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 Erie Times-News Obituaries, Funeral Notices & Official Records
Looking for recent Erie Times-News obituaries? Start with the current Erie obituary pages, then filter to Erie Times-News when needed. Use the handling funeral home for the latest visitation, funeral, cemetery and livestream details. For certified proof of death, use Pennsylvania Vital Records rather than an obituary copy.
Quick Answer: Use the Right Source for Your Erie Search
Recent obituary
Use the Erie-area obituary page and select Erie Times-News under the newspaper filter.
Service details
Use the funeral-home memorial to confirm the latest visitation, funeral, cemetery and livestream information.
Older notice
Use Erie County Public Library’s Erie newspaper databases and Heritage Room resources.
Legal proof
Use Pennsylvania Vital Records when a bank, insurer, estate or government agency needs a certified certificate.
Where to Find Recent Erie Times-News Obituaries
The current Erie-area Legacy page includes Erie Times-News as a newspaper filter and lists recent funeral-home and newspaper notices from Erie and nearby communities.
Erie-area recent obituaries
Use this when you know the person was connected with Erie but do not yet know the newspaper or funeral home.
Erie Times-News filter
After opening the Erie page, use the Newspapers filter and choose Erie Times-News.
Funeral-home memorial
Once you identify the correct person, use the funeral home for current service details and any last-minute updates.
How to Search Erie Times-News Obituaries by Name
For more search techniques, use our obituary search and recent notices guide.
Get Erie Obituaries by Email
The Erie Times-News newsletter system currently includes a daily Go Erie Obituaries email described as the area’s most recent obituaries delivered to your inbox.
Search Erie County Communities When an Erie-Only Search Fails
Erie Times-News notices can involve people who lived, died, received care, attended church or used a funeral home outside the City of Erie.
Millcreek Township
Add Millcreek when a funeral home, residence or cemetery clue points outside Erie city limits.
Wesleyville
Several Erie-area funeral providers and families use Wesleyville addresses.
Harborcreek
Search Harborcreek along with Erie when the family lived east of the city.
Fairview & Girard
These western Erie County communities regularly appear in regional obituary results.
Edinboro
College, funeral-home and family connections may place the notice under Edinboro rather than Erie.
North East & Corry
Widen the Erie County search when the person had family, work or burial connections elsewhere in the county.
Confirm the Correct Person Before Sharing the Obituary
| Check | Why it helps | Pause when… |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Common surnames can produce several Erie-area results. | Middle name, nickname or maiden name conflicts. |
| Age / birth year | Separates people with similar names. | The age is clearly wrong. |
| Relatives | Spouse, children, parents and siblings are strong clues. | No known family names match. |
| Community | A person may be tied to Erie but reside in Millcreek, Wesleyville, Edinboro or another community. | There is no known Erie County connection. |
| Funeral home | The funeral provider is usually the strongest source for current service details. | The funeral home is in an unrelated region. |
| Publish date | Helps distinguish a current obituary from an older notice. | The result is from the wrong year. |
Verify Funeral, Visitation and Cemetery Details Before Travelling
Date and time
Calling hours, funeral, Mass, memorial and graveside service can be separate events.
Exact address
The funeral home, church, cemetery and reception may be different locations.
Public or private
Do not assume every service is open to the public.
Livestream
Use only a stream linked by the funeral home, church or family-authorized memorial.
Flowers or donations
Follow the family’s stated preference and verify charities on their official websites.
Last-minute changes
Call the funeral home when the service is soon, weather may interfere or two reliable sources disagree.
How to Submit an Obituary to the Erie Times-News
The current Erie Times-News obituary submission page allows families and funeral homes to place paid notices for local publication and a Legacy memorial.
Prepare before submitting
- Full legal and preferred name.
- Age and Erie-area community.
- Approved obituary text.
- Photo you have permission to publish.
- Calling hours and funeral details.
- Handling funeral home.
- Family-approved flower or donation information.
- Billing contact and preferred publication date.
How to Get an Erie Death Certificate
For deaths from 1906 to the present, Erie County directs residents to Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Vital Statistics / Division of Vital Records rather than the county courthouse.
