
Use a stream linked by the funeral home or service venue. Never assume all services are streamed.
How to Submit a Charleston Gazette-Mail Obituary
The Gazette-Mail’s obituary platform provides a self-service submission route and a newspaper obituary contact number.
Gazette-Mail obituary department
Phone: 304-348-5182
Current publication charges and deadlines should be confirmed with the newspaper before submitting.
Prepare the following first
- Confirm the person’s full name, age and hometown.
- Prepare family-approved obituary text.
- Check visitation and funeral dates with the provider.
- Use only a photo you have permission to publish.
- Contact the newspaper about price, deadline and submission method.
- Proofread all names and service addresses before approving publication.
- Save the publication receipt and confirmation.
West Virginia Death Certificates: Fees and Charleston Office
The West Virginia Vital Registration Office provides certified copies of death records. Its Charleston counter offers same-day service for eligible completed requests.
Current certified-copy fee
$12 per copy
West Virginia’s state fee includes a nonrefundable record search. Additional online processing or delivery charges may apply.
Charleston Vital Registration Office
350 Capitol Street, Room 165
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Phone: 304-558-2931
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., excluding state holidays.
How to order a West Virginia death certificate
Find Older Charleston WV Obituaries and Historical Death Notices
Older obituaries may be available through Kanawha County Public Library, West Virginia Archives or historical newspaper collections.
Kanawha County Public Library
The library holds the Charleston Daily Mail from 1914 onward and the Charleston Gazette from 1924 onward on microfilm, with some gaps or additional older newspaper material.
The microfilm collection is not indexed, so an approximate date of death is especially useful.
West Virginia Vital Research Records
West Virginia Archives provides a searchable collection of historical death, birth and marriage records with scanned source images for covered years.
The records are for research only. Certified copies must come from an authorized government office.
How to request a Charleston newspaper obituary from the library
Kanawha County Public Library accepts limited obituary requests from the Charleston Daily Mail or Charleston Gazette when the requester can provide a death date.
Mail request to:
Kanawha County Public Library
Attn: Obituary Request
123 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301
Include the person’s name, date of death, your contact information, a self-addressed stamped envelope and the library’s currently listed charge of 25 cents per obituary request.
Lookup depends on staff availability. Check the library’s current policies before mailing money.
Historical search trick: wildcards
West Virginia’s historical record search supports exact, similar and pattern matching. For example, the archive’s current interface allows % to match multiple characters and _ to replace one character in a name.
The older archive interface may use a different wildcard character. Follow the examples shown on the specific search page you open.
Charleston Cemetery Information and Grave Searches
First check the cemetery named in the original obituary. For local research and visits, Charleston’s municipal Spring Hill Cemetery provides an official contact route.
Spring Hill Cemetery Park and Arboretum
1555 Farnsworth Drive
Charleston, WV
Phone: 304-348-8010
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk.
Admission to the cemetery park is free. Historical walks and guided tours may be arranged by appointment.
How to locate a burial record
- Find the cemetery name in the obituary or funeral-home memorial.
- Check the actual town and full cemetery address.
- Prepare the deceased person’s full name and approximate burial date.
- Contact the cemetery office for public grave-location information.
- Use historical newspapers and archive records when researching older graves.
West Virginia Burial Assistance for Eligible Families
The West Virginia Bureau for Family Assistance offers an indigent burial-assistance program for qualifying adults or children.
Maximum state assistance
$1,000
This is the state’s listed maximum contribution toward eligible direct cremation or direct burial expenses, not a guaranteed payment for every family.
Who receives the payment?
Under West Virginia law, the approved payment goes to the licensed funeral director or qualified crematory operator providing the eligible service.
The program considers estate resources and relatives who may be financially liable under state law.
How to check the program
- Tell the funeral director that financial assistance may be needed.
- Open the Bureau for Family Assistance’s official Burial Assistance page.
- Review the program’s direct burial or direct cremation rules.
- Provide available estate, insurance and family-contribution information as requested.
- Ask the funeral provider how the required paperwork is submitted.
- Confirm approval before assuming state funds will cover any portion of the bill.
Veteran Burial and Memorial Benefits Near Charleston
West Virginia operates the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery in nearby Dunbar. Its official website provides eligibility details, burial information and grave-location assistance.
Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery
130 Academy Drive
Dunbar, WV 25064
Phone: 304-746-0026
Burial for an eligible Veteran is currently provided at no cost, including the grave or niche, opening and closing, marker or niche cover and perpetual care.
