Search Gila County Obituary Records

Gila County obituary records help families find death information for loved ones who passed in this rural part of Arizona. The county seat is Globe. Most vital records requests go through the Gila County Health Department. Since this is a closed record state, you need to prove you are eligible to get a certified death certificate. Obituaries from the Payson Roundup newspaper cover many Gila County deaths. You can also search older records through the state genealogy database if the death was more than 50 years ago. This page explains where to look for Gila County obituary records and how to request death certificates from the county.

Gila County Vital Records Office

The Gila County Health Department handles vital records for the county. Death certificates are available here. You can get copies for deaths that happened in Gila County or anywhere in Arizona. The office is located in Globe, the county seat.

Arizona is a closed record state. This means vital records are not public records. The Gila County vital records page explains the rules clearly. You must meet state eligibility requirements to get a certified copy. The law protects the privacy of the deceased and their family. Not just anyone can walk in and request a death certificate.

Arizona Administrative Codes R9-19-314 and R9-19-315 spell out who can apply for and receive a death certificate. The list includes spouses, parents, adult children, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings. Legal representatives like attorneys can request copies too. Insurance companies and funeral directors also qualify. If you are not on the list, you cannot get a certified copy of a recent death record in Gila County.

A certified copy costs $20. Corrections to a death certificate cost $30. The county accepts money orders and cashier's checks. Some offices take credit cards, but call ahead to confirm. Personal checks are usually not accepted at vital records offices in Arizona.

Gila County Death Records and Privacy

Many people are surprised to learn Arizona does not allow public access to recent death records. The state legislature made this choice to protect families. When someone dies, their death certificate contains private information. This includes the cause of death, social security number, and other details. The law says only certain people can see this.

If you need a Gila County death certificate for genealogy or history research, there is good news. Death records become open to the public after 50 years. Arizona law under A.R.S. 36-324 allows this. Records from 1870 to 1974 are now available through the state genealogy database. You can search these old Gila County death records for free online. The database has non-certified copies that work fine for family tree research.

For non-certified copies of deaths from 1800 to 1974, go to the Arizona Genealogy website. The search is simple. Just enter the name and approximate year of death.

Gila County Medical Examiner Services

Since July 2020, Gila County has partnered with the Pinal County Medical Examiner's Office. This was a major change. Before this, Gila County had its own arrangement for death investigations. Now, when someone dies under certain circumstances in Gila County, the Pinal County ME handles the case.

Medical examiners investigate deaths that happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or under suspicious conditions. They also handle deaths where no doctor was treating the person. Deaths in jail or prison go to the medical examiner too. Under A.R.S. 11-593, certain deaths must be reported to the medical examiner by law.

If a loved one died in Gila County and the medical examiner was involved, the Pinal County ME office handles the paperwork. They work with funeral homes to complete death certificates. The Pinal County office can be reached at Pinal County Vital Records. Families should contact their funeral home first for help with this process. The funeral director knows how to coordinate with the medical examiner on the death certificate.

Note: The partnership with Pinal County helps smaller counties like Gila provide professional death investigation services without the cost of running a full medical examiner office.

Gila County Obituaries in Local Newspapers

The Payson Roundup is the main newspaper for part of Gila County. Payson is one of the larger towns in the county. The newspaper publishes obituaries for local residents who pass away. Families can submit death notices and full obituaries to the paper. The Payson Roundup obituaries section is available online. You can search recent obituaries there.

Not all Gila County obituaries appear in the Payson Roundup. Some families choose not to publish a newspaper obituary at all. Others might use a Phoenix area paper if they had family there. The Globe area does not have a major daily newspaper anymore. This can make finding older Globe obituaries harder than in larger Arizona counties.

Funeral homes in Gila County often post obituaries on their websites. If you know which funeral home handled services, check their site first. Many families now use online memorial sites like Legacy.com instead of or in addition to newspaper notices. You might find a Gila County obituary on these sites even if it never ran in a local paper.

The Arizona State Library has a large collection of historic newspapers. Their Arizona newspaper research guide explains how to search old papers. Staff will do free obituary lookups if you provide the name, newspaper title, and exact death date.

Historical Gila County Death Records

Gila County has a long history in Arizona. The county was created in 1881 from parts of Maricopa and Pinal counties. Mining towns like Globe and Miami grew quickly. Many people lived and died in this rugged copper mining region. Finding death records from those early days takes some work.

The Arizona Department of Health Services has death records going back to 1909. Before that, record keeping was spotty. Arizona was still a territory until 1912. County offices kept some records, but not all survived. For deaths before 1909, you may need to check other sources. Church records, cemetery records, and old newspaper obituaries can fill gaps. Mining company records sometimes noted worker deaths too.

Here are good sources for historical Gila County obituary research:

• Arizona Genealogy Database for deaths 1870 to 1974
• Arizona Memory Project for digitized historical documents
• Arizona State Archives newspaper collection
• Ancestry.com Arizona death records through 1971
• Local cemetery records in Globe, Payson, and Miami

The Arizona Memory Project has digitized photos and documents from across the state. You can find historical content related to Gila County there. The collection includes about 90,000 images from archives and museums statewide.

How to Request Gila County Death Certificates

You have a few options for getting a death certificate. In-person requests are one choice. Visit the Gila County Health Department in Globe during business hours. Bring your photo ID. Know your relationship to the deceased person. Staff will check if you qualify under Arizona law. If you do, you fill out a form and pay the fee. Most requests are processed the same day or within a few days.

Mail requests are another option. Download the application from the Gila County website. Fill it out completely. Include a copy of your valid government photo ID. The ID cannot be expired, cracked, or taped. Mail the form with your payment to the health department. Processing takes longer by mail, usually one to two weeks.

Online ordering through VitalChek is available statewide. VitalChek is the official online vendor for Arizona vital records. They charge extra service fees on top of the state fee. The cost is higher, but it is convenient. You need to upload a photo of your ID. Expedited shipping options are available for an additional charge.

The state Bureau of Vital Records in Phoenix can also issue Gila County death certificates. Their office is at 150 North 18th Ave., Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85007. The phone number is 602-364-1300. This can be useful if you are closer to Phoenix than Globe.

Note: Always call ahead to confirm hours and accepted payment methods before visiting any vital records office.

Arizona State Death Record Resources

Several state-level resources help with Gila County obituary research. The Arizona Department of Health Services runs the Bureau of Vital Records. This is the main state office for death certificates. They have records from July 1909 to present. They can issue certified copies for any Arizona death if you are eligible.

For genealogy research, the state offers the Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates database. You can search and download non-certified copies of old death records for free. Deaths from 50 years ago and older are in this database. Birth records older than 75 years are there too. These are great for family history work. The records show cause of death, place of death, and other details that help trace your ancestors.

Arizona residents get free access to Ancestry.com through the Arizona State Library. This partnership lets you search Arizona death records on Ancestry at no cost. You need to create an account through the library. In-library access is also available at many public libraries across the state. Ancestry has death records indexed from various Arizona sources through 1971.

The death certificate registration statute explains how Arizona handles death records. Funeral homes must file death certificates within seven days of taking possession of remains. The local registrar then has 72 hours to register the death. This is why it takes a few days after a death before you can get a certificate.

Nearby Arizona Counties

Gila County sits in central eastern Arizona. If you are not sure where someone died, check nearby counties too. Deaths are recorded in the county where the person passed, not where they lived. Someone from Payson might have died at a Phoenix hospital. That death would be in Maricopa County records, not Gila County.

Counties that border Gila County include Navajo County to the north and east, Maricopa County to the west, Pinal County to the south, Graham County to the southeast, and Yavapai County to the northwest. Each has its own vital records office. The same eligibility rules apply in all Arizona counties since they follow state law.

If you cannot find a death record in Gila County, try the neighboring counties. Many people in rural Arizona travel to larger cities for medical care. Check Maricopa County if the person might have been treated at a Phoenix hospital. The Pinal County medical examiner partnership also means some Gila County cases have paperwork in Pinal County.