# Can anyone explain this obit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 15, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328 "2013-10-15T17:46:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/1 "2013-10-15T17:46:33Z")
In [THIS](http://www.gmtoday.com/obits/ozwash/obits/2013/October/15/03.htm) obituary they have his age listed as 89/22.5. Huh?šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/2 "2013-10-15T17:49:11Z")
WAG: 89 years, 22 weeks, five days. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/3 "2013-10-15T17:49:11Z")
Look at his birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/4 "2013-10-15T17:51:23Z")
That or he was 3.96 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/5 "2013-10-15T17:53:41Z")
His birthday was Feb 29 maybe? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/6 "2013-10-15T17:53:59Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Look at his birthday. Ha ha. Good one! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/7 "2013-10-15T18:25:24Z")
Wonder why they gave it as 22.5, rather than just 22? Anyway by my reckoning he wouldnā€™t have been 22.5 until March 1 next year. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/8 "2013-10-15T18:25:41Z")
I hope I still have a sense of humor at that age. Shoot, Iā€™m older than that already. Wait, no Iā€™m not. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/9 "2013-10-15T18:31:10Z")
Even though Bud was 89, he only had the maturity of a 22.5 year old. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/10 "2013-10-15T21:32:13Z")
He was only 22 1/2 years old in Celsius. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/11 "2013-10-15T22:30:17Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > His birthday was Feb 29 maybe? Yes: > [@Newspaper obit](#): > > Bud was born on Feb. 29, 1924, in Mauston to Leonard and Inez Walter. So thereā€™s your answer. He had been alive 89 years but has had 22 1/2 birthdays (based on leap cycles). ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/12 "2013-10-16T02:13:08Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Look at his birthday. Yup!:smack: My younger brother figured it out almost immediately!:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2013, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-this-obit/671328/13 "2013-10-16T08:21:16Z")
A reference to the pirates apprentice in Pirates of Penzanceā€¦(Gilbert and Sullivan, ā€œModel of a modern major generalā€ being the famous song from it.) The protagonist is the apprentice to the pirate, until his 21st BIRTHDAY. Complication: He was born on 29th of Feb, so he will be 84 (approx) when the apprenticeship contract ends.