Atlanta Obituaries: How to Find, Write, and Share Local Notices

Losing someone in Atlanta can feel overwhelming, and figuring out how to handle obituaries is often one of the first practical questions families face. Whether you’re trying to find a recent Atlanta obituary, publish a notice, or understand local customs, this guide walks through how obituaries typically work in Atlanta, Georgia.

What an Obituary Usually Includes in Atlanta

Most Atlanta obituaries follow a similar pattern, whether they appear in a newspaper, online, or in a funeral home’s listing. A typical obituary may include:

• Full name, age, and city of residence
• Date of death (and sometimes cause of death, if the family wishes)
• Brief life summary: birthplace, education, career, military service
• Family members: spouse/partner, children, siblings, parents, grandchildren
• Religious affiliation or church membership, when relevant
• Service details: visitation, funeral, memorial, burial/cremation
• Place of service (church, funeral home, cemetery, or other venue)
• Memorial preferences (for example, donations in lieu of flowers)
• A photo (often a recent one, sometimes a favorite from earlier years)

In Atlanta, families often highlight connections to local neighborhoods (Grant Park, Buckhead, College Park, Decatur), schools (Atlanta Public Schools, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Morehouse, Spelman, etc.), and churches (such as Ebenezer Baptist Church, Big Bethel AME, or local parish churches).

Where to Find Atlanta Obituaries

1. Local Newspapers

While many people now search online, Atlanta newspapers are still major sources for obituary listings.

Common places to look include:

• Major daily newspapers serving the Atlanta metro
• Community and neighborhood papers (often weekly)
• Ethnic and faith-based publications (for example, historically Black newspapers or church bulletins)

Most newspapers post their obituaries both in print and on their websites. Searching by:

• Last name
• City: “Atlanta” or specific metro areas like “Marietta,” “Decatur,” “Sandy Springs”
• Date range (for example, the week of the service)

can help narrow things down.

👉 Tip: If you know the funeral home handling arrangements, you can search the newspaper’s obituary section using both the last name and the funeral home name for faster results.

2. Funeral Home Websites

Most Atlanta funeral homes and cremation providers publish obituaries directly on their websites. These listings are often:

• Free or lower-cost for basic information
• Longer and more detailed than newspaper notices
• Available longer-term than a single print issue

Common features of funeral home obituary pages:

• Guest books or online tributes where people can leave messages
• Information on viewings, wakes, and funeral services
• Links to live-streamed or recorded services, which are now common in Atlanta
• Details on floral arrangements or suggested charities

If you know the funeral home’s name, go directly to its website and look for:

• “Obituaries”
• “Tributes”
• “In Memory” or “Memorials”

If you don’t know the funeral home, you can often learn it from:

• A church announcement
• Social media posts from family or friends
• A death notice in the paper that lists “arrangements by [funeral home]”

3. Online Obituary and Memorial Platforms

Many families in Atlanta also choose to post online memorial pages that:

• Share a more detailed life story
• Include videos, multiple photos, and long-form tributes
• Allow friends and relatives from out of town to participate
• Stay accessible for months or years

These can be hosted:

• Through the funeral home’s partner platform
• On a standalone memorial site set up by the family
• Occasionally via community or church websites

When searching, try combinations like:

• “First name + last name + Atlanta obituary”
• “First name + last name + funeral service Atlanta”
• “First name + last name + memorial service + Georgia”

4. Church, Synagogue, and Mosque Bulletins

Atlanta’s religious community plays a large role in how many families announce deaths and services.

You may find notices through:

• Church bulletins and Sunday programs
• Synagogue newsletters
• Mosque announcements
• Community email lists and social media pages

If you know the loved one’s place of worship in the Atlanta area, reach out to the:

• Church office
• Pastor, priest, rabbi, imam, or administrator

and ask if any service or obituary information has been shared.

5. Public Records and Death Certificates

If you’re unable to locate an obituary but you need to confirm a death in Atlanta, you can use official records.

In Georgia, death certificates and vital records are handled at the state level and through local county offices. For a death that occurred in the City of Atlanta, records will typically fall under Fulton County (or sometimes DeKalb County, depending on the exact location).

Government offices that may help:

• Georgia Department of Public Health – Vital Records
  1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
  Atlanta, GA 30349
  Phone: 404-679-4702

• Fulton County Vital Records Office (for events in Fulton County)

• DeKalb County Vital Records (for certain Atlanta addresses east of the city core)

These offices won’t provide an obituary, but they can provide official proof of death, which may help you track down funeral homes or service details.

How to Publish an Obituary in Atlanta

If you are arranging an obituary for a loved one in Atlanta, there are three main routes:

1. Through a Funeral Home

This is the most common option in Atlanta. Usually:

1. You provide key biographical details and a photo to the funeral director.
2. The funeral home helps draft or edit the obituary.
3. They post it on their website and, if requested, submit it to newspapers or additional online platforms.