Eligible family members
The state currently lists a $780 interment fee for a qualifying spouse or another eligible family member.
Eligibility follows federal veteran cemetery rules. The death order of the Veteran and eligible spouse does not automatically determine eligibility.
Grave location help
The cemetery provides an online grave locator and an administration-building locator to help visitors find a gravesite.
Additional local veteran benefit
West Virginia’s Jack Bennett Fund may provide up to $380 toward installing a government-provided veteran grave marker for qualifying applicants who meet financial criteria.
Verify a West Virginia Funeral Home or Funeral Director
The West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners provides a public license-verification service for funeral homes, directors and other covered funeral professionals.
WV Board of Funeral Service Examiners
179 Summers Street, Suite 319
Charleston, WV 25301
Phone: 304-558-0302
Funeral Price Rights Before Agreeing to Services
The Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule protects consumers when comparing funeral providers.
Ask for prices by phone
Funeral providers must give price information by telephone when requested.
Receive an itemized price list
When discussing arrangements in person, the funeral home must provide a General Price List.
Choose individual items
You generally can select individual funeral goods and services instead of an unwanted package.
Compare the full total
Ask which charges belong to the funeral home, cemetery, crematory, newspaper or other provider.
After Finding the Obituary: Useful Next Steps
Attending a funeral
- Confirm the correct person.
- Save the funeral-home contact.
- Check exact venue and parking.
- Respect private-service notices.
Handling family paperwork
- Check certified death-record needs.
- Confirm Social Security reporting.
- Review insurance and survivor benefits.
- Check eligible burial assistance.
Historical research
- Save the newspaper title and date.
- Check alternate surnames.
- Use the state historic death index.
- Compare cemetery information.
Official and Primary Resources
Current notices, date filters, funeral homes and obituary submissions.
Local newspaper and funeral-home notices by location.
Certified death-record orders, current charges and service methods.
Historical Charleston newspapers and obituary lookup procedures.
Searchable historical death, birth and marriage records.
Indigent burial assistance and official program information.
Public cemetery contact, office hours and visitor information.
Funeral-home and director license verification.
Recent Charleston WV Obituaries: FAQs
Where can I find recent Charleston WV obituaries?
Start with the Charleston Gazette-Mail obituary listing or a Charleston-area funeral home’s obituary page. Search by name and check the original funeral-home notice for current arrangements.
How do I find today’s Charleston Gazette-Mail obituaries?
Open the Gazette-Mail’s Today obituary page. Search by name or select another publication date if the person is missing.
How can I search Charleston obituaries by last name?
Enter the surname in the Gazette-Mail obituary search. Add a first name, date range, location or funeral home to narrow the results.
Why might a recent Charleston obituary be missing?
The notice may be delayed, published only through a funeral home, listed under another name or not released publicly. Try alternate surnames and nearby Kanawha Valley towns.
How much does a West Virginia death certificate cost?
West Virginia Vital Registration currently charges $12 per certified copy. Online processing or delivery services may add fees.
Where is the Charleston WV Vital Registration Office?
The office is at 350 Capitol Street, Room 165, Charleston, WV 25301. It provides walk-in vital-record services during regular weekday office hours.
Where can I find older Charleston WV obituaries?
Kanawha County Public Library holds the Charleston Daily Mail from 1914 and Charleston Gazette from 1924 on microfilm. West Virginia Archives also provides historical death-record searches.
Can Kanawha County Public Library look up an obituary?
Yes, subject to staff availability. The library asks for a name, date of death, contact information, a self-addressed stamped envelope and its currently listed small lookup charge.
Does West Virginia help with funeral expenses?
The West Virginia indigent burial-assistance program may pay up to $1,000 toward qualifying direct burial or direct cremation services. Financial eligibility and program rules apply.
Is veteran burial free at the Dunbar cemetery?
Eligible Veterans can receive interment services at no cost at the Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery. A separate fee currently applies to eligible spouses and family members.
Before You Share, Attend or Pay
- Confirm the deceased person’s identity using more than a matching name.
- Use the original funeral-home memorial for current arrangements.
- Check funeral, church and cemetery addresses separately.
- Use West Virginia Vital Registration for certified death records.
- Use Kanawha County Public Library or state archives for older notices.
- Review burial and veteran benefits before assuming financial assistance applies.
- Do not share unpublished private, medical or financial family information.
RecentObituaries.info is an independent source-navigation and educational website. It is not affiliated with Charleston Gazette-Mail, any named funeral home, cemetery or West Virginia government office. Confirm final information with the responsible organization.