The Mesa AZ FamilySearch Library has been indexing a variety of newspaper obituaries for Arizona and provides a database to be searched from their website. The search enables you to search by name for an obituary and allows last name only searches or last name with given. For the most part, these obituaries seem to be from mid 1980’s through the present date. I did find, while searching for Partridge, an index to an 1899 obituary for a William Partridge, but the paper is not given, making it more of a death record then that of an obituary.
Once users have located the obituary they’re looking for, they will need to locate a copy of the paper. Since these are recent obituaries, many local libraries in Arizona will likely have a copy of the paper on file, or a microfilm of the paper. The website provided a convenient way to obtain a copy of any of the Arizona Republic Newspaper obituaries but at a steep $15 per obituary search and at the present time, the form they linked to is no longer online. Regardless there should be cheaper methods for obtaining the obituary if needed.