How do I go about looking up a deceased relative? Especially since I know little

Question:

How do I go about looking up a deceased relative? Especially since I know little about him.?

His Name is Peter Caruso born 1917 in Sicily but grew up in Chicago. He was in the service, where he met and married his wife in Clarksville, Tn. They had a son Joseph Caruso but they were divorced about 2 years later. H never drove, spoke with broken english, worked for the same company for 40 years( will have to find out what company)..Lived with his 2 sisters .He died in either late 70's or early 80's..

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I found 2 men by the name of Peter Caruso who were born in 1917. Do you konw what month he was born? Both of these men got there social security numbers from the state of Illinois.
One died in 1984 the other in 1997. Also, both of these men died in the State of Illinois. You can order a copy of their application for their Social Security number (I think it costs about $27.) This may give you more personal information about him (or them).
Also, I would find out the names of both newspapers from the towns or cities in which they died. Then contact the library and have them look up the obituary on Microfilm. Usually these are 2 or 3 days after the death date. Volunteers do this and it is free, especially if they can E-mail you a copy vs snail mail.
Some news papers will make you pay for a copy of the obituary, but almost all local libraries put them on microfilm so DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! If he worked for the same company for 40 years you can surely bet he had an obiturary and many friends who would have been interested in his funeral arrangements. Another helpful hint.....Have the library look up his name in the Polk directory for the mid 60s and see what it says. If I can help in any way just let me know and I'll see what I can do.