Find Yuma Obituary Records

Yuma obituary records help families learn about loved ones who have passed and trace their roots in this corner of Arizona. The city sits in Yuma County, right on the border with California and Mexico. Since Yuma is the county seat, the death certificate office is just a short drive from most parts of town. You can find obituaries in the Yuma Sun newspaper, which has printed death notices for over a century. The Yuma County Library has an Arizona Room with newspapers on microfilm going back to 1872. This makes Yuma one of the best places in the state for family history research. Whether you want a certified death certificate or need to find an old obituary, this guide will show you how to get the records you need.

Yuma County Library Arizona Room

The Yuma County Library District Arizona Room is the best place in town for obituary research. This special section of the library focuses on Yuma and the surrounding area. Staff there know the local records well and can help you find what you need.

The Arizona Room holds Yuma newspapers on microfilm from 1872 to 2011. This is a huge span of time. The Yuma Daily Sun collection runs from January 1935 to July 2001. Older papers go back even further, covering the early days when Yuma was a frontier town. If you want to find an obituary from decades ago, the microfilm is your best bet. Staff will show you how to use the readers and help you locate the right dates and pages.

The collection also includes city directories, photographs, and maps that can help with family research. You might find out where an ancestor lived or worked in Yuma. These details add color to what you learn from obituaries and death records.

Yuma Library Genealogy Databases

Beyond the microfilm, the Yuma County Library gives you access to powerful online genealogy tools. The library genealogy page lists everything they offer. You need to visit the library to use some of these databases for free.

Ancestry Library Edition is available for in-library use only. You cannot access it from home through the library. But you can sit at a library computer and search for free. This tool has millions of records, including death indexes, cemetery lists, and old newspapers from across the country. Many Yuma residents have roots in other states, and Ancestry can help you trace those connections.

HeritageHub is another database the library provides. It holds a large collection of U.S. obituaries and death notices for genealogy research. The records date from 1704 to today. That is over 300 years of obituary data. You can search by name, date, and location. This tool is useful when you know a name but not when or where someone died. A quick search might turn up the Yuma obituary you have been looking for.

Note: Library database access requires a valid library card from the Yuma County Library District.

Yuma Sun Obituary Archives

The Yuma Sun is the main newspaper for the city and county. It has been the paper of record for this area for well over a century. Families in Yuma often publish obituaries in the Sun when a loved one dies.

The Yuma Sun online archive has more than 30,000 obituary records. The digital collection goes back to 2002. You can search by name and find recent obituaries quickly. Many entries include photos, life stories, and details about memorial services. This is often the fastest way to find info about someone who died in Yuma in the past two decades. The site is easy to use. Type in a name and see what comes up.

For obituaries older than 2002, you need to check the microfilm at the library. The newspaper website does not go back that far. But the library has the paper on microfilm starting in 1935, and even older Yuma papers going back to 1872. So between the two sources, you can search a wide range of dates.

Keep in mind that not everyone gets an obituary. Families choose whether to publish one. Some people pass away with no notice in the paper at all. In those cases, you may need to look at death certificates or other records instead.

Yuma Death Certificates

Yuma residents get death certificates from Yuma County, not from any city office. Since Yuma is the county seat, the vital records office is right in town. This is convenient. You do not have to drive to another city to get the records you need.

The Yuma County Office of Vital Statistics handles death certificates. The office is at 2200 W 28th Street, Room 256, Yuma, AZ 85364. Call them at (928) 317-4530. The fax is (928) 317-4678. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. They close on weekends and state holidays.

A certified death certificate costs $20. Amendments cost $30. The office does not take personal checks. Pay with cash, money order, cashier's check, or a debit or credit card. In-person requests take about 7 business days to process. Mail requests take 10 to 15 business days after the office gets your paperwork.

Who Can Request Yuma Death Records

Arizona is a closed record state. Death certificates are not open to everyone. You must prove you have a right to the record before the county will give you a certified copy. The rules are strict, but they protect the privacy of families.

People who can request a death certificate in Yuma include:

• Spouse of the deceased
• Parents and adult children
• Grandparents and grandchildren
• Brothers and sisters
• Funeral directors who served the family
• People with power of attorney
• Executors or beneficiaries of the estate

You must show a valid photo ID when you request a death certificate. A driver's license, state ID, or passport works. The ID must be current. Expired IDs are not accepted. If staff ask, bring proof of your relationship to the deceased. A birth certificate, marriage certificate, or legal document that shows the link will do.

How to Get a Yuma Death Certificate

You have three ways to get a death certificate if someone died in Yuma. You can go in person, mail your request, or order online. Each method works, but the time and cost vary.

For in-person requests, go to the Yuma County Vital Statistics office on West 28th Street. Fill out an application. Show your photo ID. Pay the $20 fee. Staff will process your request within 7 business days. This is not same-day service, but it is faster than mail.

To mail your request, send a letter or application with the name of the deceased, date of death, and place of death. Include a copy of your photo ID and your relationship to the person. Make a money order or cashier's check for $20 payable to Yuma County Health District. Mail to Yuma County Office of Vital Statistics, 2200 W 28th Street, Room 256, Yuma, AZ 85364. Processing takes 10 to 15 business days after they get everything.

Online ordering goes through VitalChek, the state's approved vendor. You pay the $20 certificate fee plus a service charge. VitalChek has different shipping speeds. The site walks you through the steps.

Note: VitalChek adds fees on top of the $20 certificate cost for processing and delivery.

Historical Yuma Death Records

If you are looking for death records that are 50 years old or more, you have an easier path. Arizona law under A.R.S. 36-351(B) opens death certificates to the public after 50 years. You do not need to prove a relationship. Anyone can view these older records.

The Arizona Genealogy Database has non-certified copies of historic death certificates. The collection covers deaths from 1870 to 1970. Search by name and view scanned images of the original certificates. This is free. The records show cause of death, place of death, and other details useful for family research.

These non-certified copies work for genealogy, but not for legal purposes. You cannot use them to settle an estate or file an insurance claim. If you need a certified copy of an old death record, you still have to go through the county office and meet the eligibility rules that apply to newer records.

Arizona State Obituary Resources

Beyond local Yuma sources, the state of Arizona has resources that can help with obituary and death record searches. The Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records in Phoenix can issue death certificates for any Arizona death. The state has had records since 1909. Some abstracts go back even further to territorial days.

The Arizona Memory Project is a digital archive run by the state library. It holds photos, documents, newspapers, and other primary sources from Arizona history. The collection starts in 1859 and has about 90,000 images. You may find obituaries in the old newspaper collections. Many Yuma papers are included.

The Arizona State Library newspaper collection has over two million pages on microfilm. Staff will do free obituary lookups if you give them the name, newspaper title, and exact date of death. This service can save you a trip if you know the details.

Yuma County Obituary Records

All death certificates for Yuma city residents come from Yuma County. The city does not keep vital records. This is true across Arizona. Cities do not handle birth or death certificates. The county health office takes care of those.

For more info about Yuma County death records, eligibility rules, and other resources, see our Yuma County obituary page. That page has details on all the offices and archives in the county. It also covers smaller towns in Yuma County that are not big enough to have their own pages.

Nearby Arizona Cities

Yuma is the largest city in this part of Arizona. It is also one of the most isolated, sitting far from the other major population centers in the state. The nearest big city is Phoenix, about 180 miles to the northeast in Maricopa County.

If you are researching a family that moved around, you may need to check records in other cities too. People sometimes die in a different city than where they lived. They may have gone to a hospital in another area. Or they may have retired somewhere else late in life. Check the Phoenix obituary page if your search leads there. For research in other parts of Arizona, see our cities page for a full list of major cities with obituary resources.