OT: Death Etiquette

What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
up and dies on you?

Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
about it?

He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
plug just a few months ago, FWIW.

Thanks,
Rich

On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:07:43 GMT, Rich Grise <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>up and dies on you?
>
>Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>about it?
>
>He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
>plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>
>Thanks,
>Rich
>
Seems that enough time has passed for you to politely call and ask if
she's come across the book which (I assume) has some importance.
Certainly preface the conversation asking how she's been doing. Then
you can say that you just came across something that triggered the
whereabouts of the volume. I ran into something similar when a
neighbor's wife gave me an item after her husband passed away, but
forgot to include a vital component. I waited a few months and then
politely asked about it. She looked, but never did locate it. It
wasn't awkward at all because of the passage of time.

On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:07:43 GMT, Rich Grise <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>up and dies on you?
>
>Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>about it?
>
>He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
>plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>
>Thanks,
>Rich


Hunt the book up in pdf form on the net and be done with it.

If it was on temporary loan, a polite request would be understandable.

What are you posting here for, anyway? This is why they make that Dear Abby
column. ;-)

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

"Rich Grise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...
> What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
> up and dies on you?
>
> Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
> about it?
>
> He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
> plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>
> Thanks,
> Rich
>

Rich Grise wrote:
> What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
> up and dies on you?
>
> Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
> about it?
>
> He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
> plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>
> Thanks,
> Rich
>

If it was "101 Ways to Commit Suicide" it would be in bad taste.

--
Dirk

http://www.transcendence.me.uk/ - Transcendence UK
http://www.theconsensus.org/ - A UK political party
http://www.onetribe.me.uk/wordpress/?cat=5 - Our podcasts on weird stuff

On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:07:43 GMT, Rich Grise <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>up and dies on you?
>
>Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>about it?
>
>He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
>plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>
>Thanks,
>Rich

Well, you had that year to ask... <g> if the book is valuable, you
could drop a polite note to her, with your condolences, explaining the
book's value (to you).

Personally, unless it was a valuable book, I'd just write it off.
Perhaps in six months, or a year, you could bring it up if you know
her.

PeterD <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

> On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:07:43 GMT, Rich Grise <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>>up and dies on you?
>>
>>Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>>about it?
>>
>>He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
>>plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Rich
>
> Well, you had that year to ask... <g> if the book is valuable, you
> could drop a polite note to her, with your condolences, explaining the
> book's value (to you).
>
> Personally, unless it was a valuable book, I'd just write it off.
> Perhaps in six months, or a year, you could bring it up if you know
> her.
>
>

And hope she didn't toss out or sell off his book collection.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

On 3 Jul 2009 16:45:45 GMT, Jim Yanik <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>PeterD <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
>news:(E-Mail Removed) :
>
>> On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:07:43 GMT, Rich Grise <(E-Mail Removed)>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>>>up and dies on you?
>>>
>>>Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>>>about it?
>>>
>>>He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
>>>plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>>>
>>>Thanks,
>>>Rich
>>
>> Well, you had that year to ask... <g> if the book is valuable, you
>> could drop a polite note to her, with your condolences, explaining the
>> book's value (to you).
>>
>> Personally, unless it was a valuable book, I'd just write it off.
>> Perhaps in six months, or a year, you could bring it up if you know
>> her.
>>
>>
>
>And hope she didn't toss out or sell off his book collection.

Sadly, that usually doesn't happen, they seem to keep everything the
spouse had--I think because they hope and wish he/she will come back
someday.

I remember one widow who kept her husbands work boots beside the door
where he last left them for over a year...

On Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:14:21 -0400, PeterD <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>On 3 Jul 2009 16:45:45 GMT, Jim Yanik <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>PeterD <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
>>news:(E-Mail Removed) m:
>>
>>> On Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:07:43 GMT, Rich Grise <(E-Mail Removed)>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>>>>up and dies on you?
>>>>
>>>>Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>>>>about it?
>>>>
>>>>He was in a coma, flatlined, for over a year; they pulled the
>>>>plug just a few months ago, FWIW.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks,
>>>>Rich
>>>
>>> Well, you had that year to ask... <g> if the book is valuable, you
>>> could drop a polite note to her, with your condolences, explaining the
>>> book's value (to you).
>>>
>>> Personally, unless it was a valuable book, I'd just write it off.
>>> Perhaps in six months, or a year, you could bring it up if you know
>>> her.
>>>
>>>
>>
>>And hope she didn't toss out or sell off his book collection.
>
>Sadly, that usually doesn't happen, they seem to keep everything the
>spouse had--I think because they hope and wish he/she will come back
>someday.
>
>I remember one widow who kept her husbands work boots beside the door
>where he last left them for over a year...

I picked up so old mechanical engineering texts because the widow put
them out on a table in her driveway with a "Free" sign.

If the widow is a babe, you can always try "consoling" her ;-)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I like my old UNCLE SAM better than my new BIG BROTHER

On Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:31:54 -0400, "Michael A. Terrell"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>"Paul Hovnanian P.E." wrote:
>>
>> Rich Grise wrote:
>>
>> > What do you do when you lend a book to a client, and the client
>> > up and dies on you?
>> >
>> > Would it be in terribly bad taste to call his widow and ask her
>> > about it?
>>
>> I don't know. I've still got to get my oven mitt back from Michael Jackson.
>
>
> How about those gloves you loand O.J.?


Depends on what day the loan was made.