Where can i find an obit.for a person if i dont know the year they died?

Question

need to find elmer g.rayl. worked for cooper tire .last known address was beaver d**n, ohio

Answer 1

You can get the date of death from the death certificate.

Please clarify some information. What was the person's surname? Gray? Ray? What is the L in the surname?

Do you have even a guess when this person died? The decade even?

Was the town actually Beaver Dam Station?

Answer 2

Google "Obituary Index" and look at the first 20 or so. There are many. They have indexes by name.

If you don't find him, go to "Beaver d**n, Ohio", get the microfilm roll for the newspaper for the last year you know he was alive, read the first date, look for "Obituaries" in the table of contents, go to that page. Repeat with the next date until you find him or finish all of the dates on the roll of microfilm. Get the next roll. Repeat. If you get to the current date and he isn't there, try a different city.

I can read 7 - 10 days worth of microfilm before I get so seasick I have to stop for the day. Your results may vary.

All in all, it would make sense to find a death record somewhere before you try for an obit, but you asked how to find an obit without a death date and I told you. Figure about three months of reading microfilm in "Beaver d**n", with no guarantee of success.

BTW, beavers don't curse, ("d**n!") but they do build dams.

Answer 3

I believe that he died on January 4, 2007.    I did find his obituary in The Courier on January 5.  Here is the obituary.

Elmer G. Rayl

ELIDA -- Elmer G. Rayl, 75, of Elida, died at 1:50 a.m. Thursday, January 4, 2007 at St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima.

Elmer was born on December 25, 1931 in Orange Township, Hancock County, Ohio to Roy L. and Bessie E. (Slusser) Rayl, and they are both deceased. He married Daisybelle Van d**e on December 18, 1953, and she died on November 11, 2002.

Surviving are a son, Adam H. (Tina) Rayl, Elida; a daughter, Connie (Roger) Hoffer, Bluffton; a half sister, Velma Krist; 7 grandchildren, Brittany, Roy, Tyler, Bethany, Amber, Adrianna and Zachary; 3 great-grandchildren, Malaki, Alexis and Holley.

Elmer retired in 1978 after 30 years of employment at Cooper Tire Company. He was an inside millman.

Elmer attended County Line Church of the Brethren. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and woodworking. He was a member of the National Guard; Bluffton Lodge #432 of the Free and Accepted Masons.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 6, 2007 at Chiles-Laman Funeral Homes, Wayne St. Chapel, the Rev. David Thompson officiating. Burial will be in Hassan Cemetery, Bluffton.

Visitation will be held from 4-8:00 p.m. Friday, January 5, 2007 at Chiles-Laman Funeral Homes, Wayne St. Chapel.

Condolences may be expressed through our website at: www.chiles-lamanfh.com.

I hope this helps.

EDIT  a picture of his tombstone appears on Find a Grave.   Here is the link

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi...

Answer 4

That name (as you give it) does not show up in the social security death index, which includes deaths from about 1960ish. This means.. you may have the first name incorrect from what is on the death record; he might have died somewhere other than Ohio; he might have died before the ssdi was computerized.

Are you certain he actually IS dead?