Pennsylvania Vital Records — Erie Public Office
156 E. 14th Street
Erie, PA 16503
State contact: 844-228-3516
Current public-office hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
Current certificate fee
Pennsylvania currently charges $20 for each death certificate, regardless of quantity.
Online service fee
An online order through Pennsylvania’s authorized vendor currently adds a $10 service fee.
Microsteps
With Medical Information or Without Medical Information?
Pennsylvania currently offers two forms of death certificate.
Includes cause and manner
This version includes medical details such as cause and manner of death. Pennsylvania notes that it is often required for life insurance, pension claims and some family medical-history purposes.
Administrative use
This version excludes medical details and can be used for tasks such as closing bank or utility accounts or transferring property. Pennsylvania states this option is available only for deaths after 2019.
Pennsylvania Military Death Certificate Fee Waiver
Pennsylvania has a death-certificate fee waiver for certain eligible members of the U.S. Armed Forces, spouses, dependent children and estate representatives when the current statutory requirements are met.
Potential benefit
The state currently allows up to 10 fee-waived copies per eligible applicant per calendar year. The waiver covers the certificate fee but not the separate online service fee.
Where to Find Erie Death Records Before 1906
| Date range | Record | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| 1894–1905 | City of Erie deaths | Erie County Historical Society |
| 1893–1905 | Erie County deaths | Erie County Clerk of Records |
| 1906-present | Pennsylvania death certificates | Pennsylvania Division of Vital Records |
Erie County Historical Society
356 West Sixth Street
Erie, PA 16501
Phone: 814-454-1813
Erie County Clerk of Records
Erie County Courthouse
140 West Sixth Street
Room 122
Erie, PA 16501
Phone: 814-451-6264
Find Older Erie Times-News Obituaries and Death Notices
Erie County Public Library provides unusually strong local newspaper access for obituary and genealogy research.
Erie newspapers: 1884-present
The library’s current and historic Erie newspaper collection on NewsBank includes the Erie Times-News, Erie Morning Dispatch and Erie Daily Times.
Erie Times-News: modern searchable archive
The library provides searchable full-text Erie Times-News content through its NewsBank resources.
Heritage Hub
Heritage Hub provides obituary and death-notice searching across hundreds of years of U.S. material, from 1704 through today.
Heritage Room
Blasco Memorial Library’s Heritage Room houses local-history and genealogy collections, including Erie newspapers and county census material on microfilm.
Raymond M. Blasco Memorial Library
160 E. Front Street
Erie, PA 16507
Phone: 814-451-6900
Better archive-search workflow
- Start with the exact surname and approximate year.
- Search the spouse or parent if the name is common.
- Try “obituary,” “death,” “funeral,” “burial” and “services.”
- Search several days after the death date.
- Try the Erie Daily Times or Erie Morning Dispatch for older periods.
- Use the Heritage Room when online searching fails.
Verify a Pennsylvania Funeral Director or Funeral Home
Pennsylvania’s Department of State provides a primary-source license verification system through PALS. Funeral directors are among the professions available for public verification.
Funeral Price Rights Before You Agree to Pay
The federal Funeral Rule gives families important rights when shopping for funeral goods and services.
Ask prices by phone
A funeral provider must provide price information over the telephone when you ask.
Get a General Price List
When discussing arrangements in person, ask for the itemized General Price List and keep it.
Choose individual services
You generally have the right to buy the funeral goods and services you want instead of an unwanted package.
Separate third-party charges
Ask which costs come from the funeral home and which come from cemeteries, newspapers, clergy, florists or other providers.
Burial and Cremation Assistance for Qualifying Pennsylvania Residents
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has a burial and cremation payment program for certain qualifying deceased residents who received specific assistance benefits or meet other program categories.
Who may qualify?
Examples include certain people receiving SSI, cash assistance or qualifying long-term-care support. The local County Assistance Office determines eligibility.
Who receives the payment?
The DHS payment goes to an enrolled funeral director rather than directly reimbursing the family.
Current Pennsylvania payment formula
| Countable resources | Current DHS payment |
|---|---|
| $750 or less | Up to $750 |
| More than $750 but less than $1,500 | Difference between resources and $1,500 |
| $1,500 or more | No DHS burial payment |
If the Person Was a Veteran
Erie County Department of Veteran Services helps Veterans and families with county, state and federal benefits after a death.
