Abstract: This is a system for disseminating obituaries by a depository that monitors reports of death and selectively transmits some of them to persons who have contracted beforehand with the depository to be notified of certain deaths when report of them is received. The depository creates a database of persons whose deaths are to be reported to customers and a database of customers who are to have certain deaths reported to them. The customer specifies the method of communication and the address to which the death notice is to be sent. The depository monitors all reports of death arising in a domain predetermined in an agreement with the customer and compares data identifying the reported deceased with data identifying the awaited deceased selected by customers. When there is a match the depository transmits a notice of death to the customer at the address and in the manner specified.