Comanche County Obituary Search
Comanche County obituary records help you find death notices, funeral details, and burial information for people from Lawton and the surrounding area. The county was formed in 1901 and is home to Fort Sill, which gives it a unique mix of civilian and military death records. You can search for Comanche County obituary information through the county clerk, the court clerk, the Lawton Public Library, and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Local newspaper archives and genealogy databases hold additional death notices for Comanche County residents going back over a century.
Comanche County Overview
Comanche County Death Record Offices
The Comanche County Clerk's Office is at 315 SW 5th St., Lawton, OK 73501. You can reach them at (580) 355-5214. Hours run 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. The clerk keeps land records, deeds, mortgages, and other county documents. Probate files at this office often show dates of death and list survivors, which ties directly into obituary research. Military discharge records (DD-214s) are also filed here, and those are relevant for families researching the death of a military service member.
Comanche County's connection to Fort Sill means many residents had military backgrounds. Deaths of active-duty soldiers and military retirees may have records both at the county level and through military channels. If you are looking for an obituary for someone tied to Fort Sill, check both civilian and military record sources.
Obituary Records in Comanche County Courts
The Comanche County Court Clerk holds all court records at the courthouse in Lawton. Marriage records go back to 1901. The office also keeps divorce records, probate filings, and civil and criminal case files. Probate cases are the strongest court source for death information. They list when the person died, who their heirs are, and sometimes include funeral costs and burial details.
The Oklahoma State Courts Network gives you free access to Comanche County court records online. Search by party name, case number, or date range. The system has millions of cases from across the state. For Comanche County, probate and estate filings are the most relevant to obituary research. OSCN is updated regularly, though brand-new filings may take a day or two to show up in the system.
Note: Comanche County probate cases on OSCN may include information about funeral home arrangements and burial locations.
Library and Museum Obituary Resources
The Lawton Public Library maintains the largest book collection of Oklahoma genealogies in the state. The library holds periodicals, maps, biographies, family folders, and statewide indexes. They provide access to Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, and other genealogy databases. For Comanche County obituary research, the library's newspaper archives and local history collection are especially useful. Lawton newspapers published detailed death notices and obituaries for decades, and the library keeps copies on file.
The Museum of the Great Plains at 601 Ferris, Lawton, OK 73507 also supports genealogy research. Call them at (580) 581-3460. The museum archives include historical photographs, manuscripts, and documents from Comanche County and southwest Oklahoma. Their reference library has materials on local history and genealogy that can help fill gaps in obituary records. The museum's collection covers Lawton from its founding in 1901 through the present day.
How to Get Comanche County Death Certificates
Certified death certificates for Comanche County are issued by the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The office is at 1000 NE 10th Street, Room 117, Oklahoma City, OK 73117. Mail requests go to PO Box 53551, Oklahoma City, OK 73152. Each copy costs $15. Title 63, Section 1-323 of Oklahoma statutes says death records are restricted for 50 years. After that, they become open records that anyone can request.
Oklahoma started registering deaths in October 1908. Comanche County records from 1901 to 1908 may exist in county court files but not in state health department records. Mandatory filing did not begin until 1917, so early records can have gaps. The OK2Explore index is a free way to verify a Comanche County death record before paying for a certificate. It covers deaths from more than five years ago.
You can order online through VitalChek. They add a service fee but accept credit cards. The Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma guide explains the full application process and lists acceptable forms of identification.
Comanche County Newspaper Obituaries
The Gateway to Oklahoma History has digitized Comanche County newspapers. Search by name, date, or keyword for free. Lawton's newspapers published detailed obituaries, especially for military families and long-time residents. The collection covers papers from the 1840s through the 1920s, with more pages being added as the Oklahoma Historical Society digitizes its microfilm collection.
The OHS Research Center in Oklahoma City has Comanche County papers on microfilm as part of their collection of 4,400 newspaper titles. In-person visitors get free access to Ancestry Library Edition, Newspapers.com, Fold3, and HeritageQuest. The OHS also keeps the Obituaries Listed in the Oklahoman database for 1972 to 2009, which may include some Comanche County deaths that were reported in the state's largest paper.
Comanche County Obituary Images
The OSCN search page for Comanche County is shown below.
Search this free tool by name or case number to find Comanche County probate and estate records that contain death dates and heir information.
The Museum of the Great Plains website offers research resources for Comanche County genealogy.
The museum in Lawton holds historical documents and photographs that support obituary and death record research in Comanche County.
Below is a screenshot of the Lawton Public Library website, which provides genealogy database access.
The Lawton Public Library has the largest Oklahoma genealogy book collection in the state and provides access to Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest for obituary research.
Cities in Comanche County
Lawton is the major city in Comanche County and has its own obituary records page:
Nearby Counties
Check these neighboring counties for related obituary records: