# A bone-chilling coincidence
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [March 1, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459 "2012-03-01T16:20:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/1 "2012-03-01T16:20:06Z")
Way back when I first was in college (1963), I had an acquaintance. Not quite a friend, just a guy who I was in a few classes with (we had the same major). I haven’t communicated with him in all the years since, but he occasionally crossed my mind.
I just thought of him, and was curious about what became of him. So I googled his name.
He had died in his sleep Tuesday night, and his obituary is in today’s paper.
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### Author:  [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/2 "2012-03-01T16:37:29Z")
What’s the bone chilling part?
Not trying to be flip, but at my age it seems I think of someone from my past frequently and found out they died recently.
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/3 "2012-03-01T17:24:37Z")
> [@Lanzy](#):
>
> What’s the bone chilling part?
Well, it’s a little like hitting a bullet with a bullet isn’t it? OP hadn’t really thought of the guy in 50 years, and when she does it ends up killing him.
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### Author:  [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/4 "2012-03-01T18:48:08Z")
The message you have received is not to go to sleep. It may be deadly.
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### Author:  [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/5 "2012-03-01T18:50:56Z")
**panache45** , please don’t think about me. At all. Please?
That is a pretty weird coincidence. It would chill my bones.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/6 "2012-03-01T20:04:37Z")
> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> **panache45** , please don’t think about me. At all. Please?
>
> That is a pretty weird coincidence. It would chill my bones.
He probably never thought of you, ever. Until you posted this post…
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/7 "2012-03-01T21:37:36Z")
> [@Crotalus](#):
>
> **panache45** , please don’t think about me. At all. Please?
>
> That is a pretty weird coincidence. It would chill my bones.
I actually never thought about you at all . . . until you reminded me.
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### Author:  [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/8 "2012-03-01T21:55:05Z")
I had a bone chilling experience once. But it turned out there was just a hole in the elbow of my parka.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/9 "2012-03-01T22:46:38Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#):
>
> Well, it’s a little like hitting a bullet with a bullet isn’t it? OP hadn’t really thought of the guy in 50 years, and when she does it ends up killing him.
I’m pretty sure the OP is a dude.
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/10 "2012-03-01T22:56:39Z")
> [@mhendo](#):
>
> I’m pretty sure the OP is a dude.
Labels…
My bad.
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### Author:  [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)
#### Post date: [March 1, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/11 "2012-03-01T23:10:32Z")
Time for another Very Vaguely Creepy thread!
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### Author:  [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/12 "2012-03-02T01:02:05Z")
How often do you Google for old acquaintances, **panache45**? The more often you do, the less a coincidence like this will surprise.
(BTW, did the guy have a very unusual name? I find it futile to search for long-ago friends unless they do.)
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### Author:  [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)
#### Post date: [March 2, 2012, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/13 "2012-03-02T15:28:12Z")
A few years ago I was reading through some old “White Dwarf” magazines that I had dug out of the basement. (“White Dwarf” was a British role-playing games magazine back in the '80’s.)
One of the frequent writers was a guy named Albie Fiore. Rereading through my old magazines I encountered his name again, and decided to Google him to see if he was still around and active in the roleplaying games scene.
So I Googled him and learned that he had passed away only a few days prior!
> **[Albie Fiore | Obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/aug/18/albie-fiore-obituary)**
>
> Obituary: As Taupi he compiled the Guardian's cryptic crossword
R.I.P. Mr. Fiore. Your creations contributed a lot to my imagination in my childhood, and I appreciate it.
> [@NurseCarmen](#):
>
> I had a bone chilling experience once. But it turned out there was just a hole in the elbow of my parka.
Baddum-CHING!
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### Author:  [@Renifer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renifer)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/14 "2012-03-03T05:14:07Z")
One day, I was pondering the date of when Natalie Wood drowned. Later, while passing time in the library, I happened to be reading a collection of short stories. This story had the protagonist putting together memorable events of a year for a class reunion, and one of them happened to be the date of Natalie Wood’s death.
Kind of bizarre that I would ask myself that question, set it aside for later, then find the answer in a random short story, where I wouldn’t expect it by looking at the title or anything.
I don’t remember the name of the story or the date, though I remember it was in the 1980’s.
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### Author:  [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2012, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/15 "2012-03-03T06:07:18Z")
So if I write a personal ad, is “does **not** kill others with my thoughts [like panache45 does]” a plus or a minus in most guys’ opinions?
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### Author:  [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/16 "2012-03-03T06:28:39Z")
My best friend throughout high school was male; as I was female, and not interested that way, it became problematic after about a decade, when it was obvious that it was going to interfere with any of his serious relationships. So…I backed off. WAYYY off. Like…we dropped all contact. Nothing drastic; this was before the 'net kicked in, when long-distance meant actually writing letters. A lot easier to just drift away like that.
Anyway, fast forward another decade or so. I’m home visiting family, pick up the paper, and…decide to look at the obituaries. No reason; it’s not something I do, my family was in good health and I didn’t know anyone locally anymore.
So I see that my former best friend’s dad was being buried that very day. 😮
I called my sister, who dropped everything, came and got me, and we showed up at the funeral. Stayed in the back; just wanted to give respect. The former best friend was of course surprised and probably confused; gave him a long hug, met his wife, and then we left.
Just one of those coincidences…
p.s. I haven’t looked at the obits randomly since. Don’t want to tempt anything. \>.\<
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### Author:  [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bone-chilling-coincidence/614459/17 "2012-03-03T16:46:29Z")
**panache45** is The Psychic Assassin.
Next time please think about these guys: [al-Qaeda - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda#Leadership)