So, you're looking for someone. Maybe it’s a relative you haven't thought about in years, or perhaps you just heard some news about a neighbor and need to confirm the details. In Yuma, that usually leads you to one place: the Yuma Daily Sun obituaries. Honestly, it's the heartbeat of the community's history. But here’s the thing—people usually head to the website, get frustrated by a paywall or a confusing search bar, and give up.
Searching for a record of someone's life shouldn't feel like a chore.
The Yuma Sun (the paper's official name since 2009) has been around since 1896. Think about that for a second. That is over 130 years of births, marriages, and, eventually, the final word on local lives. It survived a massive flood in 1916 that literally wiped out twenty years of physical archives. It survived the Great Depression. It even survived the transition from an afternoon paper to a morning daily. When you look at Yuma Daily Sun obituaries, you aren't just looking at names; you're looking at the survivors of a desert frontier.
How to actually find Yuma Daily Sun obituaries without the headache
Most people just Google the name and "Yuma Sun." Sometimes that works. Often, it doesn't.
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Basically, the paper partners with Legacy.com to host its digital archives. If the person passed away recently—say, in the last decade—Legacy is your best bet. You can filter by date ranges like "Past 30 days" or "Past 6 months." For example, recent entries from early 2026 include residents like Floran Perea Albarran, 68, and Allen Ray Brown, who was a local electrician. These entries aren't just dry facts; they often include guest books where you can see notes from friends or old coworkers.
But what if you're looking for someone from the 1950s? Or the 1890s?
That's where things get kinda tricky. You’ve basically got three options:
- The Yuma County Library District: They have access to HeritageHub, which is a massive database for genealogists. It covers obituaries from 1704 to today. If you’re a local, use your library card. It's free.
- GenealogyBank: This is a paid service, but they’ve digitized 330 years of Arizona records. They claim to have 95% of content you can't find anywhere else.
- Arizona Gravestones: There's a volunteer-run site called arizonagravestones.org that actually has a dedicated Yuma Sun archive section. It’s surprisingly thorough and often contains full text transcriptions.
Why the "Sun" is different than the "Daily Sun"
Don't get confused by the names. People still call it the Yuma Daily Sun, but the masthead has changed several times. It was the Morning Sun in 1896, then the Yuma Daily Sun for decades after a 1935 merger, and now it's just the Yuma Sun.
If you are digging through microfiche at the library, you might see the Arizona Sentinel too. That was the other half of the merger. Honestly, if you can't find a name in the "Sun," check the Sentinel records if the date is before 1935. The 1916 flood is the big "black hole" in Yuma history. If the obituary you need was published between 1896 and 1916, there is a high chance the original office copy was destroyed when the building collapsed. You'll have to rely on family bibles or state death certificates for those years.
Placing an obituary: Costs and what to expect
Writing one of these is hard. You're grieving, and now you have to summarize a human life into 200 words while worrying about a deadline.
To get an obituary in the next day's paper, the deadline is usually 3:00 p.m. For Sunday or Monday editions, you need to have it in by Friday at 3:00 p.m. You can reach the classifieds team at (928) 783-4433 or email classifieds@yumasun.com.
The cost isn't fixed. It depends on how long the text is and if you want a photo. Since the paper is now owned by Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers (which bought it in 2013), they use a platform called Column for public notices.
- Standard Obituaries: Usually include a photo and a longer narrative.
- Death Notices: These are shorter, often just the facts (name, age, date of death, service info).
- Legacy Plaques: If you want a physical keepsake, there are companies like PopMount that sell archival plaques of Yuma Sun obits starting around $13.97.
Common mistakes when searching the archives
People misspell names. A lot. Especially in older records where the typesetter might have been working fast.
If "John Smith" doesn't show up, try "J. Smith." In the early 1900s, women were often listed by their husband's names, like "Mrs. Robert Miller." It's annoying, but that's how the records were kept. Also, Yuma is a border town. Many families have roots in San Luis, Sonora or Baja California. If you don't find the record in the Yuma Daily Sun, it’s worth checking if the burial happened across the border. For instance, recent records for Jose Villalba Gonzalez noted a burial in Panteon Bataquez, Baja California, even though he passed in Yuma.
Practical Steps for Your Search
If you are starting a search today, do this:
- Check Legacy.com first for anything after 2001. It’s the easiest interface.
- Visit the Yuma County Library website to use their "HeritageHub" database if you need to go back decades.
- Contact the Yuma County Office of Vital Records at (928) 317-4530 if you need a legal death certificate ($20 fee) rather than just a newspaper clipping.
- Double-check the spelling of the last name and try variations. Names like "Gonzalez" or "Rodriguez" can have multiple spellings in old archives.
Ultimately, these records are more than just a list of the deceased. They are a record of who built this city in the middle of the desert. Whether you're doing genealogy or just looking for a friend, the archives are there—you just have to know which door to knock on.