Erie County Department of Veteran Services
208 E. Bayfront Parkway
Suite 102
Erie, PA 16507
Phone: 814-451-6265
Email: veteraninfo@eriecountypa.gov
Death-related services listed by Erie County
- County burial allowance.
- Federal burial allowance.
- Grave marker assistance.
- Cemetery flags.
- DD-214 and military-record help.
- Survivor pension and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation guidance.
PA Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Cemetery in Erie
The Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Cemetery, also called Veterans Memorial Cemetery, is located at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Erie.
Flowers, Donations, Guestbooks and Livestream Safety
Flowers
Use the family-authorized obituary or funeral-home memorial and confirm the delivery location first.
Memorial donations
Verify the named nonprofit on its own official website before entering card information.
Guestbooks
Assume condolences are public. Avoid addresses, account numbers, medical information and family disputes.
Livestreams
Use only a link provided by the funeral home, church or authorized family memorial.
Obituary Correction vs. Death Certificate Correction
Contact the publisher or submitter
For an Erie Times-News obituary error, save the notice URL, identify the incorrect text and contact the publisher or funeral home that submitted the notice.
Use Pennsylvania Vital Records
Changing a newspaper obituary does not change the certified death certificate. Government-record amendments use a separate process.
After You Find the Obituary
Save the notice
Keep the newspaper obituary and funeral-home memorial as separate links.
Save service addresses
Record funeral home, church, cemetery and reception locations separately.
Ask about Social Security
Ask the funeral director whether the death was reported to Social Security.
Order certificates carefully
Ask each institution whether it needs a certificate with or without medical information.
Check Veteran benefits
Locate DD-214 and other service records early when military service applies.
Keep a contact log
Record calls, names, confirmation numbers, receipts and next steps.
Common Erie Times-News Obituary Search Mistakes
Searching only Erie city
Widen the search to Millcreek, Wesleyville, Fairview, Edinboro, North East and other Erie County communities.
Using only one spelling
Try nickname, initials, maiden name and surname-only searches.
Assuming every Erie obituary is Erie Times-News
Use the newspaper filter when a specific publication matters.
Ignoring funeral-home updates
The funeral home is usually the better source for current service details.
Ordering the wrong certificate type
Ask whether the requesting institution needs medical information.
Missing library archives
Erie County Public Library’s newspaper coverage reaches back to 1884.
Related RecentObituaries.info Guides
Obituary Search & Recent Notices Guide
Search by name, city, newspaper, funeral home, cemetery and date clues.
Death Certificate & Vital Records Guide
Understand when certified legal proof is needed instead of a public obituary.
Funeral Costs & Consumer Rights Guide
Review price-list, package and funeral purchasing protections.
Veterans Burial & Memorial Benefits Guide
Review VA burial, marker, flag, cemetery and memorial benefit routes.
Primary and Official Sources Used
Erie Area Obituaries — Legacy Current Erie obituary search with an Erie Times-News newspaper filter. Erie Times-News — Go Erie Obituaries Newsletter Daily obituary email option from the publisher. Pennsylvania Department of Health — Death Certificates Current fees, eligibility, certificate types and ordering routes. Pennsylvania Vital Records — Erie Public Office Current Erie office address and public hours. Erie County — Historical Record Information Death-record office routing for records before and after 1906. Erie County Public Library — Newspaper & Obituary Databases Erie newspaper coverage from 1884-present, Heritage Hub and NewsBank. Pennsylvania Department of State — License Verification Funeral-director license and disciplinary-status verification through PALS. Pennsylvania DHS — Burial and Cremation Assistance Eligibility and local County Assistance Office payment process. Erie County Veteran Services County and federal burial allowance, grave marker and cemetery flag assistance. Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Cemetery Erie state Veterans cemetery location and restricted eligibility requirements.Erie Times-News Recent Obituaries FAQs
Where can I find recent Erie Times-News obituaries?
Use the current Erie-area obituary page and select Erie Times-News under the Newspapers filter, or use the obituary section on GoErie. Verify final service details with the handling funeral home.
How do I search Erie Times-News obituaries by name?
