Genealogy Gems: How To Find Denver Obituaries

"My ancestor died in Denver some years ago, and I need to find their obituary."

This is one of the top questions we receive here in DPL's Western History/Genealogy Department and it's one that's easier to answer than you might think.

The best way to fast-track your Denver obituary search? Check out the Denver Obituary Project Indexes. This is an Index of obituaries and funeral notices that appeared in the Denver Post or Rocky Mountain News from 1923-2014. (Note that this index will give you the citation to the obituary or funeral notice and is not full-text). 

With this citation, you have two options for obtaining the obituary:

• Visiting the Western History/Genealogy Department's newspaper collection (Central Library, Level 5). A friendly staff member will get you set up on a microfilm reader, where you'll be able to print or scan the obituary you need. This is the fastest way to retrieve a obituary.

• Ordering a scan. If you have a citation for the obituary or funeral notice, you can place an order to have the item scanned and emailed to you. Note that given the volume of requests the Western History/Genealogy Department receives, orders take 3 weeks to complete. This is the slowest way to retrieve an obituary or funeral notice.

Here's how to order a scan:

1. On the Western History/Genealogy Department webpage (history.denverlibrary.org), click on the CONTACT  button in the upper right-hand corner:

2. Fill out the form with your name, zip code, phone number, and email address. Under SUBJECT, select "Obituaries" from the dropdown menu. Choosing "Obituaries" will allow for an obituary order form to pop up. This is where you will put in your obituary request information:

3. Fill out the request form using the obituary citation information you retrieved from the Denver Obituary Indexes. Note that fields with a red asterisk must be filled out.

**If you do not have obituary citation information for your request, please fill out the form with as much detail as possible (please note that the full date of death, including month, day, and year, must be provided in order for your request to be completed).**

4. If you have a second obituary request to make, click the blue REQUEST 2 button (above the SUBMIT button). If not, click the SUBMIT button. Requests are fulfilled within 3 weeks.

[Interested in learning more? Check out our Obituaries, Cemeteries & The Dead research guide.]