Find Obituary Records in Valdez

Valdez obituary records and death notices are available through several distinct sources, from local newspapers covering recent years to digitized historical collections that go back to 1871. If you need to find a death notice or look up a death record for someone who lived or died in Valdez, this page covers the Copper River Record's obituary archive, the Valdez Vanguard, FamilySearch historical collections, the Valdez Museum and Historical Archive, and the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics. The sources described here cover Valdez deaths across more than 150 years.

Valdez Obituaries in the Copper River Record

The Copper River Record publishes obituaries for Valdez and the surrounding Copper River Basin area. The paper covers death notices submitted by families and provides the most consistent current source for Valdez-area obituary records. For anyone who has died in Valdez in recent years, the Copper River Record is the right place to start.

Recent examples from the Copper River Record include Christopher James Miner, who was 66 years old and passed away December 31, 2025, in Valdez with his best friend and love of his life, Robin James, by his side. Entries like this reflect the personal detail that local papers capture, detail that official death certificates do not include. For recent deaths, the paper's online archive is free to search by name.

The Valdez Vanguard is a second local outlet that has published Valdez obituaries over the years. If you cannot find a death notice in the Copper River Record, it is worth checking the Vanguard as well. Some families choose one outlet over the other, and coverage gaps in one paper may be filled by the other.

Note: The Alaska State Library's statewide newspaper index covers several historical Alaska papers and is worth checking when you know roughly when someone died but need to identify which publication ran the obituary.

FamilySearch Valdez Death Records

FamilySearch holds two digitized collections with direct relevance to Valdez death research. The Valdez Birth, Marriage, and Death Records collection spans from 1871 and 1904 to 1960. The 1871 entry reflects early American presence in the area before the city was formally established. The bulk of the collection covers 1904 to 1960, which aligns with the city's founding as a port during the Klondike Gold Rush era and extends through the territorial period into early statehood.

The Valdez-Cordova Census Area Death Index is a second FamilySearch resource covering a broader geographic area that includes Valdez. This index can help identify deaths in the region even when you are not certain the person died within Valdez city limits. Both collections are free to search at FamilySearch.org, and many of the records are fully digitized so you can view the original document without a visit to an archive.

For deaths after 1962, the Social Security Death Index on FamilySearch and Ancestry can fill part of the gap between the historical collection and modern newspaper obituaries. The SSDI confirms death dates and last known addresses for Valdez residents who had Social Security numbers and is often the fastest way to verify basic death information when no newspaper obituary is available.

Valdez Museum and Historical Archive

The Valdez Museum and Historical Archive maintains historical records and photographs from across the city's history. The museum's holdings include materials from the Gold Rush-era town site, the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and subsequent city relocation, and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill period. For genealogical and obituary research, the museum can be a source for historical death-related records that fall outside the formal vital statistics system.

Because Valdez was relocated after the 1964 earthquake, some early records related to the original townsite may be held at the museum rather than through standard county or state filing systems. If you are researching a death in Valdez prior to 1964 and cannot find the record through FamilySearch or the state archives, the museum's archive staff may be able to help identify the correct record series.

The Alaska State Archives also holds records related to Valdez from the territorial era, including court and administrative files that can name individuals who died in or near the city before formal death certificate registration was in place.

Valdez Death Certificates

Death certificates for Valdez residents are issued by the Alaska Bureau of Vital Statistics under AS 18.50. The first certified copy costs $30. Each additional copy ordered at the same time is $25. You can order through the state's online portal at health.alaska.gov, by mail, or in person at the state offices in Juneau or Anchorage.

AS 18.50 limits access to death certificates based on your relationship to the deceased. Immediate family members, legal representatives, and others who can show a direct and tangible interest are eligible to receive copies. The full cause of death is included on authorized copies but may be restricted on uncertified copies. Records become public after 50 years, so any Valdez death before 1975 can now be requested by anyone without proving a family relationship.

The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records page includes Alaska's current vital records office address and contact details. This is useful if you are out of state and want to confirm where to send a mail-in request before mailing anything.

State Archives and Probate Records

The Alaska State Archives holds materials from the Valdez-Cordova area going back to the territorial period. The probate records guide explains how to access estate filings, which often include the date of death, the names of surviving family members, and information about the deceased's property. Probate records from this era can fill gaps when no death certificate or newspaper obituary exists.

For deaths in the Chugach Census Area outside Valdez city limits, the state archives and FamilySearch may be the primary sources available. The Alaska State Library's newspaper index can also help identify whether any regional publications covered a specific death. Taken together, the archives, FamilySearch, and the newspaper index give reasonable coverage for Valdez-area deaths from 1871 through the modern era.

Note: Pre-1975 Valdez records are now fully public under Alaska's 50-year rule. If you are researching an older death, you do not need to establish a family relationship to access the death certificate.

Chugach Census Area

Valdez is part of the Chugach Census Area. Other communities in the census area do not reach the population threshold for city pages. For area-wide obituary resources, see the Chugach Census Area page.