Start with the full name, add Erie or Pennsylvania, then select Erie Times-News as the newspaper. If needed, try surname only, nickname, maiden name, funeral home or a nearby Erie County community.
Can I get Erie obituary alerts by email?
Yes. The Erie Times-News newsletter system currently includes a daily Go Erie Obituaries email.
Why can’t I find a recent Erie obituary?
The notice may not have been published yet, may appear only on a funeral-home website, may use another name form or may be associated with Millcreek, Wesleyville, Edinboro or another Erie County community.
How much is a Pennsylvania death certificate?
Pennsylvania currently charges $20 for each death certificate. Online orders through the state-authorized vendor also have a $10 service fee.
Where is the Pennsylvania Vital Records office in Erie?
The current Erie public office is at 156 E. 14th Street, Erie, Pennsylvania 16503. Current public hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
What is the difference between a death certificate with and without medical information?
The version with medical information includes cause and manner of death. The version without medical information excludes those details and is generally used for administrative matters. Pennsylvania states that the non-medical version is available only for deaths after 2019.
Can Veterans get Pennsylvania death certificates without the certificate fee?
Some eligible Armed Forces members, spouses, dependent children and estate representatives can qualify for Pennsylvania’s military fee waiver. The current rules allow up to 10 fee-waived copies per eligible applicant per calendar year, but online service charges are not waived.
Where can I find an Erie death record before 1906?
Erie County directs researchers to the Erie County Historical Society for City of Erie death records from 1894–1905 and to the Clerk of Records for county death records from 1893–1905.
How far back do Erie newspaper archives go?
Erie County Public Library’s current and historic Erie newspaper database covers local papers from 1884 to the present, including the Erie Times-News, Erie Morning Dispatch and Erie Daily Times.
Does Erie County Public Library help with genealogy?
Yes. The Heritage Room at Blasco Memorial Library houses local-history and genealogy resources, including Erie newspapers and Erie County census material.
How do I verify an Erie funeral director?
Use Pennsylvania Department of State’s PALS license-verification system. Funeral directors are included among the professions available for public license and disciplinary-status searches.
Does Pennsylvania help with funeral or burial costs?
Pennsylvania DHS has a burial and cremation payment program for certain qualifying individuals. Eligibility is determined by the local County Assistance Office and depends on assistance status and available resources.
How much can Pennsylvania burial assistance pay?
Under the current program formula, DHS may pay up to $750 when qualifying countable resources are $750 or less. Different payment calculations apply when resources are between $750 and $1,500.
Where can an Erie County Veteran’s family get burial-benefit help?
Erie County Department of Veteran Services helps with county burial allowance, federal burial allowance, grave markers, cemetery flags and other survivor-related benefits.
Can any Veteran be buried at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Cemetery in Erie?
No. Current state rules say the Veteran must have been a resident of the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home at the time of death and meet the applicable service and discharge requirements.
Is an Erie Times-News obituary legal proof of death?
No. An obituary is a public notice or memorial. Banks, insurers, courts, estate matters and government agencies may require a certified death certificate.
What should I verify before attending an Erie funeral?
Confirm the correct person, visitation and service date, exact address, public or private status, cemetery, parking, flowers, donations and livestream with the handling funeral home.
Before You Share, Travel or Pay
- Confirm that the obituary is actually connected with Erie Times-News when the publication matters.
- Match name, age, relatives, location and funeral home before sharing the notice.
- Use the funeral-home memorial for current service information.
- Use Pennsylvania Vital Records when certified legal proof is required.
- Ask whether a certificate with medical information is actually necessary.
- Use Erie County Public Library for older newspaper and obituary research.
- Verify unfamiliar funeral professionals through Pennsylvania’s licensing system.
- Check Pennsylvania burial assistance before assuming no financial help is available.
- Contact Erie County Veteran Services when military service applies.
- Do not publish private medical, financial or family information in public guestbooks.
RecentObituaries.info is an independent source-navigation guide. It is not the Erie Times-News, GoErie, Legacy, Erie County, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Erie County Public Library, Pennsylvania DHS, a funeral home, cemetery or Veteran agency. Verify final service, certificate, price and benefit information with the organization responsible for it.