Deceased contact

Jaybird180

Final Approach
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Jaybird180
I'm leaving work in a few minutes to witness the burial of my uncle. He occupies space in several of my contact lists with information that I might need later attached to his contact. I don't want to delete the contact, but I no longer need to have him in my iPhone or email cache.

What is a good way to save the contact for later?

I have the same problem for a few other contacts that are deceased and need a suggested solution. It was simpler when I had a Windows phone and synced with Outlook exclusively.

He will be missed.
 
I'm leaving work in a few minutes to witness the burial of my uncle. He occupies space in several of my contact lists with information that I might need later attached to his contact. I don't want to delete the contact, but I no longer need to have him in my iPhone or email cache.

What is a good way to save the contact for later?

I have the same problem for a few other contacts that are deceased and need a suggested solution. It was simpler when I had a Windows phone and synced with Outlook exclusively.

He will be missed.
I think that if it were me, I would just take the information and paste it into a word document somewhere, then delete it out. If you have others you could create a file for them. Or even maybe a spread sheet if you want to access the information that way. That just seems the easiest.
 
I think that if it were me, I would just take the information and paste it into a word document somewhere, then delete it out. If you have others you could create a file for them. Or even maybe a spread sheet if you want to access the information that way. That just seems the easiest.

Exactly what I was thinking.
 
I used to set up a group of phone numbers called, "Not Synced", and added contacts to that group list when they died or I didn't need to maintain constant contact with them for some reason. Then I set itunes not sync that group of numbers on my phone. I use android now and do the same thing in gmail contacts. The contacts were still in my address book on my pc, but didn't show up in my address book on my phone.

http://www.ehow.com/how_10023880_hide-contacts-iphone.html
 
Does no one keep a real address book anymore?
 
I still have a contact to whom I was quite close, who died almost ten years ago. I still can't bring myself to delete her.

I guess I have a sentimental side...

-Rich
 
I just wouldn't delete it. It's not like contact info takes a significant amount of data storage or time to sync.
 
You can add fields to your contact that you can name anything - like 'Uncle's Joe' Info" and put it all in there -

you can make your contact list as long as you want - or - you create a 'Deceased Contact Info" contact -

then you can delete the names without the info . . .
 
When someone dies I leave them in my contact for six weeks. If, after six weeks I don't hear from them again, I delete them. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, electrons to electrons.

As far as useful data that I need to store in the event I need it later...I email it to myself and create a gmail folder for it. I can always search for it later if I need it.
 
When someone dies I leave them in my contact for six weeks. If, after six weeks I don't hear from them again, I delete them. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, electrons to electrons.

As far as useful data that I need to store in the event I need it later...I email it to myself and create a gmail folder for it. I can always search for it later if I need it.

This post yields a number of uncomfortable questions, the first of which is, if they are dead, how will you hear from them?
 
This post yields a number of uncomfortable questions, the first of which is, if they are dead, how will you hear from them?

That's actually a cleaned up version of one of the bits Carlin used to do.
 
When someone dies I leave them in my contact for six weeks. If, after six weeks I don't hear from them again, I delete them. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, electrons to electrons.

As far as useful data that I need to store in the event I need it later...I email it to myself and create a gmail folder for it. I can always search for it later if I need it.

That;s a great idea. Email yourself the contact card, then delete it from your address book. If you need it later, it's in your email archive.
 
I will say that in this day and age, my deceased grandmother's home phone (passed about 10 yrs ago) is one of the few I know. Other than that, wife, wife's folks house, my folks, and about 3 of my best childhood friends. I guess all of those were burned into my brain before any of us really relied on cell phones. Random tangent, which has really no bearing on your question. I'd just write them down somewhere, or just keep them in your phone. Sorry for your loss........my uncle passed a couple years ago after basically drinking himself to death in his condo while living a hermit lifestyle, and of all people, my wife and my mom ended up cleaning the blood stains off his carpet as I was flying on a ship somewhere in the ocean at the time. Sucks
 
Email the contact info to yourself. If you ever need it you can search for it.
 
I guess I am a little confused - why is it that you don't want to just leave the contact in the phone book?
 
I will say that in this day and age, my deceased grandmother's home phone (passed about 10 yrs ago) is one of the few I know. Other than that, wife, wife's folks house, my folks, and about 3 of my best childhood friends. I guess all of those were burned into my brain before any of us really relied on cell phones. Random tangent, which has really no bearing on your question. I'd just write them down somewhere, or just keep them in your phone. Sorry for your loss........my uncle passed a couple years ago after basically drinking himself to death in his condo while living a hermit lifestyle, and of all people, my wife and my mom ended up cleaning the blood stains off his carpet as I was flying on a ship somewhere in the ocean at the time. Sucks
Thank you.
I guess I am a little confused - why is it that you don't want to just leave the contact in the phone book?
Life goes on. I don't need to call or email him anymore nor do I wish to do so by errant key press. Eventually, somone else will get his phone number. Eventually, someone will get my grandmother's phone number too, she had that number since 1978 when she bought her last and final house and is one of the few numbers I know and will probably never forget. She died 8mos ago.
 
Thank you.

Life goes on. I don't need to call or email him anymore nor do I wish to do so by errant key press. Eventually, somone else will get his phone number. Eventually, someone will get my grandmother's phone number too, she had that number since 1978 when she bought her last and final house and is one of the few numbers I know and will probably never forget. She died 8mos ago.

Fair enough.

My contact management system has a "archive" category to which an active contacts, matters, etc. can be assigned. Once archived, contacts are invisible unless you go searching the archive, itself. Although out of sight, the archived contacts remain linked to other record types, such as matters, e-mails, phone calls and events. Very handy.

---

Off topic, but when I decided to sign up for Google voice, and looked on the list of available phone numbers, I was able to get the telephone number which was the original phone number at my parents home, which they purchased in 1962. The prefix of that telephone exchange was changed in around 1966 or so, to a number which my sister still has, living at the same house (both my parents have flown west), but the true original number is mine now. I kind of like that.
 
I have a number of dead people in my phone. Doesn't really bother me, and sometimes makes for a nice reminder to either a) stop and smell the roses or b) get some stuff done, time is short.
 
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