Barry County MO GenWeb
Obituaries
Page Updated: Sept. 3, 2024
What is an obituary?
An obituary (obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person.[Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. According to Nigel Farndale, the Obituaries Editor of The Times: "Obits should be life affirming rather than gloomy, but they should also be opinionated, leaving the reader with a strong sense of whether the subject lived a good life or bad; whether they were right or wrong in the handling of their public affairs."
In local newspapers, an obituary may be published for any local resident upon death. A necrology is a register or list of records of the deaths of people related to a particular organization, group or field, which may only contain the sparsest details, or small obituaries. Historical necrologies can be important sources of information.
Two types of paid advertisements are related to obituaries. One, known as a death notice, usually appears in the Births, Marriages and Deaths (BMD) section of a paper and omits most biographical details and may be a legally required public notice under some circumstances. The other type, a paid memorial advertisement, is usually written by family members or friends, perhaps with assistance from a funeral home.Both types of paid advertisements are usually run as classified advertisements.
If you would like to contribute Barry County obituaries,
please contact the County Coordinator, Phyllis Long.
Below is a link to all surnames found in obituaries posted to the Barry County GenWeb site. Click the letter that matches the surname you are looking for to view an index for that letter.