NEWS / Illinois County Clerk dies; Cook County temporarily suspends issuing vital records

The County Clerk of Cook County, Illinois, Karen Yarbrough, has tragically passed away, resulting in delays and suspensions in the issuance of certified copies of vital records, including birth, death, and marriage certificates.

Yarbrough had been serving as Cook County Clerk since 2018, having been elected in the same year and re-elected in 2022. Prior to 2018, she served as Cook County Recorder of Deeds and Assistant Majority Leader in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Yarborough died on April 6, days after being hospitalized for an undisclosed “serious medical condition”. A memorial service was held for Yarbrough in Chicago on April 15. A spokesperson for the County Clerk’s office was quoted by NBC Chicago last week as stating that the office was “temporarily unable to provide paper copies of birth, death and marriage certificates.”

The spokesperson explained that the suspension was necessary in order to remove Yarbrough’s name from certified copies of all birth, marriage, and death certificates issued by the County Clerk.

In addition to the production of certified copies of vital records, the Cook County Clerk also manages suburban elections in the Chicago area; handles economic disclosure, campaign finance filings; and provides real-estate tax and other services to residents of the county.

According to the Census Bureau, Cook County is the most populous county in Illinois.

A&M Logos International is saddened to learn about the passing of Ms. Karen Yarbrough with whom we worked to retrieve certified copies of vital records as quickly and efficiently possible. We will continue monitoring the situation and will continue to provide birth, marriage, and death certificate retrieval and legalization (apostille or authentication) services for the vast majority of jurisdictions in the United States.