Pros:

• Guidance on wording and length
• Familiarity with local customs and faith traditions
• Handling of newspaper submissions and formatting

Considerations:

• Extra fees for placement in certain newspapers
• Word or line limits for print versions

2. Directly With a Newspaper

You can usually place an obituary directly with a newspaper serving the Atlanta area. Steps often include:

1. Visit the paper’s “Obituaries” or “Place a Notice” section.
2. Choose the type of notice (brief death notice vs. full obituary).
3. Submit your text, photo, contact information, and payment.
4. Approve proof or final version before publication date.

You’ll want to know:

• Publication date (to coordinate with service dates)
• Cost structure (per word, per line, or flat fee)
• Deadline (often at least one day before the print date)

3. Posting Your Own Online Memorial

Some families prefer to create and control a standalone online memorial. This can be particularly useful for:

• Extended family outside Atlanta
• Friends who cannot attend in person
• Long-term remembrance and photo sharing

Common elements you might include:

• Full obituary text
• Multiple photo galleries
• A comment or guestbook section
• Information on anniversaries or later memorial events
• Links to charities or causes your loved one cared about

If you go this route, you can still share the link through:

• Social media
• Group texts or email lists
• Church and community announcements

What to Include When Writing an Atlanta Obituary

If you are drafting the obituary yourself, you may find it easier to follow a simple outline tailored to Atlanta.

Basic Structure

1. Announcement of Death

   • “[Full name], age [X], of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on [date]…”

2. Life Summary

   • Place of birth, Atlanta neighborhoods lived in, schools, career, military service.

3. Family

   • Predeceased by…
   • Survived by…

4. Community and Faith Connections

   • Church/mosque/synagogue membership, community groups, volunteer work, local organizations, fraternities/sororities.

5. Service Information

   • Date, time, and location of visitation and funeral/memorial services in Atlanta or surrounding areas.
   • Whether the service is open to the public or private.

6. Burial/Cremation Details (if appropriate)

   • Cemetery name or general description of arrangements.

7. Memorial Contributions

   • “In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to [charity, organization, or cause].”

Atlanta-Specific Touches You Might Add

Families in Atlanta often like to include:

• Longtime membership in local churches (Ebenezer Baptist Church, Cascade United Methodist, etc.)
• Ties to HBCUs and local universities (Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Georgia Tech, Georgia State)
• Involvement in Atlanta civic organizations, fraternities, sororities, or neighborhood associations
• Lifelong fandom of local teams (Falcons, Braves, Hawks, Atlanta United)

These details help capture your loved one’s connection to the city and can make the obituary feel more personal to local readers.

Costs and Practical Considerations in Atlanta

Typical Cost Factors

Obituary costs in Atlanta can vary widely. Factors include:

• Length of the obituary (word or line count)
• Whether a photo is included
• Day of the week for publication (weekends may cost more)
• Whether you want the obituary to appear in:
  • A major metropolitan daily
  • Community or neighborhood papers
  • Multiple outlets

Funeral homes can usually give a ballpark estimate for local placements and help families stay within a budget.

Timing Your Obituary

Many Atlanta families aim to publish the obituary:

• A few days before the funeral or memorial service, so people have time to plan
• Or shortly after a small private service, if the obituary is more of a tribute than a public announcement

For services involving out-of-town guests, online obituaries and social media shares help reach people beyond metro Atlanta.

Finding Older Atlanta Obituaries for Genealogy or Research

If you’re doing family history work or trying to find obituaries from decades past, you have several Atlanta-focused options:

• Newspaper archives:
  Many Atlanta newspapers maintain historical archives that can be accessed:
  • Online through archive tools
  • In person at research libraries
• Local libraries and archives:
  Major libraries often keep bound volumes or microfilm of past newspapers, including obituary sections.
• County historical societies:
  For Atlanta-area counties like Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, and Clayton, local historical and genealogical societies can sometimes assist or direct you to specific collections.

When researching, bring as much information as you can:

• Approximate year of death
• Known neighborhood or suburb
• Any funeral home name you may remember
• Family names and relationships

Respecting Privacy and Sensitivity

When you’re dealing with obituaries in Atlanta, it’s important to balance public information with family privacy:

• Be cautious about sharing details like exact home addresses.
• Remember that younger family members may be more comfortable with limited or private online postings.
• When sharing obituaries on social media, consider whether the family has already posted publicly or prefers a more private approach.

If you’re unsure, it’s usually best to ask the immediate family how they want information about their loved one shared.

Quick Reference: Atlanta Obituaries at a Glance

Knowing how Atlanta obituaries work can make a difficult time a little more manageable. Whether you’re looking up a notice, preparing to write one, or piecing together family history, focusing on Atlanta’s local resources—newspapers, funeral homes, faith communities, and public offices—will help you find the information and